Catalog: Artists (750)

The fire is still alive on this striking Shigaraki Tsubo by Furutani Taketoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Yohen Tsubo. Yohen, literally translated Kiln-altered, is a word for the unexpected results, or fortuitous accidents of firing. In this case, they are likely speaking of the unusual coloration of the running ash wrapping around the blackened surface. Kiln effects are what this family is known for, and this does not disappoint. It is 27.5 x 27.5 x 33.5 cm (11 inches diameter, 13 inches tall) and in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Furutani Taketoshi was born the son of master craftsman Furutani Hirofumi in 1974, graduating the Shigaraki Industrial High School Ceramics department in 1992 before entering the Shiga prefectural Ceramics Research Facility where he learned first Small Rokuro wheel technique, graduating the following year. In 1993 he would find himself under the tutelage of Suzuki Iwau before re-entering for a second course at the Research Facility, graduating in 1995. From then he returned to the family kiln where he learned in the time-honored tradition from both his grandfather Churoku I and father Hirofumi (Churokuk II). In 2013 he was named a Dento Kogeishi Traditional Craftsman. Since he has exhibited consistently at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. Subverting the self, he makes simple, organic pots which have a timeless quality. As well he dares new forms and challenges the clay with innovative techniques, coercing from the pliable earth challenging incarnations very much rooted in the now, yet still paying homage to the traditions passed down through the ages.

Sunrise colors grow gradually lighter toward the top of this odd shaped vessel culminating in brilliant pink by Miyashita Zenji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Saidei Kaki. It is 31 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Miyashita Zenji (1939-2012) was born into the family of potter Miyashita Zenju, and graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art under Kiyomizu Kyubei and Kusube Yaichi. Starting with the most difficult, he worked from Celadon, which relies on shape and extreme control of firing. He began exhibiting in the annual Nitten exhibitions in 1964, eventually winning eighteen prizes. According to the Sackler, which holds 6 works by him, “ His mature work was a modern embodiment of a classic Kyoto mode associated with the Heian period (794–1185). He applied delicate layers of color—reminiscent of multilayered court robes or decorated papers made for inscribing poetry—using not over-glaze enamels or glazes but clay itself, dyed with mineral pigments”. He is held in the aforementioned Freer-Sackler, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, and the Brooklyn Museum the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and of course The National Museums of Modern Art both in Kyoto and Tokyo among a host of others.

A striking design of swirling dots decorates this wide low chawan by female porcelain legend Ono Hakuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yuri Haku-kin Sai Hira Chawan (White Gold Decorated Wide Tea Bowl). Blue and Green Dots swirl in a vortex from the center of the bowl. It is 16.2 cm (6-3/8 inches) diameter, 4.7 cm (2-7/8 inches) tall and in excellent condition retaining the original shiori.
From Aichi prefecture, Hakuko was trained by her father initially in the ceramic arts. However she was most strongly influenced by the great experimentive artist Kato Hajime (1901-1968) and his work with gold. This affected her own style deeply, and it can be said that she carried on his research. She was awarded the JCS award in 1980, one of Japans most prestigious ceramics awards. In 1992 she was named an important cultural asset (Juyo mukei bunkazai) of Saga prefecture. Bucking the traditional image here is another of Japans great cultural assets who fought against a system of prejudice to rise to the top and it is an honor to be able to offer something by her. For more on this important modern artist see Touch Fire, contemporary Japanese Ceramics by Women Artists (2009)

An eye catching sculpture by Yaaguchi Mio titled Meta in soft brown terracotta clay spattered lightly with Namako glaze. It is 23 x 25 x 39.5 cm (9 x 10 x just less than 16 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist. It comes with a signed wooden placard.
Yamaguchi Mio was born in Aichi prefecture in 1992, and graduated advanced studies at the Aichi University of Education in 2017. While still at university, her works were selected for show at the JoryuTogei Ten Female Ceramic Artist Association Exhibition (2014). In 2016 she was awarded at the 3rd Kogei in Kanazawa Competition, Grand Prize at the Ceramic Art in the Present Tense Exhibition at the Hagi Uragami Museum as well received the governors prize at the 5oth Female Ceramic Artist Association Exhibition. In 2017 she was selected for the 11th International Ceramics Competition in Mino. She took a job as a teacher, but could not fight the need to create, so enrolled in the Tajimi City Ceramics research facility, graduating in2020. Her work is currently on view in the Chicago Institute of Arts, and was featured on the cover of the catalog for that exhibition, Radical Clay.
According to Mio: I feel that my fascination towards the natural world’s use of repetition, in bee hives and on the surface of corals, appears in my work as I consume and absorb the world around me. I like to believe that these works are natural forms made by my own hands. When I mold clay, I have a sensation that my body and consciousness blends and binds with the material and the natural world. The process of building upon each coil and applying each fold one by one with my hands is a form of meditation. Through this repetitive process I want to be able to convey my thoughts at the time in the texture, such as my struggle of swaying between the desires to live freely and falling under the pressure from societal expectations. It calms me down to observe the fingerprints left in the surface and see the traces of my existence in the clay. These works are products of what I have absorbed around me.

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.

Mottled clay in lively matt colors blends on this square bottle by Living National Treasure Matsui Kosei enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Fuhakuji Henko. It is 12 x 15 x 13 cm (4-3/4 x 6 x 5-1/4 inches) and in excellent condition.

A rare Mizusashi in rust colored glaze by Living National Treasure Hamada Shoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaki-yu Ori-e Mizusashi. It is roughly 15 cm diameter, the same height and in excellent condition.
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. He was a significant influence on studio pottery of the twentieth century, and a driving force of the mingei folk-art movement. In 1955 he was designated a "Living National Treasure". There is no shortage of reading material for those who would like to learn more about this potter.

A radical split vessel covered in tarnished silver with glints of gold and cascading green by Ichikawa Toru enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Kaki (Flower Receptacle). It is 31.5 cm (12-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Ichikawa Toru was born in Tokyo in 1973. In 2015 he established his current studio in Bizen after 4 years of apprenticeship under another Bizen Outsider, Kakurezaki Ryuichi. He has since developed quite a following, with his shows selling out often within hours.

