World renowned potter Gordon Hutchens first encountered a climbing-hill-dragon kiln (also known as an 'Anagama') at the age of 14 on a visit to Japan. Both the unique beauty of wood-fired pottery and the ancient technique involved in its creation made a lasting impression on the young man. Under the guidance of master builder Dr. Yukio Yamamoto almost thirty years later, Hutchens realized a long-held dream with the construction of his own Tozan Anagama kiln, right here on Denman Island.
Tozan means East Mountain, and indicates the region in China where this particular style of kiln originated. One of only two of its kind in North America today, a fire-breathing giant now awakens each spring in the forest not far from Hutchens Wren Road studio. This dragon's enormous appetite for wood must be satiated with round the clock feedings for days, and potters attend from near and far to participate in the communal ritual that is an Anagama firing.
Such an event happens each April on Hutchens' property, and in celebration of the Pottery Studio Tour's 25th anniversary year, an open house will take place at the kiln site on the afternoon of Sunday, April 29th while a firing is underway! Visitors will be welcome to drop by, observe the experience, and view photos of some of the unique clay creations undergoing magical transformation within the belly of the mythical beast. Many of these one-of-a-kind pieces will later be available for sale at select venues over the official Pottery Tour weekend in May. Works created by children at the Denman School under the tutelage of Down to Earth Pottery Studio's, Marjo Van Tooren, will also be included in this special firing, and on display May 18th and 19th when visitors will once again be welcome to return to the climbing-hill-dragon kiln site.
Evidence suggests that the Tozan Anagama originated in China around 200 BC, when Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi instructed the most highly skilled artists in the land to produce 7,500 life-sized warriors and chariots, to guard his tomb in the after-life. Upon completion, the Emperor decreed that the kiln and the sculptors themselves, were to be destroyed!
Those artists who escaped and fled to Korea and Japan, quietly kept the tradition of wood-fired pottery alive, but the Tozan Anagama eventually faded into history for centuries. In 1954, Dr. Yamamoto was asked to resurrect the ancient kiln, and after 16 years of research built his first in Himeji, Japan. In the 80's Yamamoto visited the University of Norther Arizona, home to the only Anagama kiln in the Western states at that time. He agreed to help build two new traditional kilns there, including a Tozan Anagama. BC potter Les Beardsley participated in the Flagstaff project, becoming enamoured with the Tozan-style kiln. By 1995, thanks to the expert assistance of Dr. Yamamoto, another Tozan Anagama was producing wood-fired pottery in Nanaimo, BC, on the campus of Malaspina College (now Vancouver Island University). This particular achievement was later undone when development plans forced deconstruction to make way for new student housing.
However, Hutchens' friendship with Dr. Yamamoto was forged in Nanaimo during the building of the Anagama there. Between 1996 and 1998, Yamamoto assisted the Denman potter in designing and constructing the climbing-hill-dragon kiln that has continued to attract potters and collectors of beautiful wood-fired wares here to this island, over the past 15 years. Hutchens' Anagama is nestled into a gently sloping hillside, which allows heat and ash to be drawn through its 330 cu. foot chamber towards a chimney standing at the top end of the kiln, 8 feet high. Sadly, Dr. Yamamoto passed away in 2000, but his legacy lives on in the resurrection of the Tozan Anagama.
Over the years, Hutchens has become a dragon master himself. But together with the many other Denman potters who will be contributing to the Anagama firing this month in preparation for the official May Pottery Studio tour, once again he will relive that sense of wonder originally experienced as a boy in Japan, when the earthen dragon first spoke to him. No two firings are ever exactly alike. Thrilling surprises abound once the kiln is opened to reveal the myriad treasures awaiting discovery inside.
Twelve venues will be involved on the annual Pottery Studio Tour over the May long weekend. The Denman Arts Centre will showcase a 25 year retrospective featuring exemplary clay works created by current and past Pottery Tour participants. Enjoy the 'warm up' this month, by paying homage to our clay heritage here on Denman with a visit to the dragon's lair between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Sunday, April 29th. Circle May 19th and 20th on your calendar now, for the official silver anniversary tour!
