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備前焼 森一朗工房作 胡麻急須 A 170ml()() ( ) 1981 2008 2009Drift Wood Sculpture Festival () 2011() 2015THE POWER OF BIZEN (Kigbeare studiogallery UK) (3)23% 5~6%23% 8 ICHIRO MORI https: moriichiro. com 12cm()8cm8cm 170ml 130ml 150g 80012001300(1338) 2
備前焼森一朗工房の胡麻(ごま)急須です。中国式急須の定型の１つである、「水平壺(すいへいこ)」という形状を備前の土で作った急須です。中国茶や台湾茶を淹れるのに、ちょうど良い容量です。
森さんは彫刻を専攻していたこともあり、美しい造形、力強い造形など、優れた造形力を持つ人です。伝統に基づきながら、新しい備前焼のスタイルを探求しています。
(森一朗氏 略歴)
1981年備前焼窯元六姓森家の家系に生まれる。
2008年東京芸術大学美術研究科彫刻専攻終了
2009年Drift Wood Sculpture Festival (台北／台湾)
2011年彫刻５７５／(台北／台湾)
2015年THE POWER OF BIZEN (大和日英基金、Kigbeare studio＆gallery/UK)
備前焼は土と炎で表現する陶器です。備前焼において、土作りが作業の半分以上を占めると言われるほど、土作りは大事な作業です。
備前には様々な色や性質の土があり、作家が自らの作品に合う土を探究します。備前の土は粒子が粗く、急須のような複雑な造形が難しいです。そのため、備前焼の茶器には、抹茶碗や宝瓶が多く、急須は大変少ないです。
備前の土は鉄分を含んでいます。備前焼の窯変に関する調査(第3回『岡山学』シンポジウム、岡山理科大学・山口一裕氏)によると、備前粘土の鉄分量はおよそ2～3%です。
その鉄分がお茶の渋味成分である、タンニンと結びつきます。そのため、備前の土で作られた急須で淹れたお茶は、渋味が少ない、滑らかな味のお茶になります。
香港で備前焼急須を使った、試飲会をしたことがあります。普洱熟茶を淹れると、特にお茶の味を滑らかに感じると、試飲会では盛り上がりました。味をどう感じるかは人によって違うので、一概には断定できませんが、確かに滑らかな味になると感じます。
常滑の朱泥急須より、備前急須の方がよりお茶の味を滑らかにすると感じます。常滑朱泥の鉄分量が約5~6%に対し、備前粘土の鉄分量は約2～3%なので、鉄分量だけを見ると、常滑朱泥の方がタンニンと多く結合しやすいはずです。
備前焼急須で淹れるお茶の方が滑らかな味に感じるのは、備前の粘土は粒子が大きく、焼成後も土の中に空隙があるため、より多くの渋味を吸収しているからだと考えられます。つまりお茶の味に影響を与えるのは、土の粒子の大きさと鉄分量なのだと考えます。備前の土は粒子が大きい分、効果も大きいようです。
備前焼では器に絵柄を描かず、窯の内部で変化する炎の流れや、技法によって模様が生み出されます。窯の中の入口付近や、高い場所、角に近い場所など、置かれる場所によって器への炎の当たり方は変わります。炎という自然に任せて作られ、１つとして同じ器は生まれません。
「胡麻」は褐色や緑色の模様が特徴的な、備前焼の伝統技法です。この急須は「胡麻」の一種で、「かせ胡麻」と呼ばれる技法で焼成されました。薪窯の中を舞う灰が陶器に降り掛かり、灰が溶けきらずに残る場合、「かせ胡麻」と呼ばれます。
画像8枚目の濃い褐色の部分は、灰が降りかかり、炎が長時間当たった箇所です。メロン肌と呼ばれます。赤褐色の箇所は、炎が直接当たらなかった箇所です。粘土が持つ、鉄分の褐色が出現していると考えられます。
陶器は自然の産物であると感じられる、温かみのある土の風合いが特徴です。備前の土が持つ赤茶色の箇所は明るい色で、大地の力強さがあります。
一方で、灰が掛かった褐色、緑色の箇所は、枯れた木や苔のような雰囲気があります。日本らしい侘び寂びを体現しながら、備前の土の明るさも感じられる、陰と陽の対比が素晴らしい急須です。水平壺という伝統的な中国式急須を、備前の土で表現した、中国茶文化と備前の自然が融合した急須です。
作り手： ICHIRO MORI 工房作品
https://moriichiro.com/
焼成： 薪窯
サイズ： 全長12cm(把手・口含む)、胴径8cm、高さ8cm
容量： 満水170ml 実用130ml
重さ： 約150g
梱包： 紙箱
備考： 蓋のつまみ上部に穴があります。手作りなので、作品は一点ずつ違いがあります。
土の粒子が粗いため、蓋上部の穴を押さえても、お湯は止まりづらいです。注水時は急須を垂直まで傾けず、ゆっくりと注いでいただくと滑らかに注水できます。
＊備前焼
備前焼は、岡山県備前市で作られる陶器です。800年程前の平安時代の終わり頃、備前焼の生産は始まりました。備前焼は1200～1300℃の高温で焼成され、頑丈なため、当初は壺や甕が多く作られました。備前焼は独特の土の風合いが茶人に好まれ、室町時代(西暦1338年～)以降、茶道向けの陶器が多く作られるようになりました。
備前焼の特徴は、土に釉薬を掛けず、そのまま焼き締めること、そして土の味わいを活かした模様の美しさです。備前焼は主に薪窯で焼成します。燃料は主に松の木で、約2週間かけて陶器を焼成します。
陶土は主に水田から採られる田土と、山から採られる山土があります。鉄分に富む陶土で備前焼特有の美しい模様が生まれ、土の配合具合で作家ごとの土味が生まれます。
備前焼は水に濡れると、色が明るくなり、長く使い込むことで色味に変化が生じます。その変化が大きな見所ですので、器を使いながら育てる楽しみがあります。
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4.8 ★★★★★
Based on 10 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 4
A Remarkable Book--I Want More Like It!
Format: Kindle
I stumbled on Remarkably Bright Creatures among my recommendations. As often happens, the premise intrigued me enough to read it even though I didn't know the author. Well, if Shelby Van Pelt often writes like this, I definitely want more of her books.
