Catalog (1104)

White splashes into the pale terracotta of this large basin by world renowned artist Suzuki Osamu enclosed in the original signed kiri-wood box. The bowl measures almost 12 inches (28.5 cm) diameter, 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) tall and is in excellent condition, stamped on the base with the character Su in a square cartouche.
Osamu was, along with Kumakura Junkichi, Hikaru Yamada and Yagi Kazuo, one of the founding members of the influential Sodeisha (Crawling Through Mud Association), a group of revolutionary post war ceramic artists whose influence remains strong today. Works by him are in too many collections to note in this small add, including the Kyoto and Tokyo National Museums of Modern Art, Victoria Albert and New York Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

A pair of men-tori gourd shaped sake flasks by Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. One flask is decorated in blue with bamboo and the characters Sei-Fu (pure wind). The second is dated in blue and pink with pomegranates with the inscription “For the use of Yuzo, October 27, 1976”. Both are signed on the base. It is likely these came from the artists own personal collection. Each stands roughly 5 inches (13 cm) tall. There are two fractures visible in the glaze of the pomegranate flask.
Kondo Yuzo (1902-1985) was born in the Gojozaka district of Kyoto and studied alongside Kawai Kanjiro and Hamada Shoji at the Kyoto Ceramics Reseaerch facility, where he studied kiln technique directly under Shoji. He then apprenticed under recently returned Tomimoto Kenkichi for three years before establishing himself as a unique artist in the Kiyomizu district of Kyoto in 1924. He served as a professor at the Kyoto University of Art where he helped shape generations of potters. After an illustrious career he was named a Living National Treasure for Sometsuke Porcelain in 1977. Works by the artist are held in the collection of the LACMA, Cleveland and Brooklyn Museums of Art, Kyoto Municipal and Tokyo National Museums of Modern Art among many others.

Namako glaze runs down, creating rivers flowing around the horns on the sides of this massive pot by Suzuki Kenji (1935-2010). Looking within one sees the volcanic explosions where the glaze pooled, bubbled and burst in the center. The vessel is 18 inches (45.5 cm) tall, roughly 13 inches (33 cm) square and weighs 20.5 kg (45 pounds). It is in fine condition. By size and structure it would be acceptable for display either inside or out.
This is from the Matsui family collection of Fushimi, an extensive collection of art objects encompassing many aspects of crafts, including sculpture, Pottery and Metalwork, largely from Kyoto area Artists. It would seem they had a special connection with the Suzuki family, as they owned many pieces, including bowls, vases and larger sculptural works which we happily acquired.
Born into a long line of Kyoto potters, Suzuki Kenji studied initially (as did his brother Takuji) of course under his father Suzuki Kiyoshi. He Graduated from the Kyoto University of Fine Arts in 1957 where he studied under Kondo Ryuzo, Tomimoto Kenkichi and Fujimoto Nodo and apprenticed with the Sixth Kiyomizu Rokubei. He was first accepted into the Nitten in 1958, and was exhibited and awarded there many times over the following years. In 1960 he was awarded the Mayors prize at the Kyoten. Throughout the 60s he submitted to international events in North and Central America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Also from 1965 to 1971 he worked as assistant professor to the 7th Kiyomizu Rokubei at his alma-matter. In 1967 he was awarded the Hokuto-sho prize at the Nitten for his work White Orb. In 1976 he established a new Kiln in Yamashina. He was awarded the order of Cultural Merit by Kyoto prefecture for his lifes work in 2005. Works by the artist are held in the collections of the Kyoto Prefectural Museum, Kyoto Municipal Museum and Kyoto University of Art among others. His research into metal glazes will have a long standing affect on contemporary pottery in Kyoto. Widely published, he wrote a book for the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art titled Contemporary Ceramic Art : Canada, USA, Mexico and Japan (1971) as well as Sōsaku tōgei no tenkai / sekinin henshū (1984) among many others.

Yuteki black slips down over the pourous, crackled white of this bold work by Taniguchi Ryozo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 8-1/2 inches (21.5 cm) tall and in excellent condition. The box is darkened with age.
Ryozo (1926-1996) studied initially under Kiyomizu Rokubei VI. He was first accepted into the Japan Academy of Arts exhibition in 1948, and subsequently into the Nitten National exhibition in 1951 and exhibited there often after, receiving many prizes including the Hokuto-sho, Prime Ministers Prize and Kiku-ka-sho as well as serving as a jury member. In 1956 he was awarded at the Modern Ceramic Art Exhibition, and five years later was recipient of the prestigious Japan Ceramics Society (JCS) Award (1961). Showing his prowess he was invited to exhibit at the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo in 1964, and was invited to serve as a juror for the Kyoten that same year. From then his list of exhibitions and prizes is impressive and much too long to list in this add. He has also exhibited with the Modern Japanese Ceramics Exhibition as well as being awarded at the Modern Japanese Crafts Exhibition and the Kofukai, where he was awarded the Kofukai Members Prize (participating there from 1960). From the 1970s, other international and domestic exhibitions as well as a slew of private exhibitions at Japans top galleries. Works by the artist are held in the MOMAT, In 1989 he received the Kyoto Cultural award for his life works in the ceramics field.