My favorite piece by this unique artist, a tall slab form vase wearing a sash of random words scrawled like some ancient graffiti riddle by Shigemori Yoko enclosed in a wooden box titled April Fool. This dates from early in her career, late 70s to early 80s.
WRITE ME SEPTEMBER MOON HOLIDAY SOMEDAY APRIL FOOL ON THE HILL TAKE IT EASY SEVEN SNOWBIRD…
As if dashed out in a trance, there is something magical about it, a view into the soul of a young girl fresh out of school and looking at the wonder of a life ahead. The vase is 41.5 cm (over 16 inches) tall and comes directly from the artist’s family with a wooden box annotated by her brother Naoki.
Shigemori Yoko (1953-2021) was born in Kagoshima. Yoko came to Kyoto where she initially studied painting at the Kyoto Tankidai Art College, then moved to ceramics at the Kyoto Municipal Art University where she studied traditional pottery techniques under Kondo Yutaka before entering advanced courses under avant-garde Yagi Kazuo, graduating in 1979. Her first solo exhibitions were held while still a student at Gallery Iteza in Kyoto. She eschewed the world of competitive exhibitions in favor of the intimacy of private galleries, and her list of solo exhibitions is expansive. She received the Yagi Kazuo prize in 1986 and 1988 at the Nihon Gendai Togeiten National Modern Ceramics Exhibition. She was one of five artists featured in Toh, volume 76, the first issue dedicated to Kyoto potters. Toh was, at the time

Clouds cling to the slopes of this large ceramic container in the shape of Mt. Fuji by Matsuda Yuriko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Fujisan. It is 41.5 x 15.5 x 41.5 cm (16-1/4 x 6 x 16-1/4 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Matsuda Yuriko was born in Ashiya, Hyōgō Prefecture in 1943nd lives and works in Oshino, Yamanashi Prefecture. Yuriko is an avid exhibitor; it is a wonder she has time to do any work at all. Both within Japan (Nihon Togei Ten, Gendai Togei Ten etc.) and without she has an impressive list of exhibitions in a host of countries. She received the Yagi Kazuo prize in 1986 among many others. According to the book “Touch Fire”, Many of the women artists included in this exhibition are independent innovators who work outside the constraints of Japanese ceramic traditions. However, several of the artists, including Matsuda Yuriko, continue to use traditional techniques with skills that rival, if not exceed, those of their predecessors, and in doing so they create new and challenging contemporary ceramic art. They reinterpret the traditional decorative technique for porcelain vessels, called iro-e over-glaze enameling, and transposes its motifs onto nonfunctional objects. Her beautifully enameled iro-e porcelain sculptures are witty odes to two favorite subjects: the female body and Mount Fuji. For more information on this artist and examples of her work see the books Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, Fired with Passion by Beatrice Chang and Samuel Lurie. Also see Contemporary Clay, Japanese Ceramics for the New Century based on the Museum of Fine Arts Boston exhibition or Soaring Voices, Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists (2010). Her work is also currently on tour with the Radical Clay Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Not to save the best for last, but this piece by Nagae Shigekazu is simply breathtaking. The pattern of light and dark squares which drives direct lines across the distended quadrilateral form hails images of the Ichimatsu-moyo pattern at the Katsura Rikyu imperial palace. The lyrical curves of the vessel itself are in sharp contrast to the extreme precision of the patterns, creating a unique dialog between viewer and viewed. It comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Chokutai (Straightforward). The vessel is quite large at 47 cm (18-1/2 inches) tall, 31.5 x 23 cm (12-1/2 x 9 inches) and in excellent condition.
Nagae Shigekazu (b. 1953) graduated the Seto Industrial School of Ceramics in 1974 Beginning to grab attention in the late 70s, he has striven to perfect porcelain casting techniques, creating one-off shapes and forms previously impossible. He is held in the collection of the V&A (London), LACMA (Los Angeles) and the National Gallery of Australia, Cincinnati and Cleveland Art Museums, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Japan Foundation and many many others. With very low output, this is a rare opportunity to join the worlds top museum collections by acquiring this artist. According to Ceramics Now Magazine: Nagae Shigekazu (born in 1953), is one of the leading pioneers of porcelain casting and firing techniques in Japan. Casting is commonly associated with the mass production of porcelain, yet Nagae valiantly transcends this stereotype, ultimately elevating this technique to the avant-garde. Casting alone cannot achieve the natural movements found within Nagae’s forms. His popularity and recognition as an artist have skyrocketed, with acquisitions by the V&A in London, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Australia in just the past 3 years. Also collected by leading institutions such as the Musée National de Ceramique-Sèvres in Paris and the Musée Ariana in Geneva, among others, as well as receiving prestigious awards such as the Grand Prixs at the 1998 Triennale de la Porcelain in Nyon, the Mino Ceramic Festival and the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (both 1997), Nagae’s stature and respect in the world of porcelain has reached new heights.

A very large celadon platter by Yoshikawa Masamichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is made to either sit or hang suspended from wire on the back. The platter is 75 x 20 x 5 cm (29-1/2 x 8 x 2 inches) and is in excellent condition. Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Yoshikawa Masamichi was born in Kanagawa in 1946, and graduated the Japanese Design Academy in 1968. He first garnered attention in Japan being awarded at the 1971 Asahi Togeiten Ceramics Exhibition, and the following year received honorable mention at the 3rd International Biennale of Ceramic Art Vallorious France(Gold prize there in 2002). He has since received numerous prizes including Grand Prize at the Asahi Togeiten 1981, 1983 as well as the Aichi Prefectural Art and Cultur Award in 2005. Work is held in the Korea World Ceramic Center (Soul), American Craft Museum New York, Keramik Museum Germany, Brooklyn Musuem, Tokoname City Museum, V&A London among many others.

