Small Kaiki Vessel by Shūji Haneishi

These pieces are from Shuji Haneishi’s ‘Kaiki’ series of ceramic work. Shaped by hand in his studio, the form of each four sided piece is unique to that day’s work. The surface decoration is achieved either in the main chamber of Haneishi’s wood fired kiln, or with a detour to a salt-glaze chamber. The glaze is hence natural. The surface is marked by pockets of heat, or by flying wood ash from within the kiln. This creates, a unique, sometimes greenish colour outcome. In some cases, Haneishi brings pieces to a separate salt chamber, where he funnels salt with a converted bamboo stem - before escaping quickly to avoid the fumes. This leads to a bubbling, pock-marked snow effect on the pieces.

Kaiki are suitable as ceramic ornaments, or are watertight to hold flowers for a particularly dramatic presentation.

Each piece is by definition: different, but these smaller kaiki are around 10cm in diameter, height and width, and weigh approximately 950g.

About Shūji Haneishi

Fitting the quintessential image of a Japanese master potter, Shūji Haneishi works with earth and fire. The possibilities of firing ceramics in wood fired kilns such as the maki-gama that Haneishi uses, have fascinated potters in Japan for centuries. Always the focus is on the right wood, the right kiln conditions, with days spent achieving them, and most important of all: the element of chance and discovery that the potter battles to create.  Perfection is achieved when the energy in a form comes together with the energy in the kiln to create a compelling combination of human and nature, that is itself imperfect. In Haneishi’s case, much of his efforts are spent on controlling, or seeking to control, the kiln based movements of ash as a natural glaze. He also applies salt glaze, and other material based decorations, but all the time with the aim of eliciting new moments and reactions within the kiln. Haneishi’s interest in ceramics began in his teens, and after training in Kyoto, he established himself in Kasama in the late 1980s. From the 1990s onwards he began to appear in the prize categories in major ceramic awards in Japan, and has continued to do so since. He makes vessels for sake, or simple objects, which are always beautiful, and always connect their owners, and his branch of ceramics, to its heritage in natural effects.

You can read an interview with Shūji Haneishi here.