A beautifully shaped green vessel by Miyashita Zenju enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It stands 10 inches (25.5 cm) tall, 8-1/2 inches (22 cm) diameter and is in fine condition.
Zenju (1901-1968) studied pottery in Japan, Korea and China, and is held in the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art as well as the Kyoto National Museum. Work by the artist was exhibited pre-war at the Bunten and Nitten National Exhibitions as well as the 1939 and 1940 World Exposition. Post war he put his energy into reviving Kyoto’s Ceramic tradition and was exhibited at the National Ceramics Exhibition among many others. He was a leading figure in Kyoto art circles, and he passed the torch on to his son, Miyashita Zenji.

A bottle form vase by important 20th century artist Yagi Kazuo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The vase is 4 x 4-1/2 x 7-1/2 inches (10 x 11.5 x 19 cm) and in excellent condition.
Volumes have been written about pioneering artist Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979) and I am sure he needs no introduction. His birth on Independence Day seems to have been a portent of things to come. He was the son of the ceramicist Yagi Isso, and grew up surrounded by the characters of the Goja-zaka pottery world of Kyoto, living just down the street from Greats like Kawai Kanjiro and Kiyomizu Rokubei. He graduated the sculpture department of the Kyoto Municipal School of Art in 1937, and went on to further study under Numata Ichiga at the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility. It was in 1948, that along with Kumakura Junkichi, Hikaru Yamada and Suzuki Osamu, he founded the influential Sodeisha (Crawling Through Mud Association), a group of revolutionary post war ceramic artists whose influence remains strong today. The basis of this unit was complete disposal of function in favor of form. This group and other contemporary groups (Sekidosha etc) began the rivalry which has defined Japanese ceramic art for half a century. He taught at the Kyoto Municipal University of Art for much of his life. Works by this artist are held in innumerable public and private collections throughout the world.

A charred Tsubo blasted with ash by Takahashi Rakusai enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It reflects the style of early Shigaraki, with an engraved crosshatch belt circling the flaring mouth. The piece is 8 inches (21 cm) tall, roughly the same diameter and in excellent condition but for one tiny nick in the base.
Born in Shigaraki in 1900, Rakusai was considered one of the true masters of Shigaraki and Iga-yaki, along with Naokata and later Michio. He worked toward the revival of Kamakura and Muromachi wares like this piece, and came to the world stage when he won international acclaim after being prized at the 1958 Brussels Exposition. He was later named a Shiga-ken Juyo Mukei Bunkazai and is credited as one of the artists that saved Japanese pottery from extinction in the post-war years. He eschewed the National Competitions and was a proponent of the world of private exhibition. He died in 1976.

A Hakuji Mentori Vase by Takenaka Ko enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 5-1/2 inches (14 cm) diameter, 13 inches (33 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Ko (born 1941) apprenticed under future Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo before establishing his own kiln in 1970. He was the recipient of one of Japans most prestigious awards, the JCS award (Japanese Ceramics Society) in 1980. He was designated an Intangible Cultural Property of Kyoto in 1995 (Mukei Bunkazai or prefectural Treasure). Works by this artist are held in the Victoria Albert Museum, and the British Museum as well as both the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo and Kyoto among many others. For more on this influential artist see the catalog for the exhibition “Japanese Ceramics Today: Masterpieces from the Kukichi Collection” (Smithsonian Institute) or Winter Whites: The Porcelains of Takenaka Ko, by Suzanne Mitchell, New York, 2003. Also, Contemporary Clay, Japanese Ceramics for the New Century by Joe Earle, 2005.

Red highlights the salt glazed body of this multifaceted tsubo by Seto Hiroshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Enseki-yu Tamentori Tsubo. Like stepping stones stomach scales of a snake climb in concentric arcs about the body of the base, the white covering most with red highlighting the edges. It is 8 inches (20 cm) tall, roughly the same diameter and in excellent condition.
Seto Hiroshi (1941-1994) studied pottery under Living National Treasures Tomimoto Kenkichi and Kondo Yuzo in Kyoto before establishing himself in Mashiko, where he served to bring tradition into the modern age with his unique look at form and glaze. He was exhibited and awarded widely including the Nihon Togei-Ten National Ceramic Exhibition and is held in any number of important Domestic and International collections.

