Shadow Blue - Inchin

It is a type of white porcelain, also called blue-white porcelain, because the glaze has a slight blue tint, and the Chinese coined the term "shadow blue" to express the impression of blue as seen in moonlight. It seems to have been a term coined in the 20th century. This type of blue-white porcelain is particularly famous for the white porcelain made at Jingdezhen kilns during the Song dynasty. The base is pure white with almost no impurities, and the transparent glaze contains very small amounts of iron powder (about 0.2-0.3%), which is fired with a strong reducing flame, causing the iron oxide to be reduced to iron oxide, resulting in the blue color. The phenomenon is the same as that of celadon, but the difference in the base and content makes it a more elegant blue-white porcelain. In southern China, oily wood such as pine is used as fuel, which allows for a long flame and makes it easy to create an ideal reducing flame, and blue-white porcelain became popular. Blue and white porcelain was also produced in the Jingdezhen kilns of Jiangxi Province, as well as in Guangdong, Fujian, Anhui, and Henan provinces.

[Yoshiaki Yabe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

白磁の一種で、釉(うわぐすり)に青みがうっすらとさすところから青(せい)白磁ともよび、その印象を月光を浴びた青ととらえて影青なることばが中国人によって唱えられた。20世紀に入ってからの造語らしい。この青白磁は宋(そう)代の景徳鎮窯(けいとくちんよう)の白磁がことに名高い。素地(きじ)がほとんど夾雑物(きょうざつぶつ)を含まない純白で、透明釉(ゆう)のなかにきわめて微量に含まれる鉄粉（約0.2～0.3％）が強力な還元炎で焼製されたため、第二酸化鉄が第一酸化鉄に還元された結果、青みを呈する。その現象は青磁と同じであるが、素地や含有率の相違から気品の高い青白磁になる。華南では油質のマツなどの木材を燃料に用いるため、炎が長く理想的な還元炎がつくりやすく、青白磁が流行した。江西省の景徳鎮窯をはじめ、広東(カントン)、福建、安徽(あんき)、河南の各省でも青白磁が焼かれた。

［矢部良明］

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