Bizen ware

Pottery fired in the Bizen area of ​​Okayama Prefecture. It is a development of sueki, a style of pottery that has continued since the Kofun period, centered around what is now Osafune, Setouchi City. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the main production shifted to Kagato (the area around the western part of Bizen City), where it switched to producing yakishime pottery by firing with an oxidizing flame. In the 14th century, the area established a trading area mainly covering the Pacific coast of western Japan from Kamakura in the east, and in addition to everyday items such as jars, pots, and mortars, teapots, flower vases, and other decorative items were fired, and it seems that the area was closely connected to the central culture. The kilns that were located in the mountains in the northern area of ​​Bizen City today were consolidated in the Ibe settlement in the late Muromachi period, and a joint production system was established with three major kilns in the south, north, and west. In this large kiln, wabi tea ware from the Momoyama period was fired, leaving behind particularly excellent works such as water jars and flower vases, and the scarlet decoration method known as hidasuki was also invented. Works from before the Momoyama period are called Ko-Bizen, but in the first half of the 17th century, from the late Momoyama period to the beginning of the Edo period, a new style of workmanship was developed with the production of thin tea ware, known as Inbe-de. Works from the Edo period onwards are called Ibe-yaki. In the late Edo period, the craftsmanship was further refined, leaving behind excellent ornamental pieces, and with the rise of the Showa era and the boom in revival pottery, Momoyama tea ware attracted attention again, and the craftsmanship of wabi tea ware gained a reputation. A distinctive feature is the lack of glaze, which allows the austere taste of the base to shine through, and the surface changes in various ways depending on the conditions of the fire and kiln, and these changes are referred to in various ways.

[Yoshiaki Yabe]

"Complete Collection of Japanese Ceramics 10: Bizen" edited by Akira Ito (1977, Chuokoron-Shinsha)" ▽ "Complete Collection of World Ceramics 4: Momoyama 1" (1977, Shogakukan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

岡山県備前市一帯で焼かれた陶器。現在の瀬戸内市長船(おさふね)町を中心に古墳時代から続いた須恵器(すえき)が発展したもので、12、13世紀には主流を香々戸(かがと)（現備前市西部一帯）に移して、酸化炎焼成による焼き締め陶造りに転じた。14世紀に入ると、東は鎌倉から西日本の太平洋側を主とした商圏を確立し、甕(かめ)、壺(つぼ)、すり鉢を中心とした日常雑器のほか、茶壺、花瓶などの什器(じゅうき)も焼かれ、中央文化に密着していたと思われる。今日の備前市北部一帯の山中にあった窯(かま)は、室町後期には伊部(いんべ)集落に集約され、南、北、西の三大窯で共同生産体制を確立した。この大窯で桃山時代のわびの茶陶を焼造し、とくに水指(みずさし)、花いけなどに優作を残し、火襷(ひだすき)とよばれる緋色(ひいろ)の装飾法も考案された。桃山以前のものを古備前とよぶが、桃山後期から江戸初頭にかかる17世紀前半には、薄造りの茶陶、いわゆる伊部手(いんべで)をつくって作風は新展開した。江戸時代以降のものを伊部焼という。江戸後期にはさらに細工に徹して置物に秀作を残し、昭和に入って復興陶芸のブームに乗じてふたたび桃山茶陶が注目を集め、わびの茶陶造りで高名を得ている。釉薬(ゆうやく)をかけずに素地(きじ)の渋い味わいを生かすのが特色で、肌は火や窯の状態でさまざまに変化するが、その変化の状態で種々の呼称がある。

［矢部良明］

『伊東晃編『日本陶磁全集10　備前』（1977・中央公論社）』▽『『世界陶磁全集4　桃山1』（1977・小学館）』

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