Form and Texture, a beautiful white vase by Taniguchi Ryozo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 8-1/2 inches (22 cm) tall and in fine condition, dating circa 1973.
Ryozo (1926-1996) studied initially under Kiyomizu Rokubei VI. He was first accepted into the Japan Academy of Arts exhibition in 1948, and subsequently into the Nitten National exhibition in 1951 and exhibited there often after, receiving many prizes including the Hokuto-sho, Prime Ministers Prize and Kiku-ka-sho as well as serving as a jury member. In 1956 he was awarded at the Modern Ceramic Art Exhibition, and five years later was recipient of the prestigious Japan Ceramics Society (JCS) Award (1961). Showing his prowess he was invited to exhibit at the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo in 1964, and was invited to serve as a juror for the Kyoten that same year. From then his list of exhibitions and prizes is impressive and much too long to list in this add. He has also exhibited with the Modern Japanese Ceramics Exhibition as well as being awarded at the Modern Japanese Crafts Exhibition and the Kofukai, where he was awarded the Kofukai Members Prize (participating there from 1960). From the 1970s, other international and domestic exhibitions as well as a slew of private exhibitions at Japans top galleries. Works by the artist are held in the MOMAT, In 1989 he received the Kyoto Cultural award for his life works in the ceramics field.

A sculptural Green form by Yamazaki Akira (Yamazaki Koyo II, b. 1927), one of several enigmatic works we have acquired by this artist dating from the 1970s to early 80s. With the right lighting we can see a pattern of large black spots under the glaze on the bottom half of the body reminding me of the flintstones. The vase is 17 x 7-1/2 x 10 inches (43 x 19 x 25 cm) tall and in fine condition, signed on the base Akira. There is no box.
Akira’s father Yamazaki Koyo (1890-1979) was displayed and awarded consistently in many National Exhibitions and is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art Boston and Bern Museum of Art Switzerland among others. Akira studied under Kiyomizu Rokubei VI as well as his father and was equally exhibited and awarded, including the Hokutosho prize at the Nitten where he later served as Judge, Kofukai Ten and Governors prize at the Kyoten. For more see Fired with Passion: contemporary Japanese ceramics (2006).

Rope and cloth patterns are impressed creating deeply textured shadows on this free form ceramic sculpture awarded the Kyoto Governors prize, and dated on bottom Heisei 10 (1998) by Yasuda Kayo. A pale ash glaze runs in sheets and rivulets over the lined and creased surface, with the top bursting open. This piece is 15 kilograms, 16 inches (40 cm) diameter, 18 inches (45 cm) tall and in fine condition. All the Yasuda family pieces are from the Matsui family collection of Fushimi, an extensive collection of art objects encompassing many aspects of crafts, including sculpture, Pottery and Metalwork. It would seem they had a personal connection with the Yasuda family, as they owned many pieces, including tea bowls, vases and these larger sculptural works which we happily acquired. Due to size and weight this will likely require shipping by private air freight, to be assessed separately.
Kayo was born in Kyoto in 1952 into the house of important Avant-garde artist Yasuda Zenko. A pioneering female artist in Japanese ceramics, she has worked tirelessly against a system which suppressed women in the field. She is currently a resident of Shiga prefecture and frequent exhibitor with the Nitten National Exhibition.

A kaki (persimmon) is playfully rendered in orange and green on the wide white sides of this green bordered square bottle by Avant-garde Sodeisha Potter Kumakura Junkichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 15 x 6.5 x 12 cm (6 x 2-1/2 x 5 inches) and in excellent condition.
Junkichi began working in ceramics in the 1940s, his works submitted to innumerable National and International Exhibitions including the Japan Art Festival, New York and the international Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Florence Italy. He also submitted to the Brussels World Exposition and helped design murals for the World Exposition Osaka. At the International Ceramics Exhibition, Prague in 1962 he took a silver prize. He was also often exhibited and is in the permanent collection of the Japanese National Museum of Modern Art as well as the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. Along with Suzuki Osamu, Hikaru Yamada and Yagi Kazuo, Junkichi was one of the founding members of the influential Sodeisha (Crawling Through Mud Association), a group of revolutionary post war ceramic artists whose influence remains strong today.

An austere white form, devoid entirely of decoration, by important Avante Gard Sodeisha artist Yamada Hikaru enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 13 cm diameter, 15 tall (5-1/2 x 6 inches) and in excellent condition. For more see a white sake set of vessels like this piece in the collection of the V&A.
Hikaru (1924-2001), was born into the family of layman potter and priest Yamada Tetsu, and raised in Gifu after the family home was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake. At the age of 20 he entered the Kyoto ceramics research facility, 15 years junior to those who had inspired the great Mingei movement at that same institution. Somehow escaping overseas service in the war, he met Yagi Kazuo in 1945, and the two formed an instant bond, founding a group for young potters the following year. Compounded by the austerity and poverty they faced as young artists in the immediate postwar, the group grew and along with Kumakura Junkichi, Suzuki Osamu and Yagi Kazuo formed the most influential post war ceramics organization, Sodeisha, as it was, in 1948. They eschewed public competition and espoused the ideas of art for arts sake, negating the ideas of the mingei movement, which stressed function over form. Together, members of the group worked tirelessly to promote modern Japanese pottery for the next several decades both within and outside of Japan. Held in inumerable public and private collections including the National Museum of Modern Art, both Tokyo and Kyoto, Museum of New South Wales and the Victoria Albert.