A broken open Tsubo By Kim Hono enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Chikyu no Tameiki (The Earth Sighs). It is for the most part, raw earthen colors, with a thick pool of tinted aquamarine glass inside. It is 40 x 34 x 41.5 (16 x 13-1/2 x 16-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition. Upon the box is drawn an image of the Tsubo with a single dried lotus seed pod rising from within.
Kim Hono was born in Seto City Aichi Prefecture in 1958, and graduated the Prefectural Ceramics School in 1977, then taking up apprenticeship at a local kiln before establishing himself as an independent artist in 1982. He held his first solo exhibition in Nagoya in 1985. He has been exhibited at the Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Asahi Togeiten Exhibition, Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten, and his works being shown in some of Japans top galleries including Kuroda Toen in Tokyo’s Ginza ward. Not to be defined, even by himself, famously when asked by Hohnoho Magazine to define his work he cryptically replied only: Kaze wo Kanjiru Koto (Feeling the wind).

A breathtaking sphere in oxidized blues like our gleaming blue planet with an artist performed kintsugi gold repair wrapping all the way around. It is 26 cm (10-1/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Hashimoto Tomonari was born the son of a sculptor and has felt comfortable with the processes of creation since childhood. He graduated with a masters from the Kanazawa University of Art in March 2017, then relocated to Shigaraki. A visit to his humble home studio is eye opening. Although he comes across as shy in conversation, when you move on to the subject of art, he is all confidence. He was named a finalist for the Loewe Craft Prize in 2019 and is making international waves around the world. Work by him is held in the V&A in London, LACMA and a large sculpture has recently been installed in his home prefecture of Wakayama.

A masterpiece by Shigaraki Icon Koyama Kiyoko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Mentori Hanaire. She was well known for both her Mentori works, and the exuberant amount of ash accumulated from the 10 plus day firings of her kiln. This is a prime example of both those features. It is 24.5 cm (just udner 10 inches) diameter, roughly the same height, and in excellent condition.
Koyama Kiyoko was born in Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1936. Following the second world war the family moved to Shiga prefecture, eventually settling in the pottery village of Shigaraki. She took a job as a ceramic painter's assistant at a young age. In 1954 she began to work as a pottery decorator in Shigaraki under Nakashima Takamitsu. Later she moved to Kyoto to study Kenzan ware and Sometsuke under Yoshitake Eijiro. Aged 27 she began working in earnest in clay and studying clay technique under Misawa Kenzo. Enthralled by an ancient pot shard with natural blue ash glaze, she sought to recreate this effect in modern times, building her own kiln and repeatedly firing, searching for that magic point, but slowly pushing the family toward insolvency. Not only was she attempting to break barriers with the pots she created, but she was forced to break barriers in a male dominated world where women were prohibited from the wood fired kiln as unworthy. She did have her supporters of course, and with their help and persistence and ever longer firings she eventually succeeded in finding that blue. Kiyoko has a list of shows and prizes which would fill pages, including the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Nihon Togei Ten Ceramic Exhibition, the Asahi Togei Ten Ceramics Exhibition as well as many international exhibitions. Her son Koyama Kenichi (1961-1992) worked to take over the family kiln, but succumbed to Leukemia after a long fight. Their story is the subject of the film Hi-Bi (2005) and the recent NHK television drama Scarlet. She is the preeminent pioneering female wood firing artist in Japan, and bore the brunt of centuries of discrimination against women. Through it all she persevered to become one of the most highly sought of Shigaraki potters. For more on her works see Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections, Japan Society New York, 1993

An exquisite plate by legendary Okabe Mineo enclosed in a wooden box titled Benishino Hirabachi, annotated inside: Work of Mineo Sensei signed and sealed by Kuroda Totoan. There is something very intimate about this artist and his work, the glaze is thin, reealing the body of the work and you can feel the potters hands in the clay. It is 32.5 cm (13 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Okabe Mineo (1919-1990) was born the first son of important artist Kato Tokuro, however the relationship with his father was volatile. When he was 9 Tokuro moved the young family to Seto, where Mineo would graduate the Aichi Prefectural Ceramics School in 1937. After a year at the family kiln, he moved to Tokyo, then joined the army in 1940. He fought against the Americans and would spend several years as a prisoner of war in the Philippines, repatriated to Japan in 1947. He returned to Aichi prefecture, leaving enough distance between himself and his estranged family, and with his wife began producing pottery in Toyoda. In 1953 he met Koyama Fujio; that same year he was awarded the Hokuto prize at the Nitten, and his work was collected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was the true beginning of his career. In 1955 he received the JCS award, one of the highest honors for a Japanese potter. By the mid ‘60s. he moved to celadon ware. He changed his name from Kato to Okabe in 1978, to honor his wife who supported his efforts for so many years.

A breathtaking work by Miyake Yoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Nuki-e Kinsai Sakura-mon Kaki. The unabashed use of gold on this piece is extraordinary. Quite large, it is 39 cm (15-1/2 inches) tall, 27 cm (11 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. This is a step beyond even for an artist known for his bold patterns and designs; this would make a powerful centerpiece for a collection of contemporary Japanese pottery.
Miyake Yoji was born in Shimane in 1950, He studied from 1974 under Ito Kosho, establishing himself as an independent artist three years later in Mashiko. In 1979 his work was accepted into the Dento Kogei Shinsaku Ten (New Exhibition of Traditional Crafts) and displayed there annually thereafter. In 1980 he was accepted into the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition), and many times thereafter. Again the following year he was accepted into yet another major exhibition with the Nihon Togei Ten (All Japan Ceramic Exhibition), once again followed up with repeated acceptance there. Yet in the 90s he turned away from the competitive world and began to concentrate more on private exhibitions, of which he has been hosted many times in some of Japans most prestigious galleries. He was also the subject of an NHK Television Documentary in 1998 and appeared in another in 2000.

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 classic two stage work by Gomi Kenji enclosed in the original singed wooden box titled simply Saido Utsuwa (Colored Clay Vessel). It is 45.5 cm (18 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Gomi kenji was born in Nagano in 1978. After graduating from the prestigious Waseda University, he went to Okinawa where he studied Kokuba-Tougei, Tsuboya ware, which has been produced since the 17th century, in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture. In 2004 he moved to Toki city in Gifu, then to Kasama in 2005. He is now Designated Professor, Kasama College of Ceramic Art. The process of firing ceramics is central to the creation of his works. The organic shape of the work is the result of choosing the most logical form from the viewpoint of firing. In addition, the color and texture that make you feel the full earthiness can be obtained by burying it in rice husks and firing it. He has been displayed at the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, the Kikuchi Biennale, Mashiko Ceramic Art Exhibition, and in 2014, he won the Grand Prix at the 10th International Ceramics Competition Mino, Ceramic Arts Category. Work by him is held in Museums here in Japan and throughout the world, including the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyougo and Victoria & Albert Museum, London among others.

