{"product_id":"japanese-wood-fired-shigaraki-natural-ash-glazed-logo-incense-case","title":"Japanese Wood-fired Shigaraki Natural-ash-glazed Kōgō. Incense case","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis small \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eShigaraki natural-ash-glazed incense case (kōgō)\u003c\/span\u003e by Kiyoko Kohyama combines a functional object with the earthy, expressive qualities for which her Shigaraki ceramics are known. Shaped as a stylized flower, the piece has a compact, intimate presence, with softly irregular contours that emphasize its handmade character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe case is formed in two fitted sections, with a darker lid resting over a lighter-toned base. The surface retains the tactile quality of Shigaraki clay, while subtle variations in color and texture reflect the effects of \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ewood-kiln firing\u003c\/span\u003e. The original exhibition label identifies the piece as \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e信楽自然釉香合 (Shigaraki natural-glaze incense case)\u003c\/span\u003e and notes \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e薪窯焼成\u003c\/span\u003e, confirming that it was fired in a wood-burning kiln.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe term \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eshizen-yū\u003c\/span\u003e, or “natural glaze,” refers to the surface created when wood ash settles on the clay during firing and melts at high temperature, producing glaze-like areas without the need for an applied glaze. In this piece, that process contributes to the warm brown tones, speckled surface, and slight variations that give the object its distinctive character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhen closed, the incense case reads as a small sculptural flower. When opened, the petal-shaped walls reveal a shallow interior designed to hold incense. The transformation from compact sculptural form to functional container gives the piece a quiet ceremonial quality appropriate to its use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThrough the combination of \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eShigaraki clay, natural ash glazing, and wood firing\u003c\/span\u003e, Kohyama allows material and process to become the primary decoration. The result is a modest but highly tactile object in which function, natural form, and the unpredictable effects of fire are closely intertwined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eDimensions: W 2.5\" x H 1.5\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Kiyoko Kohyama:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kiyoko Kohyama, also romanized as Kiyoko Koyama, was an important Japanese ceramic artist associated with Shigaraki, one of Japan’s historic pottery centers. Born in Nagasaki Prefecture, she moved with her family to Shigaraki during the wartime period and became deeply interested in the area’s ancient kiln sites and archaeological ceramic fragments. Those discoveries helped shape her lifelong interest in reviving the natural surfaces and firing methods of early Shigaraki ware.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eKohyama became particularly known for working with \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eanagama\u003c\/span\u003e, traditional wood-fired tunnel kilns in which prolonged firing allows wood ash and flame to interact directly with the clay. Rather than relying primarily on applied glaze, she pursued surfaces created through the firing itself—earthy color, ash deposits, flashing and irregular textures produced by clay, heat and fire. She established her own kiln and became one of the notable women working in a field that, especially at the time, was heavily male-dominated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHer importance also extends beyond her own ceramics. Kohyama trained younger potters—ceramist Kazue Tsukuda, for example, apprenticed with her for two years—and became part of a generation of Japanese women who expanded the possibilities for women working independently with demanding wood-firing traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHer life later became widely known through her advocacy for bone-marrow donation after her son developed leukemia. Her story inspired the Japanese feature film \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eHi-bi: Days of Fire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, released in 2005, in which actress Yuko Tanaka portrayed Kohyama.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIn relation to the small flower-shaped piece you photographed, it is useful to see it within this larger practice: even at an intimate scale, the emphasis on tactile clay, irregular handmade form, earthy coloration and the physical character of the material connects naturally with Kohyama’s broader commitment to pottery grounded in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eShigaraki clay, fire and direct contact with the hand\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kiyoko Kohyama","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48458675749053,"sku":null,"price":250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0583\/5217\/3245\/files\/IMG_4454.jpg?v=1789593667","url":"https:\/\/www.earthenarchive.com\/products\/japanese-wood-fired-shigaraki-natural-ash-glazed-logo-incense-case","provider":"EarthenArchive","version":"1.0","type":"link"}