Step Down Grates

There are airholes that run through the steps

Firing: at about cone 1 Orton.
Copyright Lee Love 2004

This has a kind of handle I like, with both attached ends being generous and the edges where they are attached not smooth, but left so as to show off where the handle meets the body of the cup.
Copyright Lee Love 2004

Jan McKeachie-Johnston small cup. One of the handful of small cups Jean shipped to us in Japan when she closed out our warehouse/loft in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Copyright Lee Love 2004

Kamameishi: They are the first Ekiben, or railroad box lunch. Making the containers for these helped get Mashiko through some bad economic times.
I was firing the woodkiln yesterday. Jean always pampers me when I am firing: made me kamameishi chicken (or, I should say, "my Canadian Gandma's Sage & Apple Stuffing with chicken." I figured out cooking stuffing this way because we don't have a "real" oven. They aren't common in Japan. I made stuffing, put it in the kamameishi and put a chicken breast (skin & all) on top and baked it in the toaster over. I'll never have to wait 'til Thanksgiving for Sage Stuffing again. Found sage seeds at Starnet Cafe (a resturant, gallery and clothing store that has a small organic food section too.) So I have fresh Sage growing in a flower box (trim it, dry it, and more grows back.) It is much better than the canned stuff.


So, at the end of firing, and after a hot soak in the Ofuro (Japanese bath), I sat down to Sage stuffing and Chicken, and a cold mug of Kirin...
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org Join Woodkiln List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WoodKiln/
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Copyright Lee Love 2004

You can see here, the pot is stamped with a copyright number and also the manufacturer and Mashiko
Copyright Lee Love 2004

These are in the shape of an old fashioned rice cooking pot. Comes with a lid, but I couldn't find one for the photo. The price of the food and the pot together at Tsukamoto is about $8.50 to go.
Copyright Lee Love 2004

Lee, Taiko and The MashikoTanuki
Copyright Lee Love 2004

Fun Part Is Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I'll stoke wood. Will start early so I don't fire too
late. Everything is bisqued this load, so I will start the firing
faster, and go slow at the end. The kiln is packed tightly, so going
slow at the end will help even things out.

Lotsa Test Tiles.

I am guessing I put in over 100 test tiles (not to mention the "test
pots" too.)

Cup On A Post.

Test tile on the short bag wall.

Finished Loading.

I put some tests in the spaces on each side of the shelves.

Almost Finished Loading

Just need to put some jars around these two tsubo and put the conepacks in.

Temmoku Pot

These shells are a little small, so I used 5 instead of 3.

Refire, Top Pot

I usually like to use shells this size for a pot this size.

Pots On Shells

Refire on the left. Temmoku on the right.

Hanko (stamps)

First one (red one) is a hanko I use for documents.

The second one is my primary stamp for pottery. It also came from the
hanko shop.

The third one, is my best rendition of the same character as hanko #2.

The Fourth one is what I used in St. Paul and I still sometimes use. It
is IKIRU, the name of my studio/pottery.

Hanko

First one is a rubber stamp my Uncle in Sakai had made for me. It is
my Zen name, Dairin.

The second one is a copy of the first one. It is made in clay.

The thrid one is the first character for Mashiko. It means warehouse.

The last one is made from an impression of a Jade charm that the Dalai
Lama blessed for me.

Back Half Finished

The back shelves of the kiln are loaded. Next, the front is loaded

Back Half Finished

The back shelves of the kiln are loaded. Next, the front is loaded

Shino Chawan, large chunk feldspar

Shino Chawan, large chunk feldspar
Originally uploaded by togeika.

In my hand for scale. The pink mark at the bottom is where the potter's finger wash when he dipped the glaze.

Shino Chawan, large chunk feldspar

Shino Chawan, large chunk feldspar
Originally uploaded by togeika.

On the inside bottom, where there is only one coat, you see pink.

Shino Chawan, large chunk feldspar

Shino Chawan, large chunk feldspar
Originally uploaded by togeika.

bottom left of the footring, you can see a glossy spot where a feldspar chunk has melted.

DSC01242.jpg
Originally uploaded by togeika.

Near the center, you can see a glassy spot, where a large chunk melted.

Slip Inlay: Bottom Chattering, Top Stamped

The top is stamped with a stamp I made from a cork. I used a hot glue
gun to make the design on the end of the cork. Top slip is ochre and
bottom is white hakame slip

Slip inlay, Chattering

Slip: Jomon Zogan Inlay

This dish is impressed with a rope, then brushed with slip and then
scraped. It takes patiences and time to do. Like one visiting potter
told me (as best as I can remember) , "I'd couldn't make a living take
so much time on one piece."

Slip Inlay: chattering and plum flower stamp

Slip Decoration: Hakame

This work is bisqued. I used different slips and hakame straw brush
or a bamboo brush to put slips on the clay surfaces

Slip Decoration: Hakame

This work is bisqued. I used different slips and hakame straw brush
or a bamboo brush to put slips on the clay surfaces

Slip Decoration: Hakame

This work is bisqued. I used different slips and hakame straw brush
or a bamboo brush to put slips on the clay surfaces

Slip Decoration: Hakame

This work is bisqued. I used different slips and hakame straw brush
or a bamboo brush to put slips on the clay surfaces

Slip Decoration: Hakame

This work is bisqued. I used different slips and hakame straw brush
or a bamboo brush to put slips on the clay surfaces

Slip Decoration: Hakame

This work is bisqued. I used different slips and hakame straw brush
or a bamboo brush to put slips on the clay surfaces

Kiln Room Heating System

The kerosene heater keeps my feet warm. The galvanized bucket heats
water. I wad everything with kaolin/alumina wads or sea shells. The
hot water helps the wads stick and keeps my hands warm.

another level

Another

Shells From The Fish Shop

There are a pile of these shells at the local fish market. Most are
too big for use under pots. I dumped these out of the galvanized
bucket so I could heat some water on the kerosene heater in the kiln room.

Click on this or the other two photos for a larger image.

Easy Load

I have a kerosene heater just out of the photo and it has a tin
bucket of water heating on top. I put the zabuton pad in at the front
of the kiln, stick one leg in the flue channel and load the woodkiln
while keeping warm.

Rice Straw Wrapped Pots

This is the first level of shelves loaded into the kiln. I wrapped both Bizen and Shigaraki clay jars in rice straw and rice straw rope. Some of the bizen I put in sagger pots that also have charcoal in them.

I load the shelves closest to the back all first, so I don't have to reach over them at the door. Saves the back.

If you click on the photos above, you will go to larger examples and will be able to leave commets at FlickR.

Kanji For Sake