This Oh-My-God breathtaking delicacy is by Kawase Shinobu enclosed in the original signed wooden box which is prepared with silk lined buffers to protect it. One of the most impressive pieces I have seen by this very impressive artist. It is 21.5 cm (8-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Kawase Shinobu　was born in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1950, heir to a family tradition of potting. His grandfather and father were Kawase Chikushun I and II respectively, masters of Chinese based ceramic styles. He began working with his father, and first came to puclic attention with his acceptance into the 1969 Nihon Dentō Kōgei Shinsakuten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition for New Works). This was followed by acceptance into the 1974 Nihon Dentō Kogeiten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition), at both of which he exhibited frequently. In 1980 he was selected for the Japan Ceramics Society Exhibition and was awarded there the following year. In 1983 his work was selected for the Japanese Ceramics Today exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. From then his works have been exhibited throughout the globe and he is regarded as Japan’s most outstanding celadon artist working with the traditions of the Tang and Song dynasties. With his exquisite technique, organic forms and pristine glazes, he has developed a unique style that is both traditional and challenging and it is this fusion of contemporary and tradition which draws droves to his art. Work is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Cincinnati Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, Brooklyn, Birmingham Cleveland, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Saint Louis Museums of Art among others. There is a plethora of information available on this innovative artist, including: Japanese Ceramics Today: Masterworks from the Kikuchi Collection, (Tsuji, Tomo, Hayashiya, 1983), Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections (Frederick Baekeland and Robert Moes, 1993), Quiet Clarity “RIN” Beauty in Contemporary Ceramics (1996), Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century (Joe Earle, 2005), The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection: Japanese Ceramics for the Twenty first Century (Mintz, 2014), and or Into the Fold: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection (Harn Museum, 2015)

A four sided vase in Aka-e design by important 20th century potter Kawamoto Goro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Aka-e Kamon Hanaike exhibited in 2001 and published in the book Kawamoto Rekitei, Goro, Taro, San-Dai-Ten (Three Generations of Kawamoto Family). It is 27.5 cm (11 inches) tall, 16 cm (6 inches) square and in excellent condition. The Book is included.
Kawamoto Goro (1919-1986) was born in Seto to a family of potters. He studied in Kyoto at the same institution as Kawai Kanjiro and Hamada Shoji. Returning to work at the family kiln, he was later adopted by Kawamoto Rekitei, a famous decorator of pottery. In 1953 he gained first recognition, accepted into the Nitten National Exhibition and garnering top prize at the Asahi Modern Ceramics Exhibition. In 1958 he would be awarded in Brussels, and in 1959 in California and at home was granted the 1959 JCS award, perhaps the most significant honor for a pottery in Japan. Much lauded in and after his lifetime, the list of awards is far too long for this article. Work by him is held in the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art as well as the The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo among many others.

A ghostly pale tsubo with jagged grooves cut into the shoulder by Kimura Morinobu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaede-yu O-Tsubo (Large Tsubo with Maple-Ash Glaze). It is 36 cm (14 inches) diameter, 42 cm (16-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Kimura Morinobu (b. 1932) was one of three born into a pottery family in Kyotos Higashiyama pottery district. He attended the Kyoto Municipal School of Art graduating from the sculpture division, and entered the Kyoto Ceramic Research Facility, the stomping grounds of so many of the brightest talents in modern Japanese Pottery. After apprenticing under both his brother, Morikazu, and Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi, he established his own kiln in 1967. His list of exhibitions is much too long to put down here, he was named an intangible Cultural Property (Mukei Bunkazai) of Kyoto Prefecture in 1992. Works by the artist are held in the Kyoto National Museum among others.

One of the best I have ever seen by him. A metallic Shino Chawan by Tsukigata Nahiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Oni Shino Yohen O-Chawan and named inside Rokugo (also read Rikugo) which is something to do with the ancient concept of the tertiary levels of heaven and earth. Rokugo is outside the Human realm, the universe, the heavens. It is 5-1/2 inches (14 cm) diameter, 4 inches (10 cm) tall and in excellent condition complete with silk pouch and double wood black lacquered outer box with original naming paper by Nahiko.
Tsukigata Nahiko (1923-2006) was not only an accomplished ceramic artist, but also a painter, calligrapher, sculptor and musician. Born in Niigata prefecture, he was at Waseda University in 1941 when he was summarily drafted into the Army. After the war he attended the Arts course of Nippon Daigaku University and was struck by the works of Living National Treasure Arakawa Toyozo, to whom he apprenticed in the arts of Shino and took his mentors work to a new level. Like all art, his was alive and always evolving. Starting with the replication and research of Momoyama techniques to the culmination of his efforts in Oni-shino, Nahiko has taken Shino beyond all others. It was not an easy road, for the first 15 years he worked for a ballet school, spent time as a recluse priest at Myoanji temple, and wandered the country playing the shakuhachi. It was a time of great change in Japan, starvation was rampant immediately after the war and supporting oneself through the little-known art of Shino-yaki was difficult. However, he persevered, along with Toyozo, Kato Juuemon, Kato Kohei and others, to bring Shino to the forefront of ceramic arts. Heavily prized domestically and abroad in his lifetime, his low output and unique quality make his work a must have for collectors.