A thin roughly textured plate by avant garde Yagi Kazuo titled cryptically Nanbanzara (The Southern Barbarians Plate) and enclosed in a fine Shiho Kiri-wood box endorsed by his son Yagi Akira. It is 10 inches (26 cm) diameter and in fine condition.
Volumes have been written about pioneering artist Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979) and I am sure he needs no introduction. His birth on Independence Day seems to have been a portent of things to come. He was the son of the ceramicist Yagi Isso, and grew up surrounded by the characters of the Goja-zaka pottery world of Kyoto, living just down the street from Greats like Kawai Kanjiro and Kiyomizu Rokubei. He graduated the sculpture department of the Kyoto Municipal School of Art in 1937, and went on to further study under Numata Ichiga at the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility. It was in 1948, that along with Kumakura Junkichi, Hikaru Yamada and Suzuki Osamu, he founded the influential Sodeisha (Crawling Through Mud Association), a group of revolutionary post war ceramic artists whose influence remains strong today. The basis of this unit was complete disposal of function in favor of form. This group and other contemporary groups (Sekidosha etc) began the rivalry between function and form which has defined Japanese ceramic art for half a century. He taught at the Kyoto Municipal University of Art for much of his life. Works by this artist are held in innumerable public and private collections throughout the world.

Highlighting our trip back to the years of change in the sixties and seventies is this masterpiece by Miyashita Zenji exhibited in 1972. The box is titled Ban, Shizukana Kukan no Tame ni (Basin, For a Quiet Space) and signed Zenji-saku, dated inside Showa 47 (1972) with a notation stating this piece was displayed at the 2nd Gendai Nihon Shinjin Sakka Ten (2nd Modern Japanese New Artists Exhibition). The piece is 43 x 51 x 21 cm (17 x 20 x 8 inches) and weighs 16 kgs (35 pounds) plus the box. There is a small chip in the edge of one upper corner of the basin (see photographs); otherwise it is in fine condition. One piece of wood on the bottom of the box has been replaced. This is very heavy, and the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Zenji (1939-2012) was born into the family of potter Miyashita Zenju, and graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art. Starting with the most difficult, he worked from Celadon, which relies on shape and extreme control of firing. He is held in the British Museum, Metropolitan New York, Brooklyn Museum among a host of others.

Running up to the end of our 60s and 70s ceramics, here is a great piece by a student of Yagi Kazuo, Yoshitake Hiromu (Hiroshi) enclosed in the original signed wooden box and dating from the late 60s or early 70s encapsulating the feeling of rage against conformity then rupturing the Japanese ceramic world. It is 6 x 14 x 16 inches (15 x 35 x 40 cm) and is in fine condition. Due to size and weight the cost of shipping will be accrued separately for this piece.
Born in Kyoto in 1938, Hiromu was a member of Sodeisha and studied under Yagi Kazuo concentrating on sculpture. Initially in Kyoto, then Otsu, he is now established in Nagano prefecture. For more on this artist see the book Gendai Nihon Togei (Kinki volume II).

Pure quiet and calm is embodied in this white Hagi crystal by important female artist Miwa Hanako enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 10-1/2 inches (27 cm) tall 5-1/2 inches (14 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Miwa Hanako was born the grand daughter of Living National Treasure Miwa Kyusetsu XI, daughter of Kyusetsu XII who has sought to incorporate sculpture into the realm of traditional Hagi ware. She was raised surrounded in the world of Hagi-ware. She graduated the Tama Art University in 1995, and has since had an impressive selection of shows throughout Japan and abroad. For more see Touch Fire; contemporary Japanese Ceramics by Women Artists (2009, Linda Muehlig).

A faceted bottle-form vase with ukibori designs by Kawai Takeichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 11 inches (27 cm)tall, 4 inches (10 cm) square and in excellent condition.
Kawai Takeichi (1908-1989) studied the art of pottery under his legendary uncle Kawai Kanjiro in Kyoto from the age of 19. He stayed with Kanjiro for many years, one of his most loyal supporters, and the two were very close. He founded his own kiln in 1953, and participated in many private and public exhibitions. Work by him can be found in The National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery if New South Wales as well as the National gallery of Australia, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, New Zealand National Museum among many others including of course the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.

