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by Janel Houton
"Upon the temple bell A butterfly is sleeping well."
-- Buson, translated by Miyamori.
In its brevity and simplicity this famous haiku by Buson illustrates an essentially Japanese sensibility. With nature as their muse, Japanese potters, artists, and craftsmen captured a poignant balance between raw material and creative manipulation, to express ideas of beauty and paradox. By respecting their materials, Japanese artists presented their work with humility before nature, while their art -- from a rough Bizen tsubo (pot) to a knotted and twisted Ikebana basket -- transcended time and culture, and impacts us today through its superb artistry, honesty, and humanity.
The modern market for traditional Japanese arts reflects the island nation's unique history and its diverse artistic heritage. Japanese art did not historically define itself through the same categorizations as did Western art. Since life in Japan routinely involved ritual and formality, art works played a necessary and essentially utilitarian role. This may account for the lack of division between fine arts and crafts; the applied arts held no secondary status, as was often the case in Western arts.
Japan has attracted the fascination of outsiders since the first Europeans arrived almost five hundred years ago. However, Japan did not pursue an international agenda and retained its isolation by literally shutting out the rest of the world during in the Edo Era (c1600-1868). Foreign contact was strictly controlled and kept to a minimum for trade, a situation which continued until the arrival of American Admiral Perry's infamous fleet of Black Ships in the mid 19th century. During this period of isolation, the arts were aligned to the needs of Japan's Feudal society. In this setting superior craftsmen were supported by their retainers to create goods for use by individual clans and their associates, and sometimes in supporting regional economies, while lesser craftsmen produced goods for commoners.
At the close of the Edo era, when the feudal system was dismantled, clan-supported craftsmen were left struggling to transform their trades, as they no longer could rely on the former system. As Japan's Emperor Meiji tried virtually overnight to modernize his country, crafts industries either modernized or failed.
Ceramics was one of the most successful art forms to survive these dramatic and sudden changes. As the Meiji revolution took hold, some potters adopted new technologies introduced from the West, and turned to the growing market and demand of ceramics for export. While the vast majority of exported ceramics were mass produced and of low quality, some work reached unprecedented technical and creative heights. Meiji master craftsmen gained fame by exposing their work at heavily-attended international exhibitions in America and Europe. Soon superior potters found great success with Western collectors, and many of these craftsmen even earned prestigious positions as Imperial potters. The natural harmony and exquisite balance of form exhibited by the finest pieces ensure their ongoing popularity and value in the market of the 21st century.
The above text originally appeared in Sothebys.com's Connoisseur Magazine in April 2001.