Dai Ichi Arts is delighted to present our Winter 2022 exhibition “Dreaming in Mino: Oribe & Shino”, exploring the work of modern and contemporary artists who practice in 2 much-loved styles of Japanese pottery: Oribe & Shino yaki.
Famous for its patches of copper green, its variety of colorful gradations that the glaze type permits and playful decorations, Oribe ware is an indispensable part of any Japanese Modern art collection. In its inception, Oribe ware was known for its daring departure from monochrome conventions in pottery during the Keichō and Genna eras (1596–1624). This ahead-of-its-time experimental spirit lives on in modern ceramics in the work of our Autumn selection of artists and potters who are at the forefront of carrying the tradition and spirit of Oribe into the future.
Often studied and collected alongside Oribe ware is the much loved Shino pottery type. Shino-yaki was first fired during the Momoyama era (1568-1603) at kilns in Mino (present-day Gifu). Usually fashioned on stoneware, it is characterized by a thick yet porous and viscous glaze. The areas where the glaze does not touch fire a bright vermillion or red where the kiln’s fire has licked the white Mino clay. Traditionally fired in Anagama kilns, Shino-yaki can take on a dramatic appearance with a stark contrast between colors, or subtle, muted tones of white gradation. Modern artists take on this traditional glaze and play with its opacity, for the silica in the glaze may oxidize differently and produce different capacities of translucency. The fine glassy effect can be seen in the examples of Nezumi-shino by Wakao Toshisada. Meanwhile, the work of Tamaoki Yasuo and Hayashi Shotaro showcase the ability of Shino glazes to take on a spectacular, iron-rich, red shade. This exhibition presents the various types of Shino-yaki, showing off various shades of blue-gray, a fiery rust-red, to a clear, pure white.