A large Plate by Living National Treasure Hamada Shoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Mori-sara. Splashes of black supplant the rich red Mashiko glaze. It is 12 inches (31.5 cm) diameter and in fine condition.
Hamada Shoji was born in Tokyo, and enrolled in the Tokyo Technical University at the age of 19. In 1918 he met the important British potter Bernard Leach, and the history of ceramic arts was forever changed. One of the most influential and sought after of all Japanese Ceramic artists. There is no shortage of reading material for those who would like to learn more about this potter.

A spectacular Iga Tsubo by Shimizu Hiroshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Bidoro, Tombo-no-me, tobi-hai, shiseki…the surface is an exploration of kiln affects, every slight turn bringing new surprises. It is 15 inches (38.5 cm) diameter, 17 inches (43 cm) tall and in excellent condition. Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Shimizu Hiroshi was born the grandson of the first generation potter Shimizu Rakuzan in Mie prefecture in1941. He began working under his grandfather in 1959, going on a study tour from 1961; spending time in Takatori, Tamba and Hagi. He opened his own kiln in Mie in 1970, but the following year decided to move to Korea to study the origins of Japanese Tea Ceramics and Korean firing technique. He opened his own kiln in Korea in 1974 and developed a style combining Japanese tradition and Korean techniques, continuing this development throughout his career, and differentiates the origin of his works with the kiln name in Korea or the kiln name in Japan on the box lid. This is from his original kiln in Mie.

A large primitive robotic form by Morino Taimei in his iconic blue and gold dating from his experimental days in the early 1970 enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Soji Shiho Kabin. It is 12 inches (30 cm) tall, 6 inches (15 cm) square and in excellent condition.
Taimei was born in Kyoto in 1934, and was first accepted into the Nitten National Exhibition at a relatively young age in 1957 (a year before graduating the Kyoto Municipal University of Fine Art!). In 1960 he received the prestigious Hokutosho prize at the same National Exhibition. In the early 60s he worked as a guest professor at the University of Chicago. Upon his return to Japan his career began to lift off with a second Hokutosho Prize at the Nitten, followed by The governors prize and others at the Gendai Kogei Ten (Modern National Crafts Exhibition). He was subsequently selected for display at the Kyoto and Tokyo National Museums in 1972 and was accepted into the first Nihon Togei Ten that same year. Since his list of exhibitions and prizes has continued to grow, with subsequent selections in the Tokyo and Kyoto museums of Art, as well as exhibitions in Paris, Italy, America, Canada, Denmark and others. In 2007 he received the Japan Art Academy Prize, an award to a work of art similar in weight to the bestowing of Living National Treasure to an artist. This puts the artist in a small club, rare and important. For more information on the artist see Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, Fired with Passion by (Lurie/Chan, 2006) or the recent exhibition of works titled Generosity in Clay from the Natalie Fitzgerald Collection.

One of three vessels by avant garde potter Kumakura Junkichi enclosed respectively in their original signed wooden boxes. First an industrial shaped box in green measuring 7 x 5-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches. Second a bowl in namako glaze, 9 inches (23 cm) diameter. Last a Tsubo in green measuring 6-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 8-1/4 inches (16 x 11 x 21 cm). All are in excellent condition.
Junkichi (1920-1985) began working in ceramics in the 1940s, his works submitted to innumerable National and International Exhibitions including the Japan Art Festival, New York and the international Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Florence Italy. He also submitted to the Brussels World Exposition and helped design murals for the World Exposition Osaka. At the International Ceramics Exhibition, Prague in 1962 he took a silver prize. He was also often exhibited and is in the permanent collection of the Japanese National Museum of Modern Art as well as the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. Along with Suzuki Osamu, Hikaru Yamada and Yagi Kazuo, Junkichi was one of the founding members of the influential Sodeisha (Crawling Through Mud Association), a group of revolutionary post war ceramic artists whose influence remains strong today.

A quintessential Mashiko work by important artist Hamada Shoji enclosed in a wooden box annotated by his son Shinsaku. It is 11-1/2 inches (29 cm) square. 7 cm (2-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Hamada Shoji was born in Tokyo, and enrolled in the Tokyo Technical University at the age of 19. In 1918 he met the important British potter Bernard Leach, and the history of ceramic arts was forever changed. One of the most influential and sought after of all Japanese Ceramic artists. There is no shortage of reading material for those who would like to learn more about this potter.

