Kutani ware

Japanese: 九谷焼 - くたにやき

Ceramic ware produced in Ishikawa Prefecture. This includes the so-called "Old Kutani" produced in the early Edo period in a remote village called Hekison Kutani (present-day Yamanaka Onsen Kutanimachi, Kaga City) upstream of the Daishoji River, the "Restored Kutani" produced by the Kaga Domain in the late Edo period, and Kutani ware produced after the Meiji period.

[Yoshiaki Yabe]

Old Kutani

It is generally believed that the lord of Daishoji, Maeda Toshiharu, sent his retainer Goto Saijiro to Arita (Saga Prefecture) to learn pottery-making techniques, and after returning to the domain, he instructed Tamura Gonzaemon and built a kiln in the Meireki era (1655-58), but it is believed that a kiln was built in this area prior to that, and that it was influenced by Arita in some way. The so-called Old Kutani kilns, called Daishoji ware at the time, were quite groundbreaking, as evidenced by the remains of the old kiln, which have two large, 34-meter-tall, multi-chambered climbing kilns.

However, due to the discrepancy between the ceramic fragments unearthed in the four excavations since 1970 (Showa 45) and the white porcelain base of the Ko-Kutani, and the lack of solid documentation, the origins of the Ko-Kutani kilns and when they were abandoned are unclear. Osawa Kimiyama's "Jushu Kaetsuno Oji Suido" (1736) only mentions that there was a stone-ware kiln (for porcelain firing) in Kutani, and that it was already a thing of the past. It was a kiln for the Daishoji domain, and its heyday is said to have been in the late 17th century, but it was abandoned between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century during the Genroku period (1688-1704).

Generally, what is called Ko-Kutani is colored porcelain, and many of them have flowers and birds, landscapes, and scenery painted on an opaque, dull white pigment base. All of them have bold compositions, and are painted over with bold brushstrokes using deep colored glazes. The designs show various influences, such as auspicious and Japanese styles, but they are well assimilated and skillfully combined with geometric patterns to create a unique design that can be called the Ko-Kutani style. Also, the Aode (painted) style, in which the base is painted over with blue, green, purple, and yellow colored glazes, is unique to Ko-Kutani.

[Yoshiaki Yabe]

Revival of Kutani

In the late Edo period, as the momentum for promoting the pottery industry grew nationwide, a kiln was opened on Utatsuyama (in Kanazawa City) during the Bunka era (1804-18) as part of the Kaga domain's policy to promote production, and new kilns sprang up all over the domain. These kilns are broadly referred to as the "Resurrected Kutani."

In 1807 (Bunkaku 4), Aoki Mokubei was invited from Kyoto and opened the Kasugayama Kiln at the foot of Mt. Utatsu with his apprentice Honda Sadakichi. Here, gosu akae, celadon, koakae, sometsuke, egourai, and Kochi copies were fired, modeled on Chinese ceramics. The elegant style of the literati, with Japanese-style coloring, was full of beauty, but the pottery industry did not flourish, and in 1822 (Bunsei 5), Takeda Minzan, the lord of the Kaga domain, took over and opened the separate Minzan Kiln. Tamyama Kiln produced many attractive porcelain pieces with bright and cheerful tones, mainly red overglaze paintings on semi-porcelain bodies, but it was closed down when Tamyama died in 1844 (Koka 1). Meanwhile, in 1811, Hayashi Hachibei, a headman (village headman) of Wakasugi village (present-day Wakasugicho, Komatsu city), invited Honda Sadakichi to establish the Wakasugi Kiln. This was a success as an industry, and in 1820 it became a kiln directly controlled by the Kaga domain, mass-producing various types of pottery, including Imari, using Imari as a model, and welcoming Takeichi Yujiro, a native of Awa (Tokushima), as a painter, leaving behind excellent works of painted items, and it continued to exist until 1875 (Meiji 8).

However, it was Yoshidaya (Toyoda Denemon), a wealthy merchant from Daishoji, who copied the traditional Ko-Kutani overglaze porcelain in earnest and developed it into a new, unique decorative style. A man of letters, he built a new kiln near the site of the old Ko-Kutani kiln in about 1823, in his later years, and named it the Yoshidaya Kiln. Honda Sadakichi's adopted son Seibei became the main producer, and they produced heavy overglaze porcelain with a strong artistic flavor, imitating the Gosai-de and Aote-de patterns of Ko-Kutani. The kiln was moved to Ecchu-dani Kiln in Yamashiro in 1825, but closed in 1831 (Tenpo 2).