A wonderful early work by Hara Kiyoshi awarded at the 1962 Nihon Dento Kogeiten Traditional Crafts Exhibition enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ume-mon Hachi (Plum Patterned Basin). It is covered in a foamy blue-white glaze, the body sculpted like the five petals of a plum blossom. The dish is 43.5 cm (17 inches) diameter and is in excellent condition. It comes with the original catalog (published on page 1) as well as the original gold award label. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a piece with all of its provenance from Japan. It is also an opportunity to see a piece, not by a Living National Treasure, but a piece recognized by an artist which gives reason why he would be designated a Living National Treasure. A part of ceramic history.
Hara Kiyoshi (b. 1936) was born in Shimane, and studied pottery under Living National Treasures Ishiguro Munemaru and Shimizu Uichi from 1954 before establishing his own kiln, first in Tokyo, then later in Saitama. He was first selected for exhibit at the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition in 1958. In 63 he first exhibited at the Asahi Togeiten Ceramics Exhibition. Since his work has received much attention,both within Japan and abroad in Europe, The Americas and Asia. He received the Japan Ceramic Society prize in 1975, and was named a Living National Treasure for Tetsu-yu in 2005 and is recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Vibrant colors and glistening gold decorate this leaf shaped sculpture by Matsuda Yuriko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled HASU (Lotus Leaf). It is roughly 37 cm (15 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Matsuda Yuriko was born in Ashiya, Hyōgō Prefecture in 1943nd lives and works in Oshino, Yamanashi Prefecture. Yuriko is an avid exhibitor; it is a wonder she has time to do any work at all. Both within Japan (Nihon Togei Ten, Gendai Togei Ten etc.) and without she has an impressive list of exhibitions in a host of countries. She received the Yagi Kazuo prize in 1986 among many others. According to the book “Touch Fire”, Many of the women artists included in this exhibition are independent innovators who work outside the constraints of Japanese ceramic traditions. However, several of the artists, including Matsuda Yuriko, continue to use traditional techniques with skills that rival, if not exceed, those of their predecessors, and in doing so they create new and challenging contemporary ceramic art. They reinterpret the traditional decorative technique for porcelain vessels, called iro-e over-glaze enameling, and transposes its motifs onto nonfunctional objects. Her beautifully enameled iro-e porcelain sculptures are witty odes to two favorite subjects: the female body and Mount Fuji. For more information on this artist and examples of her work see the books Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, Fired with Passion by Beatrice Chang and Samuel Lurie. Also see Contemporary Clay, Japanese Ceramics for the New Century based on the Museum of Fine Arts Boston exhibition or Soaring Voices, Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists (2010). Her work is also currently on tour with the Radical Clay Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago.

A fabulous wan-gata chawan on prominent foot reminiscent of the forms from his Okinawan experience by pottery legend Hamada Shoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kuro-yu Sabi-zo Chawan. An undulating snake of rust color drapes from the rim over the glossy black glaze, the effect mirrored around the foot ring. It is 13 cm (5 inches) diameter, 8.8 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
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. He was a significant influence on studio pottery of the twentieth century, and a driving force of the mingei folk-art movement. In 1955 he was designated a "Living National Treasure". There is no shortage of reading material for those who would like to learn more about this potter.

A striking ceramic box scrawled with abstract lines covered in silver on top with silver droplets of mist covering the blue sides by Kondo Takahiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Jigen Jikiro. It is 14.5 x 8.5 x 7 cm (5-3/4 x 3-1/4 x 3 inches) and is in perfect condition.
Kondo Takahiro (b. 1958) was born the grandson of Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo. However, he graduated Hosei University not with a degree in sculpture or crafts, but in Literature. From there he studied at the Kyoto Prefectural Technical Institute of Ceramics, followed by a year at the Kyoto Municipal Institute of Industrial Research. 15 years later he would spend a year in Edinburgh studying glass making, and with this combination of skills, was born the silver mist series for which he is so highly acclaimed. Work by him is held in Museums throughout the world, including the National Museum of Scotland, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Museum of Arts & Design, New York, Spencer Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Art Gallery NSW, Sydney, Hamilton Art Gallery, Australia, Miho Museum. National Gallery of Victoria, Paramita Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Shigaraki, and The São Paulo Museum of Art, Brazil among others. Without a doubt one of the most important contemporary artists in Japan today. For more see Celestial Ceramics: The Art of Kondo Takahiro (2002)

A masterpiece by Otani Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Hai-Kaburi Tsubo (Ash blanketed Jar). Breathtaking, it appears straight from the inferno. With so much going on, the thick textured embers almost purple in color, encrustations covering the surface with a blast of molten ocher glaze on one side rivulets of color dripping down. It would wow the crowds in any museum exhibition and is the best piece I have ever owned by this legendary potter. The vessel is 24 cm (9-3/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. It was originally made for his 40th anniversary exhibition held at Takashimaya Department Store and is published in the catalog; catalog included.
Otani Shiro was born in Shigaraki in 1936 and graduated the Prefectural School in the ceramics department in 1956, which he followed up with 4 years studying decorating techniques under Morioka Yutaro. He then moved to Kyoto where he studied at the Municipal Ceramics Research Facility, where he trained under Kiyomizu Kyubei, Shofu Eichi and Uchida Kunio before returning to Shigaraki to yet further his studies in design. He garnered his first award at the Shiga Prefectural Art Exhibition in 1962, as well as the Governor’s prize at the National Rodosha Bijutsu-Ten Exhibition. He took a position with an industrial kiln in Shigaraki in 1963, and began potting in his free time, exhibiting and being awarded at the Asahi Togeiten among others. In 1968, he left his position at the kiln, and in 1969 was first accepted into the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogeiten). In 1973 he established his own kilns in Shigaraki, both an Anagama submerged kiln and a climbing kiln, and began learning from future Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi. From there he participated in the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National crafts Exhibition) as well as innumerable private exhibitions both domestic and International, and was named an Intangible Cultural Asset of Shigaraki in 1990. His work is held in The Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Fogg Art Gallery of Harvard as well as the Morikami Museum and Smithsonian among others. For an in depth look at this potter see the article by Rob Barnard in Ceramics Monthly volume 39 (Summer 1991).

