Shige Ohashi And Fan Club

Pyromaniacs Reunion – the 7th Anagama Firing

In May the Wellington guild of pyromaniacs, in the guise of a group from the Wellington Potters’ Association (WPA), was convened in Horokiwi to load and fire the anagama kiln located on June and Graeme Houston’s Te Haunui (“the big wind”) property.

The latest firing was from Wednesday 25 - Sunday 29 May 2011.

Preparation for the firing began in earnest in September 2010 with the cutting, splitting and stacking of firewood.  Our task was made easier by the use of an enhanced splitter.  Previously the splitter was attached to a tractor. Now, mounted on a metal sledge, it has its own motor and hydraulic pump and is a much more feisty machine. Importantly, the firewood can be split more quickly than in the past. Thanks are due to Graeme Houston's perseverance and engineering skills.

Shige Ohashi, who designed the kiln, agreed to resume the role of Firing Master, a term he dislikes, for the anagama firing.  Shige was keen that a cadre of aspiring "firing masters" be encouraged to be involved rather than him being seen as the sole or dominant "firing master".  He was eager to share his knowledge about anagama with people who are interested in learning and having an ongoing involvement in

Paul Melser and friends

WPA anagama firings. In Shige’s own words: “I like to have a team as the firing master. If we can have the team and the members want, I'm happy to transfer my anagama knowledge and experiences to them.”

Loading commenced on Tuesday 17 May following Shige’s return from Japan two days before and continued unabated from first light until generally 6 pm for 7 days.  This work was done meticulously.  Approximately 240 pieces from 40 potters were consigned to the kiln’s welcoming grasp. 

 Loading finished, Shige took a day off.  Shige’s contribution is a mark of his commitment to the WPA and the anagama enterprise. His planned visit to Japan had coincided with the aftermath of the terrible earthquake and tsunami that blighted that country.  He spent three weeks working as part of a team of volunteers cooking for 200 people

who had been displaced by the disaster before returning to New Zealand.

The magic started with the lighting of the kiln at 10:00 am on the Wednesday.  There followed 16 shifts over a 5 day period each employing a shift leader and generally 2-3 helpers who plied the shift leader with wine and food for the privilege of stoking the kiln.

Shige Ohashi "Almost Loaded!"

The kiln crackled, pulsated and purred with cones 8 and 9 (at the front) being recorded as being down on shift 5 on Thursday evening.    All the cones at the front (8, 9, 10 & 11) and the back (5, 6, 7 & 8) were down before shift 9 started at 6:00 pm on the Friday.  Side stoking through one hole started at 5:30 am on shift 10 on the Saturday.  We have abandoned the use of pyrometers in favour of instinct and intuition.  The 100 hour firing concluded on the Sunday.

Our standard wadding recipe is (by volume) 1 part alumina hydrate, 1 part china clay and 1 part flour to which was added, on this occasion, quantities of silica sand.  The reason for this addition was to make the wadding firmer.  What Shige wanted was for the wadding to rebound after having been compressed when installing props and kiln shelves.  The addition of the silica was a mixed blessing.  In some cases the wadding left on the shelves after the firing had been transformed into glass nodules – difficult to remove.  However, the wadding attracted an unwanted following from the mouse population of Horokiwi.  Ingested wadding was unfortunately deposited in a number of pots in the form of mouse droppings.  Members will be invited to make feline clay offerings for the next firing!

A beautiful “Crane Neck” vase (Shige Ohashi’s apt description of his pot) emerged from the anagama kiln following the seventh firing.  It and many other beautiful pieces enthused and excited a group of some 45 people that gathered for the unloading of the kiln and the now traditional BBQ on Sunday 5 June.

Galit Maxwell feeding the kiln

The interior of the kiln, which is maturing with each firing, is becoming an object of beauty in its own right with the walls being basted with pine ash glaze of its own making. 

The weather throughout the firing was generally good in contrast to the conditions when the kiln was opened which were less than inviting.  However, this didn’t deter the enthusiasts (potters, friends and Horokiwi locals), who gathered in greater numbers than at past openings.  Parking on damp grass near the kiln can be a trap for the unwary and the wary, myself included, and a number of drivers had to be assisted in extricating their cars from the mud.

Excluding those who generously contributed their time, muscles and equipment to the preparatory phases of the firing, the firing itself involved the firing master, 9 shift leaders and 22 helpers – a great team effort.  They were supported and sustained throughout by Graeme and June, and occasional visits by the farm dogs.

"Crane Neck" vase

For those wishing to emulate the “Crane Neck” vase’s beauty in future firings, the vase was made from Nelson White adorned by a slip made from ball clay.  Shige is keen to experiment with other New Zealand clays.

 I’m often asked what sort of clay should be used for pots that will be fired in the anagama kiln.  While standard stoneware clay is okay, my clay of choice is a Clayworks product, RSF (Rye’s Salt Glaze & Woodfire Clay Body), formulated by Owen Rye, a noted Australian ceramicist and wood firing exponent.  A visit to his website: http://owenrye.com/index.html  is well worthwhile.

It only remains for me to thank all those who made the seventh firing possible and to start turning my mind to planning next year’s event which is likely to be in April. 

Alan Ross
Anagama Coordinator
25 July 2011

Mike Atkins was the “official” pot photographer for the opening proceedings and a selection of his photographs and those of others may be viewed here: https://picasaweb.google.com/101496314371224632175/SeventhAnagamaFiringSelection?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnpj4L2woylAw