The friendship between Tova the aquarium cleaning lady and Marcellus the giant Pacific octopus is a definite selling point in this book. It's a great twist on the "A Kid and Their X" trope (the kind of thing you see in stuff like Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller, Free Willy, and so forth). This one, I am pleased to report, is far less cheesy and saccharine. Tova is a multifaceted character whose life may seem small in her estimation, and probably is if we go by what is a "normal" life in a small seaside town. Yet that life has been stuffed with complex emotions, unanswered questions, and a longing for "more" that I think everybody can relate to. At least, I certainly could.
As for Marcellus, he's multifaceted, too. A part of me did stick with his point of view, and story, because it is a story of a "remarkably bright," underestimated creature trapped and controlled in a world he doesn't understand. I have cerebral palsy and was diagnosed as level 1 autistic this spring; I'm still looking back and trying to heal from a lot of the latter's implications. So in a visceral way, yeah. I'm not a captive animal or mistreated, but I understood how Marcellus felt. What I liked even better about his story though, is that Marcellus' story doesn't stop there.
Marcellus actually has a life and a history that Shelby Van Pelt, Tova, Cameron, and other characters dig into. He's not just a captive yearning for freedom and mourning lost opportunities, as often happens with similar stories. He makes wry, witty, yet quiet, non-snarky observations about humans. He cares deeply for Tova because she took time to know him as a "person," but also because she's the only human who has ever stopped long enough for Marcellus to know as a real "person." Marcellus gets to be the conduit of real revelation and change for people inside and outside his world. That's amazing, and frankly, it's a lot more than many human characters get.
Remarkably Bright Creatures couldn't succeed with just Tova or Marcellus though, or at least not as well as it did, I think. The other characters pop off the page as well. Cameron is my favorite, precisely because I didn't expect to like him at first. By his own admission, he comes off as a burnout and a loser, and I admit, that's how I saw him to begin with. But as with Tova and Marcellus, Cameron is hiding a lot of layers, a lot of depth. He's got a great heart, but he's still a typical, kinda clueless 30-year-old guy (and I'm still a 30-something so I say that tongue in cheek). He's vulnerable but not pitiful; he plays the victim sometimes, but then he gets mad at being called out on that and wants to do better. He struggles and is a burnout, but he's got good, solid friends and some real interests and potential. In other words, I got really into his arc, especially once Tova, Marcellus, and even Ethan got involved.
