Ōtani-yaki vase purple and blue glaze Mori Toki kiln Naruto with original studio sticker, late Shōwa period Japan, displayed on tatamimat

Ōtani-yaki vase with purple and blue glaze by Mori Toki kiln, Naruto, original studio sticker, late Shōwa period

Name: Japanese Otani-yaki vase Mori Toki purple blue glaze Showa | KAIKO&CO
Brand: KAIKO&CO
Price: 90.0 EUR
Availability: InStock

€90.00

The glaze moves from deep purple at the base to bright turquoise at the neck, and stops cleanly where it meets the unglazed foot. It is how Ōtani-yaki shows its material honestly, iron-rich clay from Tokushima, fired at high temperature. The glaze applied once and left to do what it does.

This vase comes from the Mori Toki kiln in Naruto, one of the oldest and most documented kilns in the Ōtani-yaki tradition. The Mori family has run this kiln since 1912, and the climbing kiln on their grounds is 28 metres long with eight separate furnaces. It is registered as a national cultural property. Ōtani-yaki itself was designated a national traditional craft in 2003, recognition of a tradition that began in 1784 when an artisan from Kyushu first demonstrated lathe-turned pottery in the village of Ōtani.

The form is that of a tokkuri, a sake flask, with the narrow neck and rounded body designed to be held at the table and poured from. Used as a vase it works just as well: the narrow opening holds a single stem cleanly, and the weight of the clay keeps it stable.

What makes this vase special

The up close look and feel

The glaze has a fine, slightly granular texture in the purple zone, where the iron in the clay and the minerals in the glaze interact at high temperature. Higher up, where the turquoise takes over, the surface becomes smoother and more reflective, the colour brighter and more saturated.

The transition between the two zones is not a sharp line but a gradual shift, different on each side of the vase. The unglazed foot is rough and warm-toned, the clay a deep red-brown. In the hand the vase is lighter than it looks, the walls even and the form clean.

Charming details

Ōtani-yaki is historically a brown ceramic. The iron-rich local clay fires to a deep red-brown, and the tradition began with making giant jars for indigo dye baths.

Purple bleeding into turquoise is a deliberate move against the grain of that history. This is the same kiln, the same clay, a very different conversation about what Ōtani-yaki can be.

- This vase is made by Mori Toki (森陶器), Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku
- Original studio sticker intact on the body: 大谷焼森陶器
- Impressed maker's seal on the foot
- Style: Iron-rich local clay with namagake glazing technique, applied directly without bisque firing.
- Oasa-chō, Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan.
- Ōtani-yaki kiln has been in the Mori family since 1912 (Meiji 45)
- The climbing kiln on their premises registered as a national tangible cultural property
- Late Shōwa to Heisei period, ca. 1980s to 2000s.
- Height: approx. 14.5 cm
- Weight: approx. 244 gr
- Material: stoneware, iron-rich Ōtani clay, layered glaze
- Excellent vintage condition.
- Appears unused.
- No chips, cracks or repairs.
- Original studio sticker intact.
- Glaze fully preserved with original lustre.
- Ōtani-yaki clay is porous where unglazed.
- Rinse the foot ring with water occasionally to keep the clay from drying out in very low humidity.
- The glazed body can be wiped clean with a damp cloth.
- Do not use in a microwave or dishwasher.
- Keep away from direct sunlight, which can fade the glaze colour over time.