Akira Suzuki "Flower"  

UME - PRUNO FLOWER

Japanese flowers UMEA from the plum also blooms in winter, from the blanket of snow that covers the country. It is a symbol of hope in the face of the difficulties that life places before us, of elevated feelings and nobility of mind, to be able to overcome the adversities that winter faces.

The Yushima temple is the most privileged place to witness the flowering of the thorns.

Yusai technique,inscription (Hitohana)「一花」「one flower」 co-box ippu kiln-Gama (Akira Suzuki); A refreshing tea cup refrecting flower mountain ! 12.6 x 8-5cm

• 任何人都能在一颦一笑，一花一草中领会快乐。Anyone with eyes can take delight in a face of a flower.
• 一花凋零，荒芜不了整个春天。A flower withered, not the whole barren spring.
• 一花一天堂，一草一世界。A flower a paradise, a world.
• 一花一木都有生命；Every tree and flower has a purpose.

Cultivated since ancient times in Japan it is divided into yabai (Wild Ume), hibai (Red Ume) and Bungo (originating from the homonymous province). It blooms between January and February when the earth is still covered with snow and is similar to the cherry blossom. It symbolizes hope, purity, resistance to life's adversities and nobility of soul. A Japanese legend says that in the eighteenth century, in Momoyama Fushimi, lived Hambei, an old gardener much loved and respected by the community. Hambei loved to take care of the garden that surrounded the house where he lived and dedicated particular attention to the beautiful bush that many had tried to buy. The wise gardener, however, had declined every offer because the tree had belonged to his father and grandfather and had now become part of the family.

A high official of the emperor, who wished to have Hambei's prune in his garden, one day decided to send his personal servant to the old gardener to submit his purchase proposal. Hambei's humble origins forced him not to refuse the request made by an aristocrat and eventually the gardener agreed to give up his pruno. That night Hambei was unable to sleep and around midnight his wife rushed into the room screaming that he must be ashamed of having made a young girl cry. The gardener, surprised, asked for explanations but his wife continued to scream saying that he was a dirty old man and had to apologize to the girl who was crying in their kitchen. Hambei got out of bed to check what his wife had really seen and when he opened the door to his home he found a girl crying desperately. It was the spirit of the blackberry that did not want to leave the place where he was born and raised. Hambei explained to the spirit of the tree that he did not have the power to keep her in his garden but assured her that he would give it a try. The girl wiped away her tears, smiled at the gardener and disappeared. On the appointed day, the high officer's servant showed up at Hambei's house with many men and a cart to transport the plum. The gardener tried to tell him that the spirit of the tree had visited him and tried to return the money but the man got angry, started hitting Hambei and drew his sword to cut off his head. At that point, the plum's spirit appeared and tried to stop the servant who refused to hear reasons and hit the girl. The spirit disappeared and a branch came off from the plum on which flowers were blooming. Repentant, the servant apologized to Hambei and decided to bring the broken branch to his master and tell him what had happened. The high officer, impressed by the servant's story, sent an apologetic message to Hambei telling him that he could keep both the tree and the money. But the plum after the blow inflicted by the servant, and despite the loving care of the gardener, dried up and died. 

1. What is Tenmoku tecnique

Tenmoku is generally used as a term for black glazed pottery. However, it was originally the name of the potter, which originated about 1000 years ago during the Chinese Song dynasty. Tenmoku is famous for Zen Buddhist monks from the Kamakura period when they went to Song and practiced, and then brought it back to Japan. Mount Tenmoku, which is home to famous temples such as the Zengenji temple, is said to have learned both the origin of the name. On the other hand, it is sometimes referred to as the "tenm shape", which means the unique shape of the Tenmoku bowl. That is, it has a shape similar to a mortar, a slightly inclined edge and a small hill, and if it has such a shape, it can be called Tenmoku even if it is not a black glaze.

2. About oil drops you see in this kind of style

Even among the heavens, the most difficult one is the oil droplet heavens, which is different from other pottery techniques, and its technique is completely established.

Black glaze, also known as heavenly glaze, has been known for its millennia as it mixes wood ash with feldspar and adds iron rust as a coloring agent. However, it is technically completely undeveloped.

However, there is a secret mystery of the fact that some of the masterpieces that are currently left behind are the ones in which this work was created.

This is the charm of this pottery, as it is not noticed when looking at other pottery with established manufacturing methods.

3. Illusory changes on glaze

The oil droplets are large in size and have a seven-color sheen. The ultimate goal of Akira at the Ippuu oven is called by him Yoten Tenmoku, a way to reproduce it, but like the temptation of a devil, even in the same oven, any work with a colour saturation at over 1250 will alway come completely different and never the same.