Gold shatters on the blue surface of this large vase by legendary female potter Ono Hakuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yuri Kinsai Hana Tsubo. It is 29 cm (11-1/2 inches) diameter, 31.5 cm (12-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
From Aichi prefecture, Ono Hakuko was trained by her father initially in the ceramic arts. However, she was most strongly influenced by the great experimentive artist Kato Hajime (1901-1968) and his work with gold. This affected her own style deeply, and it can be said that she carried on his research. She was awarded the JCS award in 1980, one of Japans most prestigious ceramics awards. In 1992 she was named an important cultural asset (Juyo mukei bunkazai) of Saga prefecture. Bucking the traditional image here is another of Japans great cultural assets who fought against a system of prejudice to rise to the top and it is an honor to be able to offer something by her. For more on this important modern artist see Touch Fire, contemporary Japanese Ceramics by Women Artists (2009)

Reminiscent of an excavated Haniwa figure of a house, this museum quality vase is by Koinuma Michio and comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled very simply Tsubo. It is an iconic work by this eclectic artist, whose work is entirely unique and easily discernible. It is 27.5 cm (11 inches) square, 37 cm (14-3/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Due to size this will require special shipping consideration.
Koinuma Michio is a compelling figure unique among contemporary artists. He seems to have no limit to his imagination and creativity, still dazzling us with new concepts after four decades. Born in the hectic war years in 1936, he is incredibly intelligent, graduating the economics department of Osaka University, then on to Waseda, one of the top three schools in Japan, for graduate studies in economics and politics. Relinquishing that life he opened a kiln in Mashiko in 1970. Since 1978 he has been consistently displayed at the best galleries in Japan, as well as overseas. For more see Contemporary Japanese Ceramics Fired with Passion (ISBN -10: 1-891640-38-0) or To volume 10, which is dedicated entirely to him.
The image is based on Haniwa funerary objects. The Haniwa are terracotta clay figures of people, animals, and houses which were deposited at Japanese tombs during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th century) in Japan. Haniwa were created according to the wazumi technique, in which mounds of coiled clay were built up to shape the figure, layer by layer. Michio follows that style, then through a process of multiple firing and various techniques degrades the surface to create the feeling of antiquity. A strikingly similar image is published, figure 18, in the anthology Toh, volume 10. According to the encyclopedia of Ancient History many Haniwa are particularly detailed in their execution and thus provide a valuable insight into the culture of the period. Standing over one metre in height, the mysterious figures are a striking example of early Japanese sculpture.

The most unique work I have ever seen from innovative artist Ito Motohiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Nunome Tsubaki-mon Kabin (Cloth Textured Vase with Camellia Design). Sensual sans eroticism, it is a frank and appreciative look at the beauty of the feminine form. This is from my personal collection, and I am torn with the idea of parting with it. The vase is 9 x 6-1/2 x 14-1/2 inches (23 x 16.5 x 37 cm) and is in excellent condition, retaining the original wrapping cloth and Shiori.
Ito Motohiko is a famous Kasama potter, best known for his nunome pattern and exceptional designs. Motohiko was born in Fukuoka prefecture, 1939, and graduated the Tokyo University of Art in 1964, then moved on to advanced courses there, finishing in 1966. While at University he studied under Kato Hajime and Fujimoto Yoshimichi. It was in 1967 his first piece was accepted into the 6th Modern National Crafts Exhibition, and the next year would be spent working under to-be-Living National Treasure Matsui Kosei. His list of prizes and exhibitions is much too long to reproduce, but since 1967, he has Exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogeiten, Nihon Dento Kogei Shinsaku Ten, Dento Kogei Musashino Ten, Tanabe Museum Modern Tea Forms Exhibition, been the subject of an NHK Television documentary, and participated in a ridiculous number of private exhibits at many of Japans top venues, and has been purchased by the Heisei Emperor in person as well as receiving the Shijuho-sho prize from his majesty.

A colorful pair of hips by Matsuda Yuriko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kinsai Aka-e Shiri -Goo- (Red and Gold Decorated Porcelain Buttocks, -Goo-. It was exhibited at the Ilmin Museum of Art exhibition: “Its Horizontal Its Vertical” in Seoul South Korea in 1997 and retains the original artist made stand as well as the exhibition pamphlet. The piece is 43 x 32.5 x 14 cm (17 x 13 x 5-1/2 inches) excluding the stand, and is in excellent condition.
Matsuda Yuriko was born in Ashiya, Hyōgō Prefecture in 1943nd lives and works in Oshino, Yamanashi Prefecture. Yuriko is an avid exhibitor; it is a wonder she has time to do any work at all. Both within Japan (Nihon Togei Ten, Gendai Togei Ten etc.) and without she has an impressive list of exhibitions in a host of countries. She received the Yagi Kazuo prize in 1986 among many others. According to the book “Touch Fire”, Many of the women artists included in this exhibition are independent innovators who work outside the constraints of Japanese ceramic traditions. However, several of the artists, including Matsuda Yuriko, continue to use traditional techniques with skills that rival, if not exceed, those of their predecessors, and in doing so they create new and challenging contemporary ceramic Sytg art. They reinterpret the traditional decorative technique for porcelain vessels, called iro-e over-glaze enameling, and transposes its motifs onto nonfunctional objects. Her beautifully enameled iro-e porcelain sculptures are witty odes to two favorite subjects: the female body and Mount Fuji. For more information on this artist and examples of her work see the books Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, Fired with Passion by Beatrice Chang and Samuel Lurie. Also see Contemporary Clay, Japanese Ceramics for the New Century based on the Museum of Fine Arts Boston exhibition or Soaring Voices, Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists (2010).

A breathtaking work by Hashimoto Tomonari, deep space covered in random clouds and explosions of color like some precious treasure, the origin of life, from another world. It is roughly 24 cm (9-1/2 inches) diameter, 34 cm (14 inches) tall and weighs 4.2 kilograms and comes enclosed in a signed wooden box from the artist this year.
Hashimoto Tomonari was born the son of a sculptor and has felt comfortable with the processes of creation since childhood. He graduated with a masters from the Kanazawa University of Art in March 2017, then relocated to Shigaraki. A visit to his humble home studio is eye opening. Although he comes across as shy in conversation, when you move on to the subject of art, he is all confidence. He was named a finalist for the Loewe Craft Prize in 2019 and is already making international waves around Asia. He is held in the collection of the V&A London, Los Angeles County Museum and Kalamazoo Institute of Arts among others.

