よみがえる青の物語The revival of the story of blue

地産地消という言葉がありますが、これは農産物の世界だけではなく、やきものの世界にも当てはまる言葉だと思います。
日本はもとよりやきものの生産がさかんな国ですが、前近代には、今知られているよりもっと多くの窯業地(産地)があったと考えられます。かつて水甕や壺などの貯蔵容器はすべて陶土で作られていたので、地域の需要に応じ、やきものに適した土が採掘できる場所では窯が築かれ、周辺地域に供給されていました。

今は産地というイメージがない秋田県角館の白岩地区も、かつては佐竹藩の官窯(御用窯)としての顔と地域一帯の需要を満たす民窯としての顔を持つ大窯業地でした。
最盛期を迎えた江戸時代末期には6軒の窯元に多くの陶工が立ち働いていましたが、明治になり庇護者であった藩が解体し、さらに天変地異(大地震)が起こるという激変に煽られ、19世紀のうちにすべての窯が廃業してしまいました。この、一度廃絶してしまった白岩のやきものは「古白岩焼(こしらいわやき)」という名で呼ばれています。

白岩焼はその後70年の時を経て、古白岩焼の窯の末裔にあたる渡邊すなおさん敏明さん夫妻が開窯した和兵衛窯によって再興され、今は新たな作り手として二代目の葵さんが加入。現代の生活に即した造形に取り組んでいます。
和兵衛窯の器の特徴は何と言っても、古白岩焼の風合いを映した魅惑的な伝統の青。これは「海鼠釉(なまこゆう)」という釉薬が醸す色です。釉色の調整については長年に渡る試行錯誤があったと聞いていますが、地場の米・あきたこまちの籾灰を用いることで見事に再現。この青い色こそが白岩焼の白岩焼たる所以であり、再興するためには不可欠のものでした。

その海鼠釉と土釉(どろゆう)を三日月状に掛け分けた画像の器は、二代目の手になるもので、根雪の端に大地が顔を覗かせる早春の光景を想い起こさせてくれます。
葵さんは和兵衛窯で作陶にいそしむ前は京都に遊学していたそうですが、そこで学んだ洗練された造形感覚が、民藝的な発色の伝統釉との間に不思議な調和をもたらし、秋田の清冽な情趣を感じさせる器を生み出しました。

もとは地産地消の要請から生まれたやきものだった白岩焼が、紆余曲折を経ながら、地域を越えてさまざまな土地に生きる人びとの心をも満たすようになる—。
その長い道のりを静かに俯瞰してみると、やきものという工芸が、時代に添って進化する生命体であるように思えてきます。これからもその物語は長く続いてゆくことでしょう。

The term “Chisan Chisho (local production for local consumption)” should apply not only to the world of agricultural products, but also to the world of pottery.
Japan is a country of active pottery production, but in pre-modern times there were probably many more ceramic production areas than we know of today. In the past, storage containers such as water jars and pots were all made from pottery clay. Therefore kilns were built where clay suitable for pottery could be earthed and supplied to the surrounding area according to local demand.

The Shiraiwa area of Kakunodate in Akita Prefecture, which is not known for pottery today, was once a major pottery-making area that served both as an official kiln for the Satake domain, and as a private kiln to meet the needs of the local community.
At the end of the Edo period, when pottery production was at its peak, there were six kilns and many potters working there. Yet, in the Meiji period, due to the dismantling of the domain that had protected them, and then a cataclysmic disaster in the form of a major earthquake, all the kilns were closed down in the 19th Century. This once defunct Shiraiwa pottery is now known as Ko-shiraiwa-yaki (old Shiraiwa ware).

After seventy years, Shiraiwa ware was revived by Waheegama, a kiln opened by a couple Sunao and Toshiharu Watanabe, descendants of the old Shiraiwa ware kiln. Now, Aoi, the second generation of the family, has joined the kiln as a new maker and is working on creating shapes that are suited to modern life.
The most distinctive feature of Waheegama’s pottery is the fascinating traditional blue that reflects the texture of old Shiraiwa ware. This colour is produced by a glaze called “Namako-Yu”. According to them, it took many years of trial and error to get the right glaze colour, but it was successfully reproduced by using the ashes of the local rice, Akitakomachi. This blue colour is what makes Shiraiwa ware so special, and was essential to its revival.

The vessel shown in the image, which is covered with a crescent shape of Namako-Yu and Doro-Yu glazes, was made by the second-generation potter and reminds us of the early spring scene when the earth peeps out from the edge of the snow.
Aoi studied in Kyoto before working at Waheegama. The refined sense of form that she learned there has brought a curious harmony between the traditional glaze and the folk art-like colouring, creating vessels that remind us of the pure atmosphere of Akita.

Shiraiwa ware, which was originally born from the demand for “local production for local consumption”, has gone through many twists and turns and has come to fill the hearts of people living in many different places across the region.
When we look at the long journey of Shiraiwa ware, it seems to us that the pottery is a living organism that evolves with the times. The story will continue for a long time to come.

コハルアン KOHARUAN Kagurazaka Store

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