Japanese professor shows his love for Bayat pottery

Japanese professor shows his love for Bayat pottery

By R. Agus Bakti

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Chitaru Kawasaki, a ceramics expert from
Japan, fell in love at the first sight with a set of plain yet
unique pieces in an exhibition in Japan more than ten years ago.

"I saw a very specific form of pottery and learned later that
it came from a small village from Central Java," he recalled.

The ceramics were crafted with a very simple technique by
villagers of Pager Jurang of Bayat in Klaten, Central Java.

Fascinated by the distinctiveness of Bayat ceramics, the 62
year-old Kawasaki, professor of arts from Kyoto Seika University
in Japan, decided in the early 1990s to visit Indonesia to learn
more about Bayat pottery.

He went to the Ceramics Development Center in Bandung to find
more information about ceramics manufacturing in Indonesia, Bayat
ceramics in particular.

The professor traveled to numerous ceramic centers in Java and
other islands before he finally settled in Pager Jurang village
where he meticulously conducted a thorough study starting in
April 1999.

He found that Pager Jurang pottery bears distinguishing
characteristics. The technique, which he calls the slanted
technique, is seldom found in other regions. "I have been to
ceramics centers in the whole of Java."

The slanted technique is a method of making ceramics placing
the wooden mold in an oblique position, with an inclination of
about 60 degrees.

"I think this technique was developed to accommodate the
village culture of wearing batik clothing," he said.

The slanted technique is especially used by women who wear the
jarit, a long batik cloth wrapped around the waist. The wood to
turn and shape the clay is put in a slanted position to
facilitate women wearing the jarit to work.

Knowledge of the technique is rare and the professor is eager
to study and preserve it.

The Pager Jurang village is a second home for him. He has
assimilated with the villagers. He joins them in crafting
ceramics.

He believes the village's pottery products have potential for
design and quality improvement.

Pak Chitaru, as he is called amicably by the inhabitants of
Pager Jurang, gives an example of a characteristic ceramic piece,
the kendi (water jug) used by the villagers.

The kendi has a long neck with two spouts shaped like bubbles.

Such design is estimated to have existed since the coming of
Islam to Java. The design resembles artifacts found around the
graveyard of Sunan Tembayat, an Islamic leader in the area.

The bubble spout design is also found on some reliefs at the
Borobudur temple. It is believed that the design was derived from
Islamic and Buddhist motifs and ornaments.

It is unknown when ceramics were first crafted in Pager
Jurang.

"The kendi of Pager Jurang is simple in design, but it is
attractive behind its simplicity," said Pak Chitaru.

During his one-year stay in the village, he established a
joint cooperation with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB),
the Universitas Negri Sebelas Maret (UNS) in Surakarta and some
local non-government organizations to establish a Bayat community
involving local ceramic makers.

Through the community, the professor transferred his ceramic
techniques to the local ceramic producers, mostly female workers.

The villagers have for years divided their jobs -- the females
produce pottery and the males sell them to nearby markets.

He has been teaching them methods to produce high quality work
with improved designs and decorative ornaments.

The village's ceramics are still produced from simple,
traditional methods. The firing process is inadequate to produce
a durable product.

He also showed them how to make marketable products such as
dinnerware, tea sets, plates, ashtrays in addition to the famous
kendi water jug.

"The demand for their products will grow if they diversify
their products," he said, showing a cup. He uses the cup every
day.

He also introduced a glazing technique to add glare and
improve the surface of the ceramics.

"By improving the quality of the ceramics I hope the products
will have more value," he explained.

No less important in enhancing the quality of ceramic products
is the firing method.

Pak Chitaru has designed a special kiln for the villagers to
enable them to fire their products at higher temperatures.

Formerly, ceramics were only fired with wood at about 100
degrees Celsius. With the new kiln, ceramics are fired and dried
at a temperature of more than 1000 degrees Celsius.

So far, the professor has taught the villagers more than 20
new ceramic designs.

Works from Pager Juang will be exhibited in a number of
cities. The exhibition starts in Jakarta from March 10 through
March 17, at Bentara Budaya. Then it goes to Bandung, Surabaya
and Yogyakarta.

"I will also bring Pager Jurang ceramics to Japan. There will
be a seminar, an exchange of information," he said.

He says he has gained many experiences during his one-year
stay at Pager Jurang like the warm welcome from the local
inhabitants.

His family in Japan strongly support his activities in
Indonesia. He is married to Kawasaki Kayo, 58. The couple have
three children: Ciko (a daughter), Takutsue (a son) and Aomi
(another daughter). His only son has joined him in Pager Jurang.

His presence has brought luck to the villagers according to Bu
Sumosumarto. She said Pak Chitaru is widely accepted as a family
member by the locals.

"Even before he came to settle here he once invited the Pager
Juang ceramic makers to join him in an exhibition. He
demonstrated the making of ceramics in Japan," she said, adding
that he is kind and sociable but he is hampered by his language
skills.

It is unfortunate that by the end of March 2000 Pak Chitaru
must return to his country. Although he will no longer be at
Pager Jurang, he has promised he will continue his support to the
community and to continue promoting their products in Japan and
worldwide.

"We are developing a strong friendship through art and
culture," he says.

The community does not need to worry. Pak Chitaru will make
the ceramics of Pager Jurang popular. He has left a message that
the village life must remain as it is, even if the village is
developed into a tourism site thanks to their ceramic products.

"If the objective is limited to developing tourism it will not
last. If this village is popular as a ceramic center, it will not
only benefit Pager Jurang but also Indonesia as a whole," he
said.