Invisible from the top, glimmering stones catch the light in the raw cracked clay on the outside of this dark earthen bowl by Ogawa Machiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yami to Sei (Darkness and Stars) Chawan. A beautiful bowl showing the artists fascination with the combination of smooth crystalline surfaces and raw matte clay. The interior is glazed, while the outside is raw clay. It is roughly 15.3 cm (6 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3-1/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Ogawa Machiko was born in Sapporo on the Northern Island of Hokkaido in 1946. She studied under future Living National Treasures Fujimoto Yoshimichi, Tamura Koichi and Kato Hajime at the Tokyo University of Arts, graduating in 1969, then went on to further studies in France and Africa, returning to Japan in 1975. She began garnering attention in the mid eighties, and has since become one of the leading female figures in Japanese pottery. She was awarded the JCS prize in 2001, one of Japans most prestigious awards. Work by her is held in the Brooklyn Art Museum, LACMA, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smith College, MIA, MOMAT and a host of others. For more see “Touch Fire, Contemporary Ceramics by Women Artists” (2009) or Toh, volume 67 (1993). For more information see the current exhibition Radical Clay at the Chicago Art Institute.

An historically important work by Furutani Hiromu (Churoku I) from the initial firing of their newly established Nobori-gama climbing kiln in 1974. This type of work is called Hatsugama, or first from the kiln. It is the only piece in the show from the climbing kiln (which has not been fired in over 20 years) and the earliest piece in the show as well. It is 32 x 8 x 35 cm (13 x 3 x 14 inches) and in excellent condition, directly from the family.
Furutani Taketoshi was born the son of master craftsman Furutani Hirofumi in 1974, graduating the Shigaraki Industrial High School Ceramics department in 1992 before entering the Shiga prefectural Ceramics Research Facility where he learned first Small Rokuro wheel technique, graduating the following year. In 1993 he would find himself under the tutelage of Suzuki Iwau before re-entering for a second course at the Research Facility, graduating in 1995. From then he returned to the family kiln where he learned in the time-honored tradition from both his grandfather Churoku I and father Hirofumi (Churokuk II). In 2013 he was named a Dento Kogeishi Traditional Craftsman. Since he has exhibited consistently at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. Subverting the self, he makes simple, organic pots which have a timeless quality. As well he dares new forms and challenges the clay with innovative techniques, coercing from the pliable earth challenging incarnations very much rooted in the now, yet still paying homage to the traditions passed down through the ages.

A spectacular large basin covered in fissured green with tinges of red by Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seiji O-zara. It is 16-1/4 inches (42 cm) diameter, 4 inches (10 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately
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 teacher’s 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 and the Freer Gallery among others. In 1985 he was named a Juyo Mukei Bunkazai (col. Living National Treasure) for his work in Tetsu-yu iron glaze. But this did not stop him continuing to research into uncommon ground, and he strove, like an artist as opposed to a craftsman, to constantly innovate and evolve to the day he died.

An Amazing Shigaraki flattened form with offset neck covered in pools of liquid green crystal and dark encrustations of ash by Furutani Hirofumi, head of the Churoku-en. This piece truly shows the best of what Shigaraki has to offer, in the exposed raw terracotta clay, the molten ash glaze, the Hi-iro color of flame, and the build up of dark ash deposits. Every viewing angle is unique. This flattened form has been made by separating two slabs with a band of clay which has had feet and a wheel thrown neck added. Unlike others who have made similar shapes, Hirofumi offsets the neck in a refreshing way. The vessel is quite large at 36 x 13 x 41 cm tall (14 x 5 x 16 inches tall) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist. It comes with a wooden placard signed by the artist and titled Shigaraki Shizen Yu Henko.
If you have never visited Shigaraki put it on the list. Downtown is pretty much Showa-Retro (a leftover from the Showa era) with rusting buildings stacked up with giant Tanuki sculptures and stacks of industrial grade ceramics. However, tucked in the middle is a small wood framed gallery, a real gem called the Churoku-en. The Churoku-en pottery was established by Furutani Churoku, and is now run by the second and third generation potters Furutani Hirofumi and his son Taketoshi. But they are rarely there, more often than not working at the family kiln which is out of the main business district. You will meet Hirofumis wife, a cherubic woman who will seem perhaps startled to see you but more than happy to show you around. The first time we met she seemed shocked to see visitors and I asked about that. She said: Most people do not come into our gallery.
I asked: Why is that?
She replied: There are no Tanukis out front, so it looks expensive!
We laughed about that and I remember it every time we meet. Her husband Hirofumi is the real deal, a Shigaraki potter trained under his father, recipient of generations of tradition and knowledge, who does not say much. Everyday you will find him in search of the natural phenomena which are born from his wood fired Anagama and Climbing kilns in the dialog between soil and flame and the elements. He does not compete or seek fame, just quietly makes pots in that very Japanese way, the path of the Unknown Craftsman.

A perfect example of the work of this influential artist, in a rare size which is perhaps a bit more accessible to most collectors than his usual monumental sculptures. In this case he has created it with a combination of blue and sliver dots decorating the bulbous protrusions. Signed on bottom, it is 36 x 19 x 23 cm (14 x 7-1/2 x 9 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Nakashima Harumi was born in Gifu prefecture, home of a long ceramic tradition, in 1950. He studied at the Osaka University of Art and Design, graduating advanced studies there in 1973. Deeply influenced by the Avant garde Sodeisha group and specifically the work of his mentor Kumakura Junkichi, he set out not to create works that sell, but to create works which met some inner need. After several years in Shigaraki, he moved to Tajimi, near his hometown, in 1976, accepting a position at the Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center where he would remain employed until becoming head of the ceramics department at the Aichi Prefectural University of Education in 2003 where he would mentor a great many young artists who are now stars in the contemporary pottery realm (Hattori Makiko, Tanaka Tomomi etc). He was recipient of the prestigious Japan Ceramics Society Award in 2010. From 2014 he has served as head of the Ishoken Ceramics Research facility. Work by him is held in the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, 21st century Museum of Art in Kanazawa, Ibaragi Ceramic Art Museum, Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art in Gifu, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Everson Museum of Art New York, Museum of Art and Design New York, The International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza in Italy, Hetjens Museum in Germany, as well as the China Ceramic Art Center in Shangyu and Tsinghua University in Beijing, among many others.