Following Yoshidaya Kiln, Miyamotoya Uemon (brother of Miyamotoya Riemon, manager of Yoshidaya Kiln) opened Miyamotoya Kiln in 1832, and Iidaya Hachiroemon, who excelled in detailed akae painting, worked as a painter and perfected a kinrande style called Hachiro-de. This ware gained a great reputation and influenced the kilns in Kaga, becoming the cause of the popularity of Kutani akae. It was Kutani Shoza who added his own unique touch to this Hachiro-de to create a lustrous colored kinrande, becoming the founder of the Shoza style. Eiraku Wazen, who was invited from Kyoto to Yamashiro, also used kinrande techniques, leaving a unique style known as Kutani Eiraku. Also worthy of special mention is the contribution made by Aoya Gen'emon, who worked as a painter at Yoshidaya Kiln, in providing technical guidance to various kilns.

Thus, from the Bunka era onwards, with the emergence of talented potters and the discovery of high-quality porcelain clay, Komatsu, Kaga, Kanazawa, Terai and other areas experienced remarkable development. In the Meiji era, this development progressed further with exports overseas, and the area came to play a part in Japan's pottery industry.

During this time, the region produced many famous potters, including Kutani Shozo, Matsumoto Sahei, Utsumi Kichizo, Abe Hekikai, Ishino Ryuzan, Adachi Tosen, Matsubara Shinsuke, Tokuda Yasokichi, Takeuchi Ginshu and the Asai brothers Ichigo, Suda Seika I, and Nakamura Shuto I. There was a time when Tomimoto Kenkichi and Kitaoji Rosanjin also participated in pottery production.

[Yoshiaki Yabe]

"Japanese Ceramics 11: Old Kutani" edited by Hayashiya Seizo (1975, Chuokoron-Shinsha)" ▽ "Ceramics Series 22: Kutani" by Nishida Hiroko (1978, Heibonsha)" ▽ "World Ceramics Collection 9: Edo (4)" edited by Mikami Tsuguo and Hayashiya Seizo (1983, Shogakukan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

石川県で焼かれる陶磁器。江戸初期、大聖寺(だいしょうじ)川上流の僻村(へきそん)九谷（現加賀(かが)市山中温泉九谷町(やまなかおんせんくたにまち)）で焼かれたいわゆる「古九谷」と、江戸後期、加賀藩によって再開された「再興九谷」、そして明治以降の九谷焼が含まれる。

［矢部良明］

古九谷

開窯については、大聖寺藩主の前田利治(としはる)が家臣の後藤才次郎を有田（佐賀県）に派遣して作陶の技術を修得させ、帰藩後、田村権左右衛門(ごんざえもん)を指導して明暦(めいれき)年間（1655～58）に築窯したと一般に伝えられているが、この地に窯が築かれたのはそれ以前であり、なんらかの形で有田の影響を受けたものと推察される。当時大聖寺焼とよばれたいわゆる古九谷窯はかなり画期的なもので、34メートルに及ぶ大規模な連房式登窯(のぼりがま)を2基も備える古窯址(し)がそれを証している。

　しかし1970年（昭和45）以来4次にわたる発掘調査で出土した陶磁片と、伝世古九谷の白磁土の素地(きじ)に格差が認められることや、確たる文献も少ないため、古九谷の窯の始源や廃窯の時期は判然としていない。大沢君山の『重修加越能大路水径』（1736）でも、すでに過去のこととして九谷の地に石焼（磁器焼造）の窯があったと記すのみである。大聖寺藩の藩窯としての性格をもち、その最盛期は17世紀後半とされているが、元禄(げんろく)期（1688～1704）の17世紀末から18世紀初めには廃絶した。

　一般に古九谷と称されているのは色絵磁器で、不透明な鈍い白色素地に花鳥、山水、風物などを描いたものが多い。いずれも大胆な構図で、濃い彩釉(さいゆう)を用い雄勁(ゆうけい)な筆致で上絵付(うわえつけ)されている。文様には祥瑞(しょんずい)風、和風などと、種々の影響がみられるが、よくそれを消化し、幾何学文様なども巧みに併用しつつ、古九谷様式ともいうべき独自の意匠を展開している。また素地を青・緑・紫・黄の彩釉で塗りつぶした青手(あおで)（塗りつぶし手）も古九谷特有のものである。

