Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese Ceramics: A Close Embrace of the Earth

by Louise Allison Cort and Bert Winther-Tamaki.
University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A., 2003. 240 pp., illus,
ISBN: 0-520-23923-7.

Reviewed by Rob Harle

recluse@lis.net.au

This is an excellent book. Just as Noguchi himself successfully crossed boundaries and cultures, this book succeeds admirably in crossing the boundaries of the lavish coffee table presentation, the studio artist’s resource book and an extremely well researched academic critique of mostly, post-war Japanese ceramic art.

Lavishly illustrated in both colour and black & white the book will appeal to casual art lovers, and serious ceramic students, teachers and researchers. Illustrations are not only of the stunning works by the various represented artists, but also of them at work in their studios, especially Noguchi, together with some wonderful personal photos.

The main intellectual component of, Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese Ceramics consists of four major essays, which make exciting reading. Winther-Tamaki’s essay looks at factors which shaped Noguchi’s, "‘embrace’ of Japanese earth as a medium of modern sculpture and design" (p. xi). Ryu considers the broader milieu of early post-war Japan and discusses not only ceramics, sculpture and pottery but also the associated disciplines of architecture, graphic design and landscape design. He then analyses the positions and work of many ceramists with whom Noguchi interacted. Cort’s essay extends the investigation of the Japanese artists and the philosophy they expounded in their use of clay and "its potential for meaning". Althshuler’s essay explores ways Noguchi’s work with clay and its critical appraisal, especially in America, was driven by his attitudes towards art making and national identity.

The latter was never far from Noguchi’s mind, as he was essentially an outsider, at the start, in the world of Japanese ceramics and pottery. Perhaps, like David Suzuki, this cross cultural inheritance generates a unique vision which allows such individuals to excel in their chosen fields. And like Suzuki, Noguchi never quite ‘fitted neatly’ into the American style nor the Japanese. Suzuki once said because he looked Japanese and spoke like a North American he was not easily and naturally accepted in either culture.

Throughout the book the emphasis is on critically exploring the dichotomies such as, "pottery/sculpture, handicraft/industrial design, avant-gardism/academicism, native/foreign and tradition/modernity" (p. xi), which confronted both Noguchi and his Japanese clay working colleagues. Noguchi interestingly made pottery only in Japan. "I have only made pottery in Japan, never elsewhere. I think the earth here and the sentiment are suited to pottery" (p. 1). These works were almost entirely created in three intense periods; five moths in Kyoto 1931, one week in Seto 1950 and a couple of months in Bizen 1952. It is worth noting that whilst this book focuses mainly on post-war Japanese ceramics, Noguchi’s arrival in Moji from America in 1931 is also well documented.

Whilst the art versus craft dichotomy generally has become extremely boring and passé, it was an important aspect of the post-war Japanese ceramic scene and as such influenced Noguchi and the other Japanese sculptors considerably. Consequently, the issues had to be addressed in a comprehensive treatise such as this. Perhaps the revealing investigation and critique of the art/craft relationship in Japan will help lay this dichotomy to rest. "Our goal is to illuminate the overlooked zone of interaction between conceptions of art and craft by focusing on the work of ceramic artists who believed themselves centrally engaged with modernism, surrealism, and other issues of concern to the international art world" (p. x). This art/craft dichotomy was partly fuelled by the notion that clay was generally considered in America to be an inferior material for final sculpture.

The title is a little misleading, in that many of Japan’s leading ceramicists and their work are discussed, not only Noguchi. Though it must be said, Noguchi’s work was prolific in the three periods in which he created ceramics in Japan and the focus on him is justified in that he was a kind of ‘common denominator’, not necessarily a pioneer, of this period of Japanese ceramics. He is of course the most world famous of those considered, mainly for his sculptural works in other materials, especially stone. These works are not discussed nor shown in this volume, which is quite understandable as they have been given adequate documentation in many other books. This book fills the gap in Noguchi’s story and if for no other reason is important for this alone.

The book has a useful Chronology an excellent Index and comprehensive Bibliography which makes it essential reading for any serious researcher or student interested in Noguchi’s work or post-war Japanese ceramics.