Yohen 窯変 – 常滑市 – 25.3cm Rectangular 長方形 – Green Yohen Glazed 緑釉・窯変釉

YOHEN 窯変 – Tokoname 常滑市 – 25.3cm Rectangular 長方形 – Green Yohen Glazed 緑釉・窯変釉

Product Details / 鉢の詳細

Region / 産地: Tokoname 常滑市, Aichi Prefecture 愛知県
Kiln / 窯元: Yohen 窯変
Potter / 作家: Yohen 窯変
Shape / 形状: Rectangular 長方形
Glaze / 釉薬: Green Yohen Glaze 緑釉・窯変釉
Marking / 陶印: Impressed Yohen maker's seal（窯変陶印）

Description / 説明

A distinctive artisan-made Japanese bonsai pot by Yohen（窯変） of Tokoname 常滑市, featuring an elegant rectangular form（長方形）and a beautifully varied green glaze with rich kiln-fired colour effects（窯変・釉景）.

The pot displays particularly refined architectural construction, combining a broad, outward-projecting flared lip（外反り口縁）, gracefully flaring walls（外開き）, recessed framed panels（窓枠意匠）, a well-defined double basal band（二重下帯）and four beautifully sculpted cloud-shaped feet（雲形足）.

The upper rim is particularly elegant, extending outward beyond the body to form a broad, gently flared profile. Its softly rounded edge follows the rectangular outline, creating a strong yet refined upper silhouette. The gently softened corners contribute to the overall sense of 調和（chowa – harmony） and 品格（hinkaku – refinement）.

Each side is decorated with a carefully defined recessed rectangular panel（窓枠意匠）, framed by delicate raised borders. These panels give the pot an architectural character while providing an attractive setting for the natural movement and variation of the glaze.

The glaze is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive features of this piece.

A rich combination of jade green（翡翠色）, olive green, emerald and deeper bronze-brown tones develops across the exterior. The upper sections of the framed panels display warm brown and bronze colours, gradually transitioning into brighter green vertical streaks toward the lower body.

These delicate, irregular streaks create an attractive glaze-flow effect（釉流れ）, while darker concentrations along the panel borders and structural lines provide additional depth and definition.

The resulting glaze scenery（釉景） gives the surface considerable individuality, with variations in colour, texture and glaze thickness creating a rich visual character.

The glaze is particularly effective where it gathers along the architectural details, producing subtle 釉溜まり（yudamari – glaze pooling） that accentuates the raised borders, corners and lower bands.

The lower section is finished with a pronounced double basal band（二重下帯）, consisting of finely defined horizontal mouldings that extend continuously around the vessel. These bands provide a strong visual foundation and balance the broad, outward-flaring rim.

At each corner, the pot rests upon a beautifully sculpted cloud-shaped foot（雲形足）. The feet have rounded, flowing contours with delicately modelled divisions and gently curling outer edges, giving them an ornamental, almost scroll-like appearance.

The glaze continues across the upper portions of the feet before transitioning into softer grey-brown and natural clay tones toward their lower surfaces. This subtle variation complements the more vivid green glaze of the body.

The combination of the broad flared rim, framed side panels, carefully defined basal bands and sculptural feet creates a particularly successful balance of 造形美（zokei-bi – beauty of form）, 実用性（jitsuyosei – functionality） and 均衡（kinko – balance）.

The interior retains the natural grey-buff colour of the ceramic body（胎土）, providing an attractive contrast with the richly glazed exterior. The broad glazed rim frames the planting area, while a darker line along the inner edge further emphasises the rectangular outline.

The base incorporates three drainage holes（排水穴）, consisting of one large central drainage opening（中央排水穴） and two smaller circular drainage openings positioned symmetrically on either side.

Additionally, four dedicated wiring holes（四ヶ所の針金穴） are positioned near the four corners of the planting area, providing secure anchoring points for the bonsai.

This carefully organised drainage and wiring system reflects the balance between 実用性（jitsuyosei – functionality） and 造形美（zokei-bi – beauty of form）.

The underside carries the impressed Yohen maker's seal（窯変陶印）, positioned beside the central drainage opening. The mark is impressed directly into the natural clay body.

External Dimensions / 外寸: 25.3 × 20.7 × 9.6cm
Internal Dimensions / 内寸: 22.0 × 17.2 × 7.0cm

Condition / 状態 : Excellent / 非常に良好

Free Shipping to UK Mainland / 英国本土送料無料

About the Potter / 作家について – Yohen 窯変

Yohen（窯変） is associated with the traditional bonsai pottery industry of Tokoname（常滑市）, Aichi Prefecture, one of Japan's most important centres for the production of bonsai ceramics（常滑盆栽鉢）.

The Yohen workshop has been described as a historical kiln that is no longer active（廃窯）, although detailed records concerning its individual craftsmen, production dates and workshop lineage remain limited.

Pots attributed to Yohen are appreciated for their carefully balanced proportions, refined construction and expressive glazes, including rich blues, celadon tones and deep Oribe-style greens.

The name Yohen（窯変） also refers to the transformations that occur during kiln firing, when variations in temperature, atmosphere and glaze composition produce distinctive changes in colour and surface character.

These effects can create remarkable 釉景（yukei – glaze scenery）, 釉流れ（yudare – glaze flow） and 釉溜まり（yudamari – glaze pooling）, giving each finished piece its own individuality.

The combination of 造形美（zokei-bi – beauty of form）, 実用性（jitsuyosei – functionality） and 樹と鉢の調和（harmony between tree and container） reflects the traditional Japanese approach to bonsai-container craftsmanship.

Collector's Note / コレクターズノート

This 25.3cm rectangular Yohen pot is particularly appealing for its distinctive architectural construction and beautifully varied green glaze.

The broad outward-flaring lip（外反り口縁）, gently opening walls（外開き）, recessed framed panels（窓枠意匠）and carefully defined double basal band（二重下帯） create a strong yet refined silhouette.

The four sculptural cloud-shaped feet（雲形足） are especially attractive, with softly rounded, curling profiles that complement the formal geometry of the rectangular body.

The glaze is one of the most distinctive features of this example. Rich jade-green（翡翠色）, emerald and olive tones develop alongside deeper bronze-brown colours, producing delicate vertical glaze flows（釉流れ） across the recessed panels.

These natural variations create individual glaze scenery（釉景）, with darker concentrations of glaze emphasising the architectural details and brighter green areas bringing depth and movement to the surface.

The contrast between the richly glazed exterior and the natural ceramic body（胎土）of the interior and underside further enhances its character.

The base incorporates three drainage holes（排水穴）, consisting of one large central opening and two smaller drainage openings, together with four dedicated wiring holes（四ヶ所の針金穴）, demonstrating the practical attention given to bonsai cultivation.

The underside carries the impressed Yohen maker's seal（窯変陶印）, an important identifying feature for collectors.

The combination of its sculptural 雲形足, architectural 窓枠意匠, expressive 緑釉・窯変釉 and balanced proportions makes this a particularly characterful example of traditional Tokoname bonsai pottery.