［矢部良明］

再興九谷

江戸後期、全国的に陶業振興の気運が強まるなかで、文化(ぶんか)年間（1804～18）加賀藩の殖産政策として卯辰山(うたつやま)（金沢市）に窯が開かれたのを皮切りに、藩内各地に新窯の勃興(ぼっこう)をみた。これらの諸窯を幅広くとらえて「再興九谷」とよんでいる。

　1807年（文化4）京都から青木木米(もくべい)が招聘(しょうへい)され、弟子の本多貞吉(さだきち)とともに卯辰山麓(さんろく)に春日山(かすがやま)窯を開いた。ここでは呉須(ごす)赤絵、青磁、古赤絵、染付(そめつけ)、絵高麗(えごうらい)、交趾(こうち)写しなどが中国陶磁を手本に焼かれた。和様に色付した文人好みの雅味ある作風はみるべき妙趣に富んでいたが、陶業としては発展せず、1822年（文政5）には加賀藩主武田民山(みんざん)が受け継いで、別に民山窯を開いている。民山窯は、半磁胎(じたい)の素地に、赤を中心に上絵付した明るく朗らかな作調の魅力的な磁器を多く焼いたが、彼の没した1844年（弘化1）には廃滅した。一方、1811年に、若杉村（現小松市若杉町）の十村(とむら)（大庄屋(おおじょうや)）林八兵衛が本多貞吉を招いて若杉窯をおこしている。これは産業として成功を収め、1820年には加賀藩直轄の窯となり、伊万里(いまり)をはじめ種々の焼物を手本として量産するとともに、阿波(あわ)（徳島）出身の武一勇次郎を絵付師に迎えて絵付物に優作を残し、1875年（明治8）まで存続した。

　しかし、いわゆる伝世古九谷の色絵磁器を本格的に写し、新たな独特の装飾様式にまで展開させたのは、大聖寺の豪商吉田屋（豊田伝右衛門(でんえもん)）である。文人でもあった彼は晩年の1823年ごろ、古九谷の古窯址の近くに新窯を築き吉田屋窯とした。本多貞吉の養子清兵衛が主力となり、古九谷の五彩手と青手に倣った芸術的香りの高い重厚な色絵磁器をつくった。窯は1825年に山代(やましろ)の越中(えっちゅう)谷窯に移されたが、31年（天保2）に廃窯した。

　吉田屋窯の後を受けて宮本屋宇右衛門（吉田屋窯支配人宮本屋理右衛門の兄）が1832年に宮本屋窯を開き、赤絵細描に優れた飯田屋八郎右衛門(いいだやはちろうえもん)が絵付師を務めて八郎手とよぶ金襴手(きんらんで)を完成させた。これが世評を集めて加賀の諸窯に影響を与え、九谷赤絵流行の起因となった。この八郎手に独自のくふうを加えて艶(つや)やかな彩色金襴手をつくりだしたのは九谷庄三(しょうざ)で、庄三風の始祖となっている。また京都から山代へ招かれた永楽和全(えいらくわぜん)による金襴手の技法は、九谷永楽とよばれる独特の作風を残した。なお吉田屋窯で絵付師を務めた粟生屋源右衛門(あおやげんえもん)が諸窯に与えた技術指導の功績にも特筆すべきものがある。

　このように化政期以降は、優れた陶人の輩出や良質の磁土の発見とともに、小松、加賀、金沢、寺井などで目覚ましく発展を遂げ、明治に入って海外への輸出でさらに進展し、同地はわが国製陶産業の一翼を担うこととなった。

　その間、九谷庄三、松本佐平、内海吉造(うつみきちぞう)、阿部碧海(へきかい)、石野竜山(りゅうざん)、安達陶仙(あだちとうせん)、松原新助、徳田八十吉(やそきち)、竹内吟秋(ぎんしゅう)・浅井一毫(いちごう)の兄弟、初代須田菁華(せいか)、初代中村秋塘(しゅうとう)らの名工を生み、富本憲吉や北大路魯山人(きたおおじろさんじん)も作陶に加わった時期がある。

［矢部良明］

『林屋晴三編『日本の陶磁11　古九谷』（1975・中央公論社）』▽『西田宏子著『陶磁大系22　九谷』（1978・平凡社）』▽『三上次男・林屋晴三編『世界陶磁全集9　江戸（4）』（1983・小学館）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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