Heian Kouzan ?

Hi Ryan...and everybody else..

I have just been on your newsletter,...one of the pots looked familiar to me, and i went to my garden, to check.
The pot looks like a Heian Kouzan to me......if it is a such pot, is it then the old guy on the photo who made it?... or
Do you know the age?




The pot is 33.5 cm long, and does not look like any other pot I have...very unique.

Kind regards Yvonne

Yvonne,
What would lead you to believe this is Heian Kouzan? Even without any identyfying stamp or signature, this doesn't resemble his work much at all. As I'm sure read in the article, Kouzan was known for precision and very clean technique, while this piece has a fairly imprecise glaze application and rather rustic clay. It looks much more like mid to late 20th century Canton ware to me, from the specific color of the red, which Ive seen a lot on Cantonese pots from this period.
Ryan
Http://JapaneseBonsaiPots.net/

Hi Ryan

Msny thanks for your answer, but....
When standing with the big pot in my hands, does it look like handmade quality to me, also is the feet as expected on a japanese handmade...the pot has a coupple of tiny chips in the feet in the front, they can be mistaking for very rustic clay.
I will ask the seller again...yorozuen-annex...they gave me the name of the potter, but I have lost it.

Kind regards Yvonne

It is a Kouzan

Yvonne,
Yorozuen are certainly reputable Dealers! Is the mark shown the only one on the pot? I ask as I was wondering how they arrived at the conclusion that it was Heian Kouzan, since I would never in a million years have thought so from the glaze and consistency of the clay.
Ryan
Http://JapaneseBonsaiPots.net/

Hi Ryan

It is possible you are right.....Now I may offend you, as you may already now....But I will say it anyway, as it is not ment as an offend...
It is wellknown for potters, to mix chamotte in their regular clay, when they build larger pots (not needed in shohin pots)...it is common to use this clay texnik, when they build a pot from panels, and glue them together with weath clayglue, as it makes the the claypanels more stabil....potters can tell you a long story about this tecnik.
This chamotte give the clay a rustik surface...and from rims, can they soon make a little mark, when the weath pot is having the last finish before drying up...it is not considered a flaw....also the glaze kan have small marks from the chamotte underneath.


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The feet are sharp,with clean lines. Well crafted


The glaze one more time....and I did not find more stamps on the underside.

Kind regards Yvonne...I have just send more photos to Yorozuen...wait for answer

Yvonne,
No offense taken. I'm well aware of the technique, Tofukuji used chamotte(and also ground up antique Chinese pots!!), even in very small pots, to make the clay stretch(most likely out of poverty), which gives his pots such a warm and rustic feel. I've never seen the technique used on the larger Heian Kouzan I've seen, though(which are few and far between). The glaze color certainly resembles Heian Kouzan's red, but, given the cost of a large Heian Kouzan like this(1,500-3,000$)I'd have a tough time buying without a signature or stamp. Yorozuen are some the most respected authenticators in the biz, and I trust their word.
Ryan
Http://JapaneseBonsaiPots.net/

Hi Ryan

I have not paid anything near this amount for the pot, this I would never in my lifetime be able, or interested in, to pay for a pot.......
I send more photos to Yorozuen, and wait for the answer....

kind regards Yvonne

kouzan, kozan, kosen. i'm not too proud to admit how quickly i get confused by the westernization of Japanese potters' names and their kilns --- especially, when the spellings are often inconsistent.
my ignorance confessed, is there any chance that Yvonne's container is a Heian Kosen?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Bonsai-pot-Heian-Kosen-from-established-bonsai-garden-/300893844728?pt=Planters_Pots&hash=item460eabb4f8&_uhb=1#ht_1228wt_689
Rather than a Heian Kozan?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Bonsai-pot-Heian-Kozan-from-established-bonsai-garden-/300893849744?pt=Planters_Pots&hash=item460eabc890&_uhb=1#ht_1266wt_689
the clay seems consistent.

Bob

Bob,
It's much more insidious than you know! Their actually 2 Heian Kouzan(one specializes in painted pots) plus 3 other "Kouzan" without the Heian and then you Heian Kosen, Heian Kouso, and Heian Kouzan Jr into the mix, not to mention Tokoname Kozan and Kosen! It's a real boondoggle!
Ryan
Http://JapaneseBonsaiPots.net/

Yorozuen-Annex will Only say it is a japanese pot... on the question, if it could be a Heian Kouzan, have I recived no answer ...I am happy, I did not buy it is a expensive pot...but it would have been nice if it had turned out expensive

Kind regards Yvonne...I pm Ryan

Hello, Yvonne.
If you get a chance, post another photo with the whole tree.
No fair just teasing me with a bit of nebari.
Regards, Bob.

Ryan. There's a pedigree fraught with loopholes and forgotten cousins. I don't feel quite so bad about sometimes getting so confused.

Hi rps

It is a chinese ulmus....it used to be styled as a juniper....during last year, I done some prework on it, to prepare for a restyling, this summer will i carve the trunk quit a lot...right now is the tree ugly, and not worth looking at.

Kind regards Yvonne