Tenmoku Pottery

The history of Japanese ceramics can be traced back over 10,000 years to the early part of the Jomon period when unglazed earthenwares known as Jomon wares (Jomon doki) were first produced. This product was soft, with cord-impressed patterns and baked in the open. With the introduction of agriculture to continental Asia around 300 BC, different kinds of unglazed earthenware and stoneware were created known as Yayoi wares (Yayoi doki). During the Kamakura (1185-1336) and Muromachi (1336-1573) periods, potters wheels and kilns capable of reaching stoneware temperatures, low-fired pottery and ceramics with high-fired ash and iron glazes were first made. The kilns used in Japan for firing ceramics were traditionally fueled by firewood.

Originating in China during the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279), Chinese Jian ware (Japanese temmoku ware), was first made at kilns located deep in the mountains of the southeastern Province of Fujian in China, a small market town in Jianyang county. The clay used for Jian ware was of a very hard, course grain. The success of Jian ware prompted fierce competition from other kilns, including those in Jizhou, where potters experimented with dark-on-dark decoration and produced many types of glazes. Glazes are a glassy film that cover the surface of a clay body, preventing it from absorbing water and providing decorative effect. Specific to this style of pottery is the Tenmoku (Jian Yao) glaze, a lustrous black iron stoneware glaze, at times blue-black streaked or mottled with deep brown and streams of rust red running towards their center.

Tenmoku Round Leaf Vase Catalog #: VC-1014 Size: H:8" L:2" W:5"   Weight: 1.2 lbs click for details

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Tenmoku Tea Set - Slate Catalog #: AT-1008 Teapot: H:4" L:5" W:5"  Weight: 5.00 lbs click for details

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Tenmoku Leaf Vase Catalog #: VC-1013 Size: H:8" L:6" W:3"     Weight: 3.00 lbs click for details

In the 13th century, Japanese Zen priests traveled to China to study Buddhism. The priests studied at a Zengen temple, not far from the Jian kilns, located on the Tianmu Shan mountain range. The Japanese pronounce this mountain Tenmoku, which literally means "heaven's eye". The misty valleys below Mount Tianmu were known to have excellent soil to harvest tea. The priests were welcomed to the mountain retreat with a cup of tea, and introduced to the Tenmoku tea bowls by the Buddhist monks. The Tenmoku tea bowls were brought back to Japan and were highly regarded among the Ashikaga shoguns (the family of Japanese military leaders which occupied the shogunate from 1338 to 1568) and were used extensively in the then-evolving art of cha-no-yu (tea ceremony). They have held their revered position in the history and development of Japanese tea ceremony ever since.

Tenmoku ware was used by the Japanese aristocracy for tea ceremony, and gradually, all black or black-brown glazes became known as tenmokuyuu or Tenmoku. Using the Tenmoku tea bowls as their influence, Japanese potters worked to reproduce this beautiful style of pottery, which lead to many innovative, visually striking vessels, dishes, and ceramics. For the Japanese, the Tenmoku pottery embodied the Zen aesthetic of wabi (quiet contentment with simple things), and one of the most beloved Chinese glazes in Japan is the Tenmoku glaze. Many factors including local raw materials, such as the different types of clay, fuels, and firing procedures, affected the color of the finished wares. The Japanese Zen taste for rustic, simple, and asymmetrical pottery impacted the type of work and end product. With their startling intensity, iron-oxide rich tenmoku glazes have an exotic contrast with their reduction-fired counterparts.

Over the years, the art of Tenmoku pottery slowly faded from public conciousness until interest in the humble art of the village potter was revived in a folk movement of the 1920s. Artists studied traditional glazing techniques to preserve native wares in danger of disappearing. Most of the types of products made by local potters were for functional purposes. The Tenmoku style of pottery is very difficult to master, and a small number of exceptional artists have chosen to devote their time, research, and work in this beautiful craft. There is a harmony created in the process of the forming, glazing and firing of each distinctive piece of Tenmoku Pottery. To these potters simplicity is depth and intelligence, asymmetry is beauty, and cracks and flaws are attractive.

In 1989, Tenmoku Pottery was established, and continues to be a leader in the field of artistic pottery. The founder realized that today's society prefer works of art that can also serve their original purpose. Handcrafted in Malaysia by a prominent Chinese artist (who wishes to remain anonymous), each piece in his collection is a stunning and one of a kind example of the Tenmoku craft. Antiki Trading Company is pleased to be able to offer this unique type of pottery and support this tradional art form. The unique pattern on each piece of our Tenmoku Pottery Collection is created by molding flowers, leaves and twigs to the surface prior to firing. When fired, the natural elements turn to ash, the impression emerges, and a solid black “Tenmoku” glaze is applied inside making the container water tight. The iridescent quality of tenmoku pottery is the result of an overload of iron oxide in the glaze. Some of the pieces within this collection have traditional Chinese poems applied using the technique of brush writing, where the artist carves the characters in the wet pottery using a small rigid brush prior to firing. Tenmoku Pottery is a stunning collection, of which the pieces are lofty and dignified, delicate and beautiful, nature inspired and at the same time sturdy and strong.