The beginning of Ofuke pottery
Ofuke-ware is a type of pottery that was made in the Shimo-Ofuke Garden on the north side of Nagoya Castle from the late 17th century to the 18th century. Also, pottery with an ash glaze containing iron called “Ofuke-glaze” is generally called Ofuke-ware.
Nagoya Castle was built at the northwest end of a plateau in the center of the city of Nagoya. The stone walls and moat of Nagoya Castle are made out of the edge of the plateau. This is a swampy area where rainwater seeps into the plateau and flows out. In ancient times, such a place was called “Fuke (meaning deep)”. There are several parts of Nagoya Castle that are described as “Fuke”; the “Ofuke moat” on the northside, the “Ofuke Maru” of the castle walls that protrude from the moat, and the “Shimo Ofuke Garden” on the north side across the moat.
Because of the low-humidity area called “Fuke”, water accumulated in the area where the earth was dug when Nagoya Castle was built, and a pond called “Goren Pond” was formed on the north side of the castle. In the pond, several small islands were created to take advantage of the original natural landscape and create a walking garden with a tea house and other facilities, which became the “Shimo-Ofuke garden”.
Even though it was outside of Nagoya Castle, the Shimo-Ofuke garden was used for entertaining the shogun, so it is not a place where anyone can easily enter.
The fact that the third shogun, Iemitsu, visited Owari on his way to visit the capital and was entertained in this garden indicates that the Shimo-Ofuke garden was completed during the reign of the first Owari lord, Yoshinao (1624-1644, Kanei era).
In addition, pottery covered with Ofuke glaze has also been excavated in Mino. This pottery was excavated with shards of Oribe-ware, which was in decline at the time, and a document inscribed with the year “Kan’ei” has been found, so it is thought that the pottery was fired in the Kan’ei period (1624–1644, at the latest).
Returning to the story of the Shimomikawai Goniwa, during the Enpo period (1673-1681), the second lord of the Owari clan, Koyu, restricted “Sobokai clay”, the raw material for Seto pottery, to the clan’s official use only. There is a record that this soil was brought to Nagoya Castle.
Ofuke pottery in the late Edo era
It was not until the 19th century that Ofuke-ware began to be fired actively again. Most of the Ofuke-ware that can be found in art dealers and antique shops today are from this period.
These Ofuke-ware include pottery made by Okamaya ordered by the Owari clan to be made as the “official pottery of the Owari clan”.
The Owari clan began to stamp custom-made markings on pottery to enhance the value of Ofuke-ware as a brand.
Stamp 1: Fukai sei seal
The word “Fukai Sei” is engraved in the round frame.
This is a relatively common mark among Ofuke-ware, and it indicates that the pottery was made in Fukai.
Stamp 2: Shoshi seal
The word “Shoshi” is engraved inside the vertical frame.
It is a guarantee that this product is sealed in the Fukai method. The word “Shoshi” means reward or prize.
The body of the seal, which was the source of the “Fukai sei” and “Shoshi” seals, has been handed down to the Tokugawa Art Museum, of the Owari-Tokugawa family. It indicates that the seals are “100% official Owari clan”.
As a matter of fact, there are some Ofuke-ware on which the “Shoshi” seal has been scraped in later. As mentioned above, “Shoshi” seal is always sealed along with “Fukai sei” seal. There is only a seal “Fukai sei” if it is scraped in later.
In the Taisho-Showa period, it seemed people thought that pottery that had a “Shoshi” seal was considered to be a proof of a “free-gift” and it was considered to be less valuable than pottery which has a “Fukai sei” seal only.
Stamp 3: Sobokai seal
The word “Sobokai” is engraved in a vertical oval-shaped frame. It is commonly believed that it is imprinted on pottery made of Sobokai clay, which is ordered by the Owari clan. However, it is difficult to prove because the soil quality of the excavated pottery is uneven.
However, it is still the official seal of the Owari clan and one of the seals of Ofuke-ware. In fact, the seal of “Sobokai” has been handed down to the Tokugawa Museum of Art as well.
However, the “Sobokai” mark was also used on high-class pottery in Shitoro-ware, one of the seven Enshu kilns in Shizuoka Prefecture. This mark does not necessarily mean that it is Ofuke-ware.
Stamp4: Fukai gourd shape seal
The Fukai gourd shape seal is a seal that is still unknown. The word “Fukai” is engraved inside a frame in the shape of a gourd.
The three seals I mentioned earlier (Fukai Sei, Shoshi, and Sobokai) have been handed down to the Owari Tokugawa family, so there’s no better proof that they’re the official property of the Owari clan, but the trouble is, the original Fukai gourd shape seal is missing. The letter “Fukai” can be understood quite naturally as a word meaning Ofuke-ware in itself.
There is pottery with a stamp of Hirasawa Kuro or Masaki Sozaburo, who were samurai of the Owari clan, next to the gourd shape seal. From this, it is thought that the Owari clan was deeply involved with the gourd shape seal.
In addition, Gengen-sai, the 11th generation head of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony, visited Owari and made a tea bowl in the Ofuke kiln. The handmade tea bowl has been handed down through the ages to the present day. It is known that it was made in the first year of Koka (1844) because of the year number on the wooden box, and this tea bowl was also stamped with the “Fukai gourd seal”.
