[Asiatic Potters, 1938-1939]

Date1938 – 1939

AbstractAppears to be part of 0291.0015. // Film on Puri leper potters and their methods. Japan. Calcutta. Pegu, Burma; Kuala Lumpur, Bienhoa, French Indochina; Annam. // Original footage is 240 feet of 16mm film. Film donated to Human Studies Film Archives in exchange for 3/4 inch video master. Transfer done at 18 fps. // 3/4 inch received from Pam Wintle at HSFA, 07/1997.

Viewing NotesTitle card: 'The leper potter of Puri. Large pots are thrown without bottoms then batted over a stone till thin, well-shaped and dec-orated.' A man pats a bottom-less pot into shape with a paddle. Intertitle: 'Puri Kiln Large pots need more firing so these well-built Kilns are used. The walls are insulated by being built of pots, the interstices filled in with clay.' Intertitle: 'The pots are piled in, covered with fuel and earth, fresh fuel is fed into the door until pots are done.' A group of people stand beside a kiln. Shot of a different kiln. Intertitle: 'The pottery village.' Scenes of the village. Intertitle: 'Carrying the pots to market.' A man carries a large basket full of pots on his head. Intertitle: 'Calcutta potters modeling groups of figures. These are sun-dried, painted brilliantly and sold to the pious Hindu. After proper services the figures are taken in procession and thrown into the sacred river Ganges.' A man works on several headless clay figures. Several people working on clay figures of various sizes. Intertitle: 'This potter goes around her pot instead of turning it. In spite of this curious technic her family supplied the village – Pegu, Burma – with good pots.' (Bago, Myanmar) A woman throwing a pot. Intertitle: 'Chinese potter near Kuala Lumpur, Federated Malay States. (Now the capital of Malaysia) Note how he turns his wheel.' A man throws a small pot, spinning the wheel with his foot. Intertitle: 'Government Pottery School, Bienhoa, French Indo-China.' (Present day Biên Hòa, Vietnam) A man throws a pot while another man spins the wheel with his foot. A different potter in a fedora. Potters painting large pots. Intertitle: 'Pottery in Annam run by women. They are making dishes for selling condi-ments – and losing not time over the job.' (Annam is a colonial term for Vietnam/a region of central Vietnam) A woman throws a pot while another kicks the wheel. A child laying out clay dishes. Several women throwing pots while another kicks the wheel. A man mixing clay. Close up of woman throwing dishes on a wheel. Intertitle: 'Japanese potter near Tokio – Kenkichi Tomimoto, head of the government pottery schools, teacher and colleague of the English Bernard Leach and the Indian Gurcharan Singh.' (Tokyo, Japan) Kenkichi Tomimoto kneading clay and throwing a pot on a wheel. Kenkichi Tomimoto painting a bowl. [End of Reel]

• Tomimoto Kenkichi

• Tomimoto Kenkichi