Oribe-yaki (Oribe ware) (織部焼)
Oribe ware is pottery made mainly in Mino Province from the Tensho era (1573-1592) of the Momoyama period.
The Origin of the Name
It was named after Oribe FURUTA, who was a daimyo (feudal lord) and master of the tea ceremony and had been a disciple of SEN no Rikyu, because Oribe ware was born under his direction and many chaki (tea utensils) of eccentric, novel shapes and patterns according to Oribe's taste (Oribe-Gonomi) were produced.
Characteristics
There are several kinds of Oribe ware according to glaze color and so on, including ao-oribe (partially covered with green glaze), aka-oribe (combination of red and white clay), kuro-oribe (a type of oribe ware with black glaze) and shino-oribe (a type of oribe ware utilizing techniques of e-shino). The ao-oribe with green glaze decoration is the most famous one.
Shape and pattern
While other chaki are expected to be well-ordered and decent in shape and also are valued for their abstraction, Oribe ware include a number of representational articles, such as irregularly-shaped Kutsukake chawan (tea bowls shaped like a shoe of old times), those with a checkered or geometric-pattern hand painting, and in later years, tableware and incense burners in the shape of a sensu (folding fan) and the like.
Production techniques
Mass production was also enabled by using climbing kilns and the method of pressing clay onto a wooden pattern covered with wet hemp cloth.