Contemporary Master Craftsman who blows life into crystal “Michihito Kono”

devnakata — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 11:32:26 +0000

Crystals, which are softer than gemstones, are polished by ”wood”.

A single flower vase that has an air of tense dignity.
One would think it is made of porcelain, but it is actually made of ”crystal”. A magnificent piece of work which Michihito Kono, a certified Contemporary Master Craftsman, has carved out of natural stone.

According to Kono, crystal is somewhat softer than gemstones. So, he uses ”iron” for carving, and ”wood” for polishing.

He showed us the process of carving the crystal with the tip of a high speed rotating machinery, while applying abrasive to the crystal. Then Nakata asked a question; ”You can’t see the crystal you are carving, because the abrasive is not transparent, can you?”
”No, I can’t. We also make very fine and complicated things like animals or the statues of Buddha. But we can’t really see what we are carving, so we have to use all of our five senses.”

A surprising similarity of crystal work and ”kiriko”.

On hearing it, Nakata remembered about Satsuma Black Kiriko. ”I have once experienced carving of Satsuma Black Kiriko. I found it extremely difficult because I could not see the lines I have drawn.”

”You have a good point,” said Kono. Turning to Nakata. Then he went on to say, ”I have several acquaintances among Edo Kiriko craftsmen. Yes, there are similarities. So as fellow craftsmen, we exchange our techniques and try out new things.”

In Koshu, raw crystal was found about 1000 years ago. Since then, the technique of crystal work has developed over the years.
Kono is seeking for further new techniques, while preserving the old ones.

The post Contemporary Master Craftsman who blows life into crystal “Michihito Kono” first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Meditating in the form of inkstone “Amehata Inkstone Yataro Amemiya”

devnakata — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:11:36 +0000

The stone suitable for inkstone is only a layer of 40 centimeter thick in the quarry.

”First of all, I’d like you to take a look at the quarry for the inkstone.” Yataro Amemiya took us up along the Amehata River, and there was a cave, dug into a pitch black cliff. This was the quarry where slate to make ”Amehata inkstone” was mined.

”The really best stone is only this 40 centimeter thick layer,” explained Gyokusen Mochizuki, who has been in charge of the quarry for a long time. He has been digging into this layer of slate a little by little.

He drove the chisel into the rock and the sound of the hammer echoed in the cave. A piece of rock fell off. The clean cut surface had a slight luster. ”These neighboring rocks here, aren’t these good material?” asked Nakata. ”The stone that grinds ink well must evenly contain the particles of stone called ”hobo”. Such good stone is only this layer,” said Amemiya.

Spotlighting the Japanese art of stones.

After we were shown around the cave, Amemiya took us to his workshop and showed us his works. Generally, one would imagine inkstones to be square, as used for calligraphy, but there were many different forms, such as the ones with untamed shapes of natural stone, or the ones with designs along the rim, or the ones with shapes of plants and animals. The works were so interesting that one would never tire of looking at them. ”I never knew inkstones can take such beautiful forms.” Nakata was very impressed.

”In Japan, I think stone craft did not develop very much, including the craft of inkstone. For example, the cases for inkstone are studied very much, but the inkstone itself is not. But there are pieces of work which were clearly intended for artistic appreciation rather than practical use. I want people to appreciate the aesthetic side of inkstone, and I am making pieces with motifs of birds and trees for exhibition.” Among his works, there are very small pieces and pieces that look like sculpture rather than inkstone.

”What is a good inkstone?” asked Nakata, and Amemiya answered, ”An inkstone is a tool to meditate into one’s own soul.” ”As you grind the ink stick, you calm your mind. I think an inkstone is a tool to make time for meditation. So, I want to pursue a form of inkstone that has such beauty of form that it calms one’s mind just by looking at it.”