Every shade between mustard and aubergine fades into the deepest blue on the sides of this ovoid form decorated with enigmatic relief-work by Shinkai Kanzan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Nishiki-ka Kabin. It is 14-1/2 inches (37 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Shinkai Kanzan was born the grandson of Seifu Yohei III in 1912 and was raised from a baby in the confines of the Gojo-zaka ceramic district of Kyoto, inducted daily into the realm of pottery by his father and grandfather. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, and moved on to study painting (after his father’s urging) before returning to ceramics under Kiyomizu Rokubei V and Vi. He was first accepted into the Teiten (later Nitten) National Exhibition in 1930, and was displayed there consistently thereafter as well as others, being prized at the 1939 San Francisco Exposition. Just as he was beginning to take off as an artist, he was drafted and sent to China, where after he spent three years in a Russian Gulag in Siberia. Upon his return to Japan, he branched out on his own; with a unique vision grounded in the roots of the training and instruction he had received before the war, but with a new style and concept to differentiate himself from his peers. In 1951 he was recognized with the Gold Award at the Japanese Art Expo. Following many prizes, in 1974 he was granted the Governors prize at the Nitten, and in 1980 the Nihon Geijutsu-in Sho (Japanese Art Academy prize). In 1989 he was awarded the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Order of Merit for his life-long endeavors. Works by him are held in the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art among others.

Bursting with life, this vessel by avant-garde Shinkai Kanzan was exhibited at the Nitten National Art Exhibition in 1982. Titled Kitsune to Minori no Monogatari, Kabin (Vase, The Tale of Fox and Fruition), the sly creature slinks through fruit laden vines in a path of dark through the light gray glaze covering the simple open form. It comes enclosed in the original signed wooden. It is quite large, measuring 30 cm (12 inches) diameter, roughly the same height and is in excellent condition.
Shinkai Kanzan was born the grandson of Seifu Yohei III in 1912 and was raised from a baby in the confines of the Gojo-zaka ceramic district of Kyoto, inducted daily into the realm of pottery by his father and grandfather. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, and moved on to study painting (after his fathers urging) before returning to ceramics under Kiyomizu Rokubei V and Vi. He was first accepted into the Teiten (later Nitten) National Exhibition in 1930, and was displayed there consistently thereafter as well as others, being prized at the 1939 San Francisco Exposition. Just as he was beginning to take off as an artist, he was drafted and sent to China, where after he spent three years in a Russian Gulag in Siberia. Upon his return to Japan, he branched out on his own; with a unique vision grounded in the roots of the training and instruction he had received before the war, but with a new style and concept to differentiate himself from his peers. In 1951 he was recognized with the Gold Award at the Japanese Art Expo. Following many prizes, in 1974 he was granted the Governors prize at the Nitten, and in 1980 the Nihon Geijutsu-in Sho (Japanese Art Academy prize). In 1989 he was awarded the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Order of Merit for his life-long endeavors. Works by him are held in the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art among others.

A rare work by Sodeisha founding member Yamada Hikaru of a torn vessel engraved with enigmatic characters. It is 18 cm (7 inches) diameter, 26 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Yamada Hikaru (1924-2001), was born into the family of layman potter and priest Yamada Tetsu, and raised in Gifu after the family home was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake. At the age of 20 he entered the Kyoto ceramics research facility, 15 years junior to those who had inspired the great Mingei movement at that same institution. Somehow escaping overseas service in the war, he met Yagi Kazuo in 1945, and the two formed an instant bond, founding a group for young potters the following year. Compounded by the austerity and poverty they faced as young artists in the immediate postwar, the group grew and along with Kumakura Junkichi, Suzuki Osamu and Yagi Kazuo formed the most influential post war ceramics organization, Sodeisha, as it was, in 1948. They eschewed public competition and espoused the ideas of art for arts sake, negating the ideas of the mingei movement, which stressed function over form. Together, members of the group worked tirelessly to promote modern Japanese pottery for the next several decades both within and outside of Japan. Held in innumerable public and private collections including the National Museum of Modern Art, both Tokyo and Kyoto, Museum of New South Wales and the Victoria Albert.

A menagerie of 12 comic creatures grin back at us as we pour another cup of sake from this Tokkuri decorated by world renowned woodblock artist and painter Clifton Karhu enclosed in the original wooden box also decorated on all facets with the same humorous creatures as well as a self portrait on the lid captioned EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY. It is 17.5 cm (7 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Clifton Karhu (1927-2007) had his first introduction to Japanese living stationed in Sasebo during the occupation from 1946 to 1948, and returned not long after graduating the Minneapolis Art University to spend many years as a missionary before he took up art as his modicum. Although he had participated in painting exhibitions, it was after his move to Kyoto in 1963 that he began working with woodblocks, for which he is most remembered. There he would remain, for nearly half a century, creating some of the most quintessential and recognizable prints of the 20th century.

A signature work decorated with finger twirls of poured glaze over the pale-colored sides of this bottle form by Hamada Shoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Monda Kakubin dating from the 1960s. It is 4 inches (10 cm) square, 9-1/2 inches (24 cm) tall and in excellent condition. What appear in the photographs to be at first glance three chips in the edge are in fact crawling in the glaze, see the last close-up for details.
Hamada Shoji (1894-1978) was born in Tokyo, and enrolled in the Tokyo Technical University at the age of 19. In 1918 he met the important British potter Bernard Leach, and the history of ceramic arts was forever changed. One of the most influential and sought after of all Japanese Ceramic artists. There is no shortage of reading material for those who would like to learn more about this potter.

