Icchin: Slip Trailing, the Raised Dot Technique
Icchin is the technique of squeezing slip or glaze from a narrow tube to draw raised lines and dots on the surface of a piece.
Like piping whipped cream onto a cake, the line itself stands up in the thickness of the slip. It is used in the raised painting of Kutani ware, and in the West the same family of work is called slipware, loved across the world for centuries.
When white slip is used, it belongs with kohiki and hakeme in the family of white slip techniques. With the same material, dipping, brushing and trailing give completely different faces.
The tools and the name
The tool once used held a traditional pigment called icchin — a bamboo tube fitted with the shaft of a bird's feather and similar devices. That name is said to have become the name of the technique.
Today rubber bulbs and plastic tubes, easier to handle, are widely used. Changing the diameter of the tip changes the weight of the line at will.
What icchin can do
- Raised lines Unlike a brushed line, it rises in relief through the thickness of the slip. A finger can feel it.
- Runs of dots Squeezing in bursts lines up grain-like dots. It is the standard for dot patterns.
- Marbling Dragging a feather or comb through before the slip dries pulls the lines into feather-like geometry. It is the signature expression of slipware.
- Glaze pooling Glaze gathers beside the raised lines, giving tonal range even in a single color.
Against the other white slip techniques
| Technique | How the slip is applied | How it looks |
|---|---|---|
| Icchin | Squeezed from a tube | White lines standing in relief |
| Kohiki | Dipped, or poured over the whole | A soft milky white overall |
| Hakeme | Applied with a coarse brush | Brush streaks with light and dark white |
Related terms and guides
Related terms
- Kohiki Pottery: The White Slip Technique, Explained
- Hakeme: The Brush-Marked White Slip Technique
- Shirogeshou: How Japanese Potters Make Dark Clay White
- Shinogi: The Carved Ridges on Japanese Pottery
- Uwa-etsuke: How Overglaze Enamel Painting Works
- Japanese Pottery Glossary | Terms, Techniques & Kilns
Read further
- Five Decorating Techniques on Japanese Pottery
- Kutani Ware: Japan's Boldest Ceramic Painting
- Japanese Pottery Patterns: What the Motifs Actually Mean
Pieces available at Nokaze
Touch the raised line
Relief a fingertip can read. Icchin pottery is made to be touched as much as looked at.
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New to Japanese pottery? Start here — its history, how pottery differs from porcelain, the clays and glazes behind each style, and how to care for a piece. → Japanese Pottery: The Complete Guide