Okinawan Yachimun-Style Studio Pottery Vase, Line-Carved Birds and Karakusa Vines on Pale Slip, Red-Brown Clay, Heavy Moon Jar

BIRDS AND VINES, CARVED INTO RED CLAY

Pick up this round vase and you feel the clay first: dense, thick and warm, in the manner of Okinawan yachimun. Under a pale slip brushed on as the vase turned, the body is a deep reddish brown. Around the shoulder, dark birds with cross-hatched bodies and striped wings fly among curling scrolls and vines with pointed leaves and buds, each shape drawn with a fine pale line carved through the surface. A few leaves are touched with soft lilac, wide charcoal bands wrap the belly, and a clear glaze lights it all. This is a studio pottery vase in the Okinawan manner, for the shelf, the table or an alcove.

QUICK FACTS
• Type: round vase / jar, glazed, moon-jar form with short neck and thick rolled rim
• Style: Okinawan yachimun (やちむん), line-carved slip decoration [origin unconfirmed]
• Body: dense red-brown clay, heavy
• Surface: pale slip with horizontal brush marks; clear glaze; olive-grey glaze on the rim
• Decoration: line-carved dark shapes: birds in flight, curling scrolls, karakusa-like vines with leaves and buds; lilac accents; wide charcoal bands
• Base: faint incised mark [reading pending]
• Origin: Okinawa / Japan 

WHAT IS YACHIMUN?
Yachimun (やちむん) is the Okinawan word for pottery. The tradition is known for thick, warm, generous forms and bold, open decoration. Okinawan clay is red and brittle when thin, so the pieces are made thick and sturdy. A white slip is brushed or dipped over the red body to hide its colour and give a surface for decoration. Decorated ware, called jōyachi (上焼), is painted or line-carved and then glazed.

LINE CARVING (線彫り)
In line carving, lines are carved into the slip-coated clay and the piece is finished under a clear glaze. It is one of the best-known decorating techniques of Tsuboya ware, the Naha pottery district. Okinawa's first Living National Treasure in ceramics, Kinjō Jirō, was celebrated for line-carved fish and shrimp. This vase is not claimed to be his work or from his kiln.

KARAKUSA AND BIRDS
Traditional yachimun motifs include fish, peonies, shrimp and karakusa (唐草), the scrolling arabesque vine, all carrying wishes for abundance and many descendants. The vines and scrolls on this vase echo karakusa. Birds are not among the best-known traditional motifs, so they may be the potter's own addition, and we do not claim a traditional pattern.

THE FAINT MARK
A mark is incised into the base but is too shallow to read. We have not deciphered it and do not claim a maker.

DISPLAY NOTE
Sold as a decorative vase. The glaze has not been tested, so we do not recommend using it for food or drink. NOT FOR FOOD USE. If used for flowers, use a liner and check for hairlines before adding water.

CONDITION AND AUTHENTICITY
Sold as a studio pottery vase in the Okinawan yachimun manner, [maker and origin unconfirmed]. Tiny pinholes and bubbles in the glaze are visible on close inspection. [Describe chips, scratches, glaze loss, hairlines.] Please review all photos and ask any question before buying.

SHIPPING
Packed in double-boxed protection with foam and paper cushioning, with extra padding around the neck and rim. A heavy item, shipped with tracking. Duties and taxes may apply on arrival.