Celadon in 16 Forms いろんな青磁

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I always wondered why there are so many celadon colors, so looked it up. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "Celadon is greenish ceramic glaze that is used on stoneware. Celadon is used both for the glaze itself and for the article so glazed. It is particularly valued in China, Korea, Thailand, and Japan."

I still didn't understand why the green or blue* colors of celadon porcelain vary between articles. So, I went to the Asian Gallery (Toyokan) of Tokyo National Museum to compare celadon ware there. (I say "blue" because in Japanese, celadon glaze is "青磁," meaning "blue porcelain.")

1. Large vase with carved peony design,  China, 14th century

2. Azure glaze lei bronze shaped vase, China, 18th century

These two vases (No. 1 and No.2) were both made in China. The first one, mass-produced in Longquan, China in the 14th century, was used by a Zen Buddhist temple in Japan. The second bluish one is Jingdezhen ware in the 18th century.

No.3 below is Ru ware in China, donated by Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata to the museum. Its roundness, opaque bluish green color, and kannyu crazing are amazing. Kawabata loved antiques so much that he brought back anything he liked home even though he had no money, leaving a lot of debt behind him.* But it can't be helped; this plate is so beautiful and enchanting!
* Source: "Encyclopedia of deaths of great people," authored by Futaro Yamada, a Japanese author famous for ninja stories and mystery short stories

3. Dish, donated by Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata, China, 11th to 12th century 

Crazing or "kannyu" in Japanese is a network of cracks on the surface of porcelain. It happens when a glaze is under tension. A craze pattern can develop immediately after removal from the kiln or years later and even newly develop for many years. Crazing is considered decoration and highly appreciated in Japan. No.4 has clear and beautiful kannyu cracks like a spider web on its surface.

4. Bowl with foliate rims (with kannyu cracks), China, 12th to 13th century

What puzzled me most was No.5 below, a "brownish celadon (米色青磁)" vase. How can celadon glazed porcelain be brown? The answer is "oxidation firing," in which the amount of oxygen is sufficient to produce such a brownish color as opposed to "reduction firing," in which insufficient oxygen enables the green/blue colors like No.1 to No.4.

5. "Brownish" celadon vase, China, 12th to 13th century

No.6 to No.14 are all Korean.

6. Bowl with parrot design, Korea, 12th to 13th century

No.6 is incised with parrot design, which unfortunately can't be seen, while No.7 shows clear and beautiful lotus petals.

7. Bowl with carved lotus petals, Korea, 12th to 13th century

The four bowls (No.8 to No.11) look very similar, but the colors and shapes slightly vary.

8. Bowl, Korea, 11th to 12th century

9. Bowl, Korea, 11th century

10. Bowl, Korea 11th century

11. Bowl, Korea, 10th century

A vase with a dragon shaped spout (No.12) is also from Korea. 

12. Vase with dragon-shaped spout, Korea, 13th century

The designs of No.13 and No.14 are so exquisitely delicate and their colors are deeper than Chinese ones.

13. Lidded bowl, Korea, 13th century

13. Bowl

13. Lid

14. Box with arabesque design, Korea, 12th century

Last but not least, the two celadon bowls below (No.15 and No.16) are from Thailand. They are green brown, covered with plant designs.

15. Bowl with fish and flower design in underglaze iron pigment
Thailand, 15th to 16th century

16. Shallow bowl with pointed foliate rim with lotus flower design
Thailand, 15th century

You can see all of them at the Asian Gallery (Toyokan) of Tokyo National Museum.

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以前から、同じ青磁でもいろいろな青があることが気になっていました。そこで東京国立博物館の東洋館にある16の青磁を比べてみることに。すると、それぞれ微妙に色合いが違い、「米色青磁」というのがあるのも知りました。「米色（茶色）」で「青」？ 調べたら、還元焼成（酸素少な目）だと青磁色になるのですが、酸化焼成（酸素たっぷり）だと黄褐色になるとのこと。焼くときの酸素の量を変えているのですね。

ちなみに還元焼成は「reduction firing」で、酸化焼成は「oxidation firing」。「reduction firing」が酸素少な目とは、英語の方が分かりやすい！

ブリタニカ百科事典によると、青磁は、中国、韓国、タイ、そして日本で珍重されているとのこと。

私が好きなのは川端康成が寄贈したNo.3と貫入の美しいNo.4。川端康成は骨董好きが高じてお金を気にせず買ってしまい、死んだ後は借金だらけだったそうです。あなたはどれが好きですか？

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