Science in the art of the master Bizen potter

Accounts of Chemical Research
Yoshihiro KusanoMikio Takano

Abstract

Bizen stoneware, with the characteristic reddish hidasuki or "fire-marked" pattern, is one of Japan's best known traditional ceramic works of art. The means of creating and controlling the various hues of the hidasuki pattern has remained a mystery to outsiders for about a thousand years; the methods were known only to master potters who served under generations of master potters before them. In this Account, we present the results of 30 years of study in which we investigated the microstructure and color-formation process in Bizen stoneware. We discovered that the hidasuki pattern results from the precipitation of corundum (alpha-Al(2)O(3)) and the subsequent epitaxial growth of hematite (alpha-Fe(2)O(3)) around it in a approximately 50-microm-thick liquid specifically formed in the ceramic surface. The epitaxial composites include hexagonal plate-like alpha-Fe(2)O(3)/alpha-Al(2)O(3)/alpha-Fe(2)O(3) sandwiched particles and also surprisingly beautiful flower-like crystals, centered by hexagonal corundum crystals and decorated by several hexagonal hematite petal crystals. Bizen stoneware is produced from a unique clay that can only be mined from the Bizen area of Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The clay has an unusually high Fe cont...Continue Reading

Citations

Jan 10, 2018·Chemical Record : an Official Publication of the Chemical Society of Japan ... [et Al.]·Christian Detellier
Feb 26, 2019·Scientific Reports·Alejandra Sánchez-PoloJorge Serrano
Oct 15, 2014·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Hideki HashimotoJun Takada

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.