A rare sake set by Kamoda Shoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Haiyu Tokkuri-Hai Hitokumi (Ash Glazed Flask and Cups, 1 set). The Tokkuri is 13.5 cm (5 inches) tall, the cups are 6 cm (2-1/4 inches) diameter and all are in excellent condition dating circa 1965.
Kamoda Shoji is without a doubt one of the most important and influential ceramic artists of the 20th century. Born in Osaka in 1933, he studied initially at the Kyoto Municipal University of Art under to be Living National Treasure Tomimoto Kenkichi, graduating in 1955. While in school he was awarded at the Shinshokai Exhibition (where he would be often exhibited) and his graduating project was purchased by the University Museum. While working a stint at a commercial kiln, he was accepted into the Contemporary Japanese Ceramics Exhibition. In 1958 he took up residence at the Tsukamoto Ceramics Research Kiln in Mashiko, establishing his own kiln there in 1961. That same year he was accepted into the National Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogeiten) where he would exhibit until 1967. In 1964 he boldly stepped onto the stage with pieces in the Modern Japanese Ceramics Exhibition held at the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto; International Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition held at Tokyo National Museum, and the New Generation of Ceramics Exhibition held at the Goto Museum. He would receive the JCS (Japan Ceramics Society) Award that year, one of the most important prizes for a Japanese potter. In 1966 his work was presented in New York at the First Japan Art Festival, granting him international acclaim to add to his growing domestic reputation and he would receive the JCS Gold Prize that year, cementing his reputation. Thereafter his work was much celebrated in the world of invitational exhibitions and he would receive many awards. In 1969 he moved his kiln, and would again relocate a decade later. He died suddenly at the age of 49 in 1983. His work would be the subject of a multitude of posthumous exhibitions, starting with the Tochigi Prefectural Museum on the third anniversary of his death, and the following year at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art. His work is held in the National Museums of Modern Art, both in Tokyo and Kyoto, Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art, Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Art, Iwate Museum of Art, Victoria & Albert Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Beijing Palace Museum among many others. For more see: Japanese Ceramics Today: Masterworks from the Kikuchi Collection (1983), Japanese Studio Crafts by Rupert Faulkner (1995) or Into the Fold: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection (2015).

A recumbent form of grungy urban themes by Kato Kiyoyuki enclosed in the original signed wooden box dating from the 1960s. It is 42 x 7 x 13.5 cm (16-1/2 x 3 x 5 inches) and is in excellent condition. The box has oxidized with age.
Kato Kiyoyuki was born in 1931, the heir to a long-established tile-making business in Seto. He studied ceramics at high school however his main interest lay in painting and sculpture, and it was only when he was in his late twenties that he began to work in pottery. He made his first submission to the Nitten exhibition in 1958, and began producing well-designed utilitarian ceramics in keeping with the principles of the then newly established Japan Craft Design Association, but soon turned his hand to sculptural ceramics. Kato's development as a ceramic sculptor owed much to his friendship with Teshigahara Sofu (1900-79), the former head of the Sogetsu school of flower-arranging. Terashige's experimental interests encouraged Kato to explore his sculptural ambitions in vessel as well as non-vessel formats. According to Kiyoyuki, “When a shape that is completely free of unnaturalness emerges, the clay and I become one”. He won the Grand Prize at the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition in both 1964 and 1965. He is the recipient of the most prestigious Japan Ceramic Society Gold Prize. He has exhibited with the aforementioned Nitten National Fine Arts Exhibition and Asahi Ceramics Exhibition, Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten International Ceramics Exhibition as well as Faenze International Ceramics Exhibition, Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition, Nihon Gendai Kogeiten National Modern Crafts Exhibition and Seto Togeiten among many many others, and his list of private exhibitions could not be covered on this page. Work by him is held in the V&A (London), Tokyo and Kyoto National Museums of Modern Art, Canterbury Museum (New Zealand) and the Sogetsu Museum in Aichi among others. For more see Toh Volume 8, which was dedicated entirely to him.