As for Ethan, he's unexpectedly cool, as well. I admit some brownie points with him, as I love all things Scottish or Irish and he is of Scottish descent. But I also didn't expect a shopkeeper in his '70s with a gruff edge to be a Grateful Dead fan or to get along so well with a neat and tidy, tiny Swedish aquarium cleaner, so brownie points on plot and character there. In fact, Ethan's role in the story, in particular, went all kinds of unexpected places, so without spoiling anything, I'll tell you to keep an eye on it.
Finally, Shelby wins some extra brownie points for a lot of the "little" things that "pop" out at me when reading a book like this one. For instance, I love cats and love the reluctant yet affectionate relationship Tova develops with a stray cat. I love Marcellus' Collection and the pride and care he takes in it. I love and felt some heartbreak over Tova's reminiscing about the attic playroom that never got to be a playroom.
But I think the thing I loved most about Remarkably Bright Creatures is how remarkable Shelby showed readers humans--and creatures--can be, without getting heavy-handed or cheesy. There are some romances here, so to speak, but this is a relationship novel, and those are, have been for the past several years, some of my favorite ones.
There is some language here, so caveat emptor if that's not your thing. From a writer's perspective, I also wondered how much some threads or characters were actually needed. For instance, looking back, I understand why Tova had a brother, but I'm unsure how much he furthered the plot. Similarly, I understand the roles of Avery and Marco but again, am unsure how much they furthered the plot.
Also, I almost hate to say it, and I could be wrong about this. After all, I know about as much concerning octopi as the average person who watches Jeopardy (which I do). But while Marcellus' plot thread is great, and while I definitely understand suspension of disbelief, I did wonder along with Cameron how much those boundaries were pushed. I mean, I buy Marcellus getting out of his tank, and with the right Collection items, I guess Tova and Cameron could've figured out whatever they needed to know. But...there's a logical shard of me that isn't quite sure she buys how everything lined up, I guess.
All that aside though, Remarkably Bright Creatures is still a remarkable book. As often happens, I'm now eager to find more like it. And yes, it does get a hearty recommendation. At the very least, I'll want to take closer looks next time I go to an aquarium.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Great story and characters
Format: Kindle
I had to see what all the hype was about and after seeing the trailer on Netflix I knew I had to read the book before I watched the movie. I have to say, this was one of the better books I've read so far this year. It's not a fast paced read but it held my interest the entire time. The characters are very well developed and I really grew to like Tova and Cameron, of course Marcellus is the star of the show and is as witty as they come. If you're looking for a good read I highly recommend this one. The octopus is a difficult creature to care for so I sincerely hope the "octopus tank craze" doesn't start over this like the "clownfish tank craze" did when Finding Nemo came out. Leave it to the expert level saltwater hobbyist to care for them or better yet, leave them in the ocean. I have to mention too that this is the author's debut novel and for a debut novel it's very impressive, I'll look for others from her in the future.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
★★★★★ 5
A remarkable story
Format: Hardcover
What a wonderful surprise this was! I thought Remarkably Bright Creatures was a story about a woman and an octopus, but it turned out to be so much more than that. This is Shelby Van Pelt’s first book, and I don’t think a debut has affected me like this since I read Hollow Kingdom, another story that unfolds through the eyes of an animal. The story has a bit of magical realism to it, in the sense that parts of it are told from the octopus’s point of view, but otherwise it’s simply a delightful tale about family and connections that had me ugly crying by the end of the book.
In the first chapter we meet Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus on display in the Sowell Bay Aquarium near Puget Sound. Marcellus has been in captivity for 1,299 days, and based on his life expectancy of about four years, he believes he only has a handful of days left to live. His dreary days in a small glass enclosure are broken up by secret nighttime excursions, as Marcellus is extremely smart and has found a way out of his tank.
Tova Sullivan is a seventy-year-old woman who has been working nights at the aquarium as a cleaning lady for the past two years. Tova knows how to remove the hundreds of fingerprints on the tank walls and can polish the floors to a brilliant shine. She’s also quite fond of the sea creatures she encounters each night, especially Marcellus, and the two have formed an unusual bond since Tova saved Marcellus one night after he escaped and became entangled in a bunch of electrical cords.
Next, we meet Cameron Cassmore, a thirty-year-old man who is drifting through life with no real purpose. Cameron lives in California, and one day his aunt gives him a box of his estranged mother’s things. Inside the box he finds a photo and an old class ring, clues that could lead to the identity of his father, a man he never knew. Cameron hops on a plane to Washington state, convinced the man he thinks is his father—a rich real estate tycoon—will be so distraught over abandoning his son, he’ll shower Cam with money. At least that’s the plan.
