Anagama: Restoring with Gold and Identifying Fakes

Kin-tsugi :

'Kin-tsugi' (gold joint) is one of traditional methods for restoring cracked ceramics. Instead of concealing damages, it adds a new look to broken treasures.

Karatsu Sake Cup
<4.0cm h.>
Momoyama Period (1573-1615)

Black Oribe Tea Bowl
Momoyama Period (1573-1615)

Hagi Tea Bowl
<15.9cm d. 9.2cm h.>
Early Edo Period (17th century)

    When I was still at university, I used to visit Nara (an ancient capital of Japan). I always stayed at the same old inn near Todai-ji (Great Eastern temple). The inn was old enough to collapse at any time but was cheap enough for me to stay twice longer than in usual hostels. So my small budget could spend on Zen temples and museums to visit, and afford some small antiques.
    There, I met an old restorer for 'National Treasures of Shosoin'. Despite our generation gap, we shared the same interest in antiques. His professional and scholarly knowledge opened my eyes to real antiquities and helped to understand them more.
    One day, I was asked to go to an old lacquer supplier in Oaska and pick up some materials for his restoration work. The following day, he taught me how to handle 'ki-urushi' (raw lacquer) and pure gold powder with other traditional restoring methods. That was how I learnt this old restoring skills called 'kin-tsugi'. I didn't know what I was going to do with the skills I learnt at that time, but liked the idea of giving a second life to once dead vessels.

    Later I learnt the old inn was a lurking place among famous scholars and artists. I feel very strange that after decades 'kin-tsugi' became really useful for my work.

Tea Bowl "Gojyusan-tsugi"
<8.5cm h.>
Momoyama Period

This cylindrical Shino bowl is named after 53 inns on the "Tokaido", the main route which used to run between Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto. Because the bowl was glued together with many sherds and made into one tea bowl. Most 16th century sherds were recovered from old kiln excavations.

Yobi-tsugi :
This method has been developed for imperfect treasures. Instead of lost original pieces, some similar sherds are needed to replace them.

Tomo-naoshi :
A repair with only original pieces is called 'tomo-naoshi' or 'tomo-zukuroi'.

Tea Bowl "Jyumonji"
<14.9cm x 14.1cm d. 8.0 cm h.>
Ri Dynasty (15th-16th century)
Mitsui Bunko Museum (Tokyo)

This tea bowl was once owned by the famous samurai tea master, Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). The name "Jyumonji" (cross) was given after Oribe cut down an over-sized bowl. Interestingly, Oribe was one of earliest Christians in the 16th century feudal Japan.

Fakes :

Many fake pottery can be found at flea markets and antique shops in Japan.
I saw some again in Europe. And now, we are able to see more of them on the Internet.

    Fakes usually shows its slight sneakiness in appearance and some details (even on a bargain price tag)
    This vase was from an Internet auction. If you have never seen authentic Momoyama Iga vases before, you could easily be fooled. The vase in the picture is slightly short for this type of vase and the handles are of poor quality. The wood ash effect doesn't look natural and some chemical make-up seems to have been put on to make it appear like old patina.
    In my opinion, it was fired in a small gas kiln.

Genuine
Iga flower vase

<28.6cm h.>
Momoyama Period (1573-1615)
Collection of
Tokyo National Museum

    It is said that beauty and ugliness have one origin. However this Bizen has gone too far to be looked like a result of extreme-firing. The big red lacquer writing is also pretentious.
    I once met a forger in Bizen and he was faking 16th and 17th century Bizen pots in his electric kiln. I saw many queer pots like this there.

    Unlike real beauty, a faked charm works only for a short while.