An astounding work of singular design by renowned Shigaraki pioneering female artist Koyama Kiyoko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Ryukoku Tsubo (Natural Ash Glazed Carved Flowing Tsubo). The voluminous work is like a seed pod, rising up in tapering lines to an undulating open mouth. The body is covered in rich green ash glaze, flowing down the wavering clefts to pour out and collect in thin crystalline pools. I have never seen another work like this by the artist. It is marked with her incised Ki signature on the base. The vessel is 33 cm tall and in excellent condition.
Koyama Kiyoko was the subject of the film Hi-Bi (2005) and the recent NHK television drama Scarlet. She is the preeminent pioneering female wood firing artist in Japan. Born in Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1938, she went to Shigaraki village, home of one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns. There she studied the traditional techniques, and bore the brunt of centuries of discrimination against women. Through it all she persevered to become one of the most highly sought of Shigaraki potters. For more on her works see Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections, Japan Society New York, 1993

Frills, filigrees and draperies gather pell-mell near the peak of this evocative vessel by Kawabata Kentaro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Loco. Consistent with this artists repertoire, the varying aspects are difficult to surmise in few words, raw clay, torn, cut, molded, squeezed and decorated with color in a variety of styles. It cocks its hip to one side, striking a sassy pose. A playful work to represent the eclectic style of this young man re-shaping the ceramic landscape, and serving as a pioneering representative of a younger generation. The vessel is 38 cm (15 inches) tall, 25 cm (10 inches) diameter. Imbued with a great deal of presence, it is in excellent condition.
Kawabata Kentaro was born in Saitama in 1976, and graduated the Ceramic Department of the Tokyo Designer Institute, which he followed up with two years at the Tajimi city Pottery Design　and Technical Center, graduating in 2000 with a BFA. He was immediately recognized the following year with Grand Prize at the Oribe-no-kokoro, Ceramic exhibition. Since his works have been accepted into the Asahi Togeiten ceramic Exhibition tending toward sculptural forms. He has also been exhibited in the US, Berlin, Turkey, Paris, Romania, Korea, Switzerland and many other international venues. He received the Judges Award in 2002 at the Mashiko Ceramic Exhibition and also the Kamoda Shoji Award there in 2004, and Grand Prize at the Paramita Museum Ceramic Exhibition in 2007.

An incredible work by Furutani Hirofumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Hen Hanaire. Crystaline green glass pools on one side, reaching down a hand to grasp the blackened shell impressions near the base surrounded in raw sunburnt clay. Opposite red discs surround shell marks where it was stacked in the kiln, beads of green forming like dew drops defying gravity on the rim. In between the earth is scorched and blackened, rivulets of olive running between. It is 37 x 11 x 40 cm (15 x 4-1/2 x 16 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Furutani Hirofumi (b. 1948) is the real deal, a Shigaraki potter trained under his father, recipient of tradition and knowledge who does not say much. After graduating school, he went to work in a large production kiln where he studied firing technique and clay preparation. He then returned to the family studio where he headed up the preparation and firing, while, taking a second position in that respectful Japanese way to his long-lived father, who strictly tortured clay, relying on his son to do all the “real work.” The Japanese title for such a person is: Ennoshita no chikara mochi (The true strength hidden under the eaves). A decade after the passing of Churoku, every day you will find him in search of the natural phenomena born from the dialog between soil and flame and the elements. He oversees kneading and preparing the clay, as well as the kiln work, stacking and preparations for firing, creating his own pieces while allowing his son to take the fore. He is not competing or seeking fame, just quietly making pots in that very Japanese way, treading the path of the Unknown Craftsman.

A masterpiece by contemporary ceramic legend Morino (Hiroaki) Taimei enclosed in the original signed wooden box showing his famous Kujaku (Peacock) design. It is 15.5 x 31.5cm x 34cm (6 x 12 x 13-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Morino 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 Fitz-gerald Collection.

Dripping with gold, this artist really takes things to the extreme, challenging and yet incorporating something of the idea of Wabi into his outlandish works. Here is an exceptional (and rare) large tsubo by Ichikawa Toru enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It features a surface of raised white bumps like ray or sharkskin. The form is rough, more a natural growth than some plotted design. Brilliant gold flows over the textured white. It is quite overpowering, and would become central to any contemporary ceramic collection. The tsubo is 31 cm (12 inches) tall, 27 cm (10-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Ichikawa Toru was born in Tokyo in 1973. In 2015 he established his current studio in Bizen after 4 years of apprenticeship under another Bizen Outsider, Kakurezaki Ryuichi. He has since developed quite a following, with his shows selling out often within hours.

A large tsubo in gold and white slip by Miyashita Hideko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Haku-a Kaki Rin to Shite Yo. The title speaks of standing up alone, and the artist told me it was a piece she created when she came to terms with the grief of her husband passing away and had decided to make a fresh go of life. The form was influenced by ancient Chinese maternal sculptures, thus the forward, broad stance. An image of one of the sculptures can be seen on a ticket stub from the museum exhibition which will be included. This was exhibited in 2016 at the Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai Ten (Kyoto Society of Artist and Craftsperson Exhibition) and published in the catalog for that event. It is 11 x 14 x 19 inches (28 x 35.5 x 48 cm) and is in perfect condition.
Miyashita Hideko was born in Tatsuno, Hyogo prefecture in 1944. She graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Arts in 1967, her final project garnering the Tomimoto Prize, and that year she was accepted into the Kyoto Prefectural Art Exhibition as well as the Kyoten. In honorable Japanese fashion she put her career second to that of her husband, the famed Miyashita Zenji, but remained active in the ceramics world through crafts during her long marriage. In 1978 she was awarded at the WCC Craft Competition, and her subsequent list of awards and shows in impressive, with solo exhibitions at some of Japan’s top galleries and participation in the Asahi Modern Craft Exhibition, Asahi Togeiten Ceramics Exhibition and the National Ceramics Exhib9tion (Nihon Togeiten). After the passing of her husband in 2012 she has been reinvigorated to work, creating more large scale and sculptural works which are grabbing attention.

Like the layered hills of Kyoto at twilight, this vase is of Kanshitsu dry lacquer body with layers of colored Urushi by Okada Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. in the dark blue about the base glimmers tiny flakes of mother of pearl. The rim is covered in white Chogai shell applique. About the flaring neck, is a slight indentation, a very challenging form to be polished out. It is 34 cm (just more than 13-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Okada Yuji was born in Kyoto in 1948 and graduated with honors from the Kyoto Hiyoshi-ga