Japan's rich tradition of ceramic art is built on the foundation of the "six ancient kiln sites": Bizen, Shigaraki/Iga, Tokoname, Eichen, Tamba and Seto. Of these, Bizen and Shigaraki are considered the two "crown jewels" of Japanese ceramic art, and the two styles are considered to complement each other.

Shigaraki came into prominence during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when "the beauty of the kiln" was discovered and potters strove to achieve brilliant effects both through their own artistry and craftsmanship and through "kiln accidents" such as flowing and dripping ash deposits. The strength and "brightness" of Shigaraki ware are present in the dynamic motion on the surface, created through the rough texture of the clay, the artist's intentional and masterful "deforming" of the shape, and the fluidity of the glaze rivulets and drips. Shigaraki ware has the "beauty of motion", according to contemporary Bizen artist Anjin Abe. He contrasts it with the Bizen aesthetic, which reached its zenith during the Momoyama period (1568-1615), when the "beauty of composition" reigned supreme. This work has "the beauty of tranquility" according to Abe. As such, it exemplified the "wabi-sabi" aesthetic prized by practitioners of the Tea ceremony ("Chanoyu") and demands greater contemplation from the viewer for its full appreciation.

Under the insightful (and influential) eyes of the great Tea masters and taste-makers Shuko (1448-1474) and especially the legendary Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591), Bizen ware was elevated to the realm of art. To Sen no Rikyu the earthy, yet elegant, qualities of Bizen ware complemented the aesthetics of the Tea ceremony as he intended to see it practiced: restrained, austere, sincere, pure. This aesthetic is known as "wabi-sabi" and celebrates that which is poor, desolate, imperfect, and impermanent. It is a fundamental concept of Japanese culture, but as Leonard Koren points out in his excellent book Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, when asked what wabi-sabi is, most Japanese "will shake their head, hesitate, and offer a few apologetic words about how difficult it is to explain." Koren says that ultimately one has recourse in poetry, as in the poem by Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241) that Sen no Rikyu thought captured the mood of wabi-sabi:

All around, no flowers in bloom
Nor maple leaves in glare,
A solitary fisherman's hut alone
On the twilight shore
Of this autumn eve.

With the rather simple elements of iron-rich clay, fire and air, a multitude of dynamic and subtle effects are possible and there is a whole vocabulary devoted to describing various styles:

"Buta mochi" or "rice cake impression" refers to one or more circular reserves left on a piece, generally created by protecting that area from ash deposit. The reserves are the diameter and shape of a rice cake.

In "hidasuki" or "rice straw style" the piece is bound or wrapped in rice straw and protected from ask deposits by being fired in a saggar. This results in a buff-colored body with characteristic dark red-orange "flashing."

"Goma" or "sesame seed effect" is a light or dense sprinkling of mustard yellow spots resembling sesame seeds.

Today, over four hundred potters work in the Bizen area of Okayama Prefecture. A great many produce ware for domestic consumption and a small, but enduring, tourist trade, churning out wares meant for serving food, drinking sake, tea ceremony as well as use steeped tea, flower arranging, incense burning and other uses. A small number of influential and highly regarded potters produce work of exceptional artistic merit. Some, such as Anjin Abe and Kaneshige Michiaki, work primarily in a traditional mode, looking to classical Momoyama shapes and styles, seeking their inspiration from Zen and the aesthetics of the Tea ceremony, while others, such as Kakurezaki Ryuichi, Shimaoka Hikaru and Imanari Kenji, strive to update the classics with a modern, dramatic, architectural sensibility.

Gallery Dai Ichi Arts in New York City as, for more than a decade, brought the best in contemporary Japanese ceramics to the attention of the American public. Among its artists, who work in a wide range of styles, are several who work exclusively or occasionally in the Bizen style In keeping with Japanese tradition, the family name is given first, followed by the individual's name.

After a lifetime devoted to studying and researching antique Bizen wares and careful experimentation with kiln processes in order to perfect his firing techniques, Abe Anjin (b. 1938) masterfully reproduces the legendary beauty of classic Bizen wares (Ko-Bizen). Abe achieves a soothing, contemplative feeling in his pottery by scrupulous attention to "zogen", which can be variously translated as composition, structure or profile. In his youth, Abe was recognized as a gifted painter, but while studying in Europe he fell ill and ceased painting. In 1972, he turned to pottery, and now "paints with fire on a field of clay." Abe works within the context of the aesthetics of the Tea ceremony. "I am concerned that my pieces can work harmoniously with other teawares," he says. "They should not stand out and call too much attention to themselves." Nevertheless, many collectors find great strength and presence in his work. In 1995, Abe received the great honor of having his work purchased by the teahouse of the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Kakurezaki Ryuichi (b. 1950) is a Bizen artist who combines traditional Bizen clay and firing techniques with a modern, sculptural sensibility. The cool geometry of his wheel-thrown and altered forms is enhanced by the lush, sensual surfaces achieved by his firing techniques. In his hands, forms originating in the historical Bizen and folk pottery tradition take on a contemporary edginess and architectural dignity, while still maintaining their essential foothold in elemental earth, fire and air. Born in Nagasaki Prefecture and trained at Osaka University of the Fine Arts, Kakurezaki was a student of the Bizen potters Iwamoto Shuichi and Isezaki Jun. He built his own kiln in Okayama in 1986, and in 1980 was granted membership in the Japan Traditional Craft Association.

Jeff Shapiro (b. 1949) is a native of New York City who studied and worked extensively in Japanese ceramics centers, including Kyoto, Fukuota, Ehime, Hamasake and Bizen. Returning to the States in 1980, he spent the next three years building his own anagama kiln (a tunnel kiln that slopes up a hillside) in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Among the hallmarks of Shapiro's works are spontaneity, appreciation for nature and naturalness, rich surface textures, dynamic effects caused by kiln "accidents" (generally the result of long and careful experimentation), and calligraphic scoring, rips and tears. Beauty, for Shapiro, lies in the melding of the artist's craftsmanship with his understanding of the interaction of man and nature. His newest body of work, rooted in the Bizen tradition, highlights his love of landscape and spontaneous risk-taking, taking his work into an even deeper meditation on time, age, accident and survival.

The tradition that is Bizen is continuously alive. With its rich associations with Tea ceremony and Zen and its affiliations with earth, landscape, and fire, Bizen style is a continuing dialogue between the artist and the elements, each representing change and stability, and the perfection of the imperfect. As such the tradition is alive and vital, challenging and accepting, and will remain one of the "crown jewels" of Japanese ceramic art.

Beatrice Chang is the Director of Gallery Dai Ichi Arts in New York City;
Patricia Pelehach is a potter and collector.