Finally, Ethan Mack is the owner of Sowell Bay’s Shop-Way, the local grocery store. Ethan has known Tova for years and secretly has a crush on her, but Tova is much too distant to notice his interest. When Cameron shows up at the Shop-Way looking for a job, Ethan directs him to his friend who manages the aquarium, which is how Cameron and Tova meet.
Tying all these characters together is Marcellus, a remarkably bright octopus with a penchant for stealing and hoarding the treasures he finds after hours on the aquarium floor, and who just might be able to bring two people together who need each other—but don’t yet realize it.
Van Pelt’s chapters alternate among all these characters and introduce a slew of side characters as well, each one vitally important to the story. At first, we don’t realize how each character is connected to the next, but slowly the author reveals her secrets until the stunned reader begins to understand the depth of these connections. Each character is given a detailed backstory that becomes very important to the plot. Tova’s story in particular was heart wrenching, as she has experienced quite a bit of loss in her life and finds herself mostly alone in her twilight years. Luckily she belongs to a group of women who call themselves the Knit-Wits, and the four of them meet weekly to eat, drink, gossip and support each other. Tova came to America from Sweden as a little girl, so the story is filled with details about growing up with her Swedish mother and father. Even the Dala horses her mother collected play a part in the story, and I found these little details added so much richness.
At first I couldn’t figure out how Cameron fit it, but once he arrives in Sowell Bay and meets Ethan and Tova, his story takes on new meaning. Cameron meets a woman named Avery who also plays a vital part in filling in some of the missing pieces about Cameron’s father, and I loved the way the author gave even the most insignificant side characters meaning and purpose.
Van Pelt infuses her story with so many emotional moments and themes. We see how the Knit-Wits are going through the aging process, as their numbers have dwindled over the last few years. Tova is facing being alone in her old age, with no children or husband to take care of her, and so she makes the rash decision to sell her beloved house and move into a retirement community. I don’t want to give too many details about Tova’s past and her losses, because I think it’s better to discover those revelations for yourself. Let’s just say that I felt Tova’s pain and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy.
And Van Pelt includes so many funny moments in her story that kept the tone light, despite some of the more heavy themes. There’s an ongoing bit about Cameron’s lost luggage that was hysterically funny, and Tova inherits a stray cat at one point, which was a delightful side plot. I also loved the story about the t-shirt that Tova uses to clean Ethan’s kitchen—you’ll just have to read the book so you can experience the hilarity too!
And of course, I can’t forget the star of the story, Marcellus the octopus. As the days tick by—each of his chapters starts with a marker (“Day 1,299 of my captivity”, etc)---the tension builds as Marcellus gets closer to his impending death (at least that’s what he thinks). Marcellus understands human nature more than most humans, and I loved the way he wisely intuits each character’s needs. Ultimately, this is a story about creatures—both human and animal—saving each other. The way Marcellus’s story plays out was absolutely perfect—heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.
This is a very special book, and I’m so glad I was able to finally read it. Highly recommended!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024
★★★★★ 5
It was as good as I'd hoped.
Format: Kindle
Marcellus McSquiddles, the giant Pacific Octopus who has lived at the Sowell Bay Aquarium for going on four years, is often exasperated with the humans who stare at him all day. But there is one human who is different. She speaks to him and more importantly, she keeps his nocturnal escapes from his tank, a secret. Tova is a gentle woman, a widower and still dealing with the loss of her son, more than thirty years ago.
When someone new strolls into town, Cameron Cassmore, looking for his dead beat father, he and Tova's lives will become inextricably linked, if they're not already. And Marcellus sees all of this and does his best to assist, where he can, since for the most part, he notices that haumans can be rather dull. But though, sometimes, especially in the case of Tova, there a a few who are remarkably bright.
This was a sweet, genuine, heartfelt and beautifully written, fun read. Van Pelt has created a delightfully jaded and long-suffering, sighing character in the form of Marcellus and he and Tova's story is told in such a unique and imaginative way. I'd been meaning to read this for so long and I'm so glad I finally did.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2026
★★★★★ 4
Remarkable book
Format: Kindle
A truly moving story. I thought going it it might be a little too sugary sweet for me, but turned out to just have the right amount of of sweetness. Marcellus is truly remarkable, although he is a bit of a spoiler, revealing the bug twist way too early, which leaves to frustration while you wait for the rest of the cast to catch up. There were a couple of cliches and the ending felt a little rushed, but still it was an enjoyable read.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2026