YAMAAKI (山秋窯) 3rd Generation Kataoka Toshio (片岡俊夫 作) - 小松泉 - 常滑 - 24.6cm Square 正方鉢 – Unglazed 無釉

Product Details / 商品詳細:

Region / 産地: Tokoname 常滑市, Aichi Prefecture 愛知県
Kiln / 窯元: Yamaaki Kiln 山秋窯
Artist / 陶工: 3rd Generation Kataoka Toshio 三代目 片岡俊夫
Style / 形式: Handmade Japanese square unglazed bonsai pot 手作り正方形無釉盆栽鉢
Signature / Mark / 銘・落款: Incised signature 銘 / mei together with impressed Yamaaki kiln seal 山秋印

Description / 説明:

A vintage artisan-made Japanese bonsai pot 盆栽鉢 by 3rd Generation Yamaaki, Kataoka Toshio 三代目 片岡俊夫, produced at the renowned Yamaaki Kiln 山秋窯 in Tokoname 常滑市, Aichi Prefecture 愛知県.

This substantial square form (正方鉢 / seihobachi) has a powerful architectural presence, with gently outward-flaring walls 外反り / sotozori rising towards a broad projecting lip (口縁 / koen). The strong square proportions are softened by carefully shaped corners 隅 / sumi, creating a confident silhouette with excellent balance (均衡 / kinko) and stability (安定感 / anteikan).

The projecting lip (口縁 / koen) is further refined by a delicate raised border (縁取り / fuchidori) that follows the complete square perimeter. This subtle hand-finished detail gives greater definition to the upper profile and adds a strong sense of 造形美 (zokei-bi – beauty of form) without making the rim appear heavy.

Each of the four sides is articulated by a finely raised rectangular window frame (窓枠 / madogaku). The frame itself stands subtly proud of the main wall surface and has been carefully formed by hand 手仕事 / teshigoto, creating depth through its raised outline. The precisely proportioned framing complements the square form 正方形 / seihokei and gives the restrained walls a refined architectural character.

At the lower section, a clearly defined basal band (下帯 / shita-obi) runs continuously around the pot. This horizontal detail creates a deliberate transition between the main body 胴 / do and the base, visually grounding the vessel and reinforcing its substantial proportions.

The pot stands on four incised cut feet (切込み足 / kirikomi-ashi) positioned at the corners. Each foot is carefully cut and shaped to follow the geometry of the square corner 隅 / sumi, creating a cohesive continuation from the body into the base. Their incised construction provides a subtle visual lift while maintaining a broad, stable stance and strong 安定感 (anteikan).

The natural unglazed Tokoname clay 常滑無釉土 / Tokoname muyu-tsuchi displays a warm brown tone with subtle variation across the surface. The exposed clay has attractive tsuchi-aji (土味) and natural firing character 窯変 / yohen, while areas of previous use and watermarking contribute to the developing keinen henka (経年変化) and jidai-mi (時代味) of the vessel.

The interior 鉢内 / hachinai provides a deep and practical planting chamber with generous root space for a substantial bonsai.

The base incorporates five drainage and wiring holes (水抜き穴・針金穴 / mizunuki-ana・harigane-ana) in total. One large central drainage hole (中央水抜き穴 / chuo mizunuki-ana) is accompanied by four smaller surrounding holes, providing effective drainage (排水 / haisui) and multiple practical anchoring points 針金固定 / harigane kotei for securely fixing the tree.

The underside 鉢底 / hachizoko bears the incised signature (銘 / mei) together with the impressed Yamaaki kiln seal (山秋印), important identifying features that add significantly to the collector interest of the piece.

The combination of the powerful square form (正方鉢), broad projecting koen (口縁), delicate fuchidori (縁取り), hand-formed raised madogaku (窓枠) on each side, defined shita-obi (下帯) and corner-following kirikomi-ashi (切込み足) gives this Yamaaki pot a particularly refined and architectural character.

Max External Dimensions / 最大外寸: 24.6 × 24.5 × 16.0cm

Internal Dimensions / 内寸: 20.4 × 20.3 × 14.3cm

Condition / 状態: Excellent! 非常に良好. There is some watermarking 水跡 / mizu-ato from previous use, which becomes considerably less noticeable with a light application of oil, as shown in the photographs.

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About the Potter / 陶工について – Yamaaki 山秋窯, 3rd Generation Kataoka Toshio 三代目 片岡俊夫

The Yamaaki Kiln 山秋窯 was one of the most important and prolific bonsai-pot kilns in Tokoname 常滑, producing a wide range of practical and collector-quality bonsai containers 盆栽鉢.

The kiln was established by Kataoka Akitsuga 片岡秋次 and continued through three generations of the Kataoka family. Kataoka Toshio 片岡俊夫, the third-generation potter 三代目, carried forward the family tradition until the kiln finally ceased firing in 2011.

Yamaaki became particularly celebrated for its unglazed bonsai containers 無釉鉢, where carefully controlled gas firing ガス窯焼成 produced a wide range of rich clay tones. Many of these colours and proportions were inspired by antique Chinese bonsai containers 中国古鉢, while retaining the precision and functionality associated with traditional Tokoname-yaki 常滑焼.

Production Yamaaki pots remain widely encountered, but examples bearing personally worked incised signatures (銘 / mei) are especially interesting to collectors because they reflect more direct involvement by members of the Kataoka family.

Collector’s Note / コレクターズノート:

This is a particularly appealing 3rd Generation Yamaaki 三代目山秋 example because of the complexity and refinement of its hand-worked construction.

The four raised window frames (窓枠 / madogaku), each carefully formed by hand 手仕事 / teshigoto, give the square body an architectural character rarely seen on simpler production pots. The broad 口縁 (koen) with delicate 縁取り (fuchidori), defined 下帯 (shita-obi) and four corner-following 切込み足 (kirikomi-ashi) demonstrate considerable attention to 造形美 (zokei-bi) and overall structural balance.

The natural Tokoname clay 常滑土, developing 土味 (tsuchi-aji) and 経年変化 (keinen henka), together with the practical five-hole 水抜き穴・針金穴 arrangement and the incised 銘 (mei) with impressed 山秋印, make this a particularly complete and desirable example of traditional Tokoname bonsai pottery 常滑盆栽鉢.