A large open vessel decorated with squirrels in kaki-otoshi style by Shinkai Kanzan enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 36 cm tall, 27 cm diameter and in excellent condition. Due to size this will require special shipping consideration.
Shinkai Kanzan was born the grandson of Seifu Yohei III in 1912 and was raised from a baby in the confines of the Gojo-zaka ceramic district of Kyoto, inducted daily into the realm of pottery by his father and grandfather. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, and moved on to study painting (after his fathers urging) before returning to ceramics under Kiyomizu Rokubei V and VI. He was first accepted into the Teiten (later Nitten) National Exhibition in 1930, and was displayed there consistently thereafter as well as others, being prized at the 1939 San Francisco Exposition. Just as he was beginning to take off as an artist, he was drafted and sent to China, where he would be captured after the Japanese surrender and spent three years in a Russian Gulag in Siberia. Upon his return to Japan, he branched out on his own; with a unique vision grounded in the roots of the training and instruction he had received before the war, but with a new style and concept to differentiate himself from his peers. In 1951 he was recognized with the Gold Award at the Japanese Art Expo. Following many prizes, in 1974 he was granted the Governors prize at the Nitten, and in 1980 the Nihon Geijutsu-in Sho (Japanese Art Academy prize). In 1989 he was awarded the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Order of Merit for his life-long endeavors. Works by him are held in the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art among others.

Simple arcs of bent-grass in iron decorate this large bowl by living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tetsu-e Chawan. It is 14.8 cm (6 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3 inches) tall and in excellent condition. It comes with a clipping from a newspaper announcing the naming of Uichi as Living National Treasure in 1985.
Shimizu Uichi (1926-2004) was born in Kyoto the son of a ceramic dealer. Discarding the family business he apprenticed in plastic arts under Ishiguro Munemaro. His work retains some principal elements of his teachers style while incorporating an understated elegance and avant-garde spirit of challenge uncommon for his time. He was first exhibited at the Nitten in 1951, receiving numerous awards there since. He also took the gold medal at the Prague International Exhibition, and was at the Brussels World Exposition. He is in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto Museum of Modern art, Clark Center and the Freer Gallery among others.

Red drips slide down the dark Tenmoku glaze on this small Tsutsu-chawan tea bowl by Living National Treasure Ishiguro Munemaro enclosed in a wooden box signed by his student and future Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi titled Ishiguro Munemaro Saku Tenmoku-yu Samon Chawan. It is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter, 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Ishiguro Munemaro (1893-1968) was born into a wealthy family in Toyama, and spent his childhood surrounded by precious Chinese ceramics in the collection of his father. Like many well born gentlemen of his time, he served in the Military, stationed in Korea until 1916. Upon returning to Japan, he took to the study of Chinese language and ceramics as a connoisseur. Shortly after he began potting, moving to Kyoto, establishing a studio in the mountain village of Yase Northeast of the city. His association with Koyama Fujio brought him into influential circles. He dedicated himself to the re-discovery and perfection of ancient glaze techniques, developing hundreds of glazes over his lifetime. He was designated one of the first Living National Treasures in 1955. Works by him reside in the permanent collections of the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum; Musée National de Ceramique, Sèvres, France; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; National Museums of Modern Art, Kyoto and Tokyo.

An iconic work in pale white by Living National Treasure Tsukamoto Kaiji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hakuji Karakusa Hachi (white porcelain bowl with Chinese Grass Design). The execution is breathtaking, so perfectly formed it demonstrates clearly the talent for which he was named a Living National Treasure. It is 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.
Tsukamoto Kaiji (1912-1990) was fascinated with Song period Hakuji and Seihakuji porcelains and spent his life reviving that tradition. He received a Gold Medal at the 21st Century Exposition in California in 1964. In 1965 he was awarded at the 12th Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, and was awarded again in 1967, the same year his work was exhibited at the worlds Expo in Montreal. He exhibited with the Nihon Togei Ten national Ceramics Exhibition from its inception in 1971. The following year he was once again awarded at the 19th Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition. He received the prestigious Japan Ceramic Society (JCS) award in 1979, and Japan-China Culture Award in 1980. In 1983 he was designated an Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for Seiji and Seihakuji porcelain. Held in The National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, The National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, The Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka, Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum and Menard Art Museum among others. For more see “Japanese Studio Crafts” (1995) by R. Faulkner.

A signature work by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Golden light shines through the silhouette of iron colored trees on the tapering cylinder. It was a design technique developed by this generation. The original rosewood stand is included. The vase is 31 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
The Kiyomizu family potters managed one of the most productive workshops in Kyoto’s Gojozaka district throughout the second half of the Edo period. From the Meiji they began producing tableware for export and special pieces for government-sponsored exhibitions under Rokubei IV. Rokubei V led the kiln into the 20th century, and his son, Rokubei VI (1901-1980), would assume lead in 1945, taking the kiln through the tumultuous years after the Second World War. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, then the Kyoto Special School of Painting, before apprenticing under his father in 1925. He exhibited frequently and was often prized at the National Bunten, Teiten and Nitten Exhibits, where he later served as judge. He was also lauded abroad, in the USSR, France, Italy, Belgium and was appointed a member of the Japan Art Academy. In 1976 he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit for his lifelong devotion to promoting Japanese pottery traditions. His works are held in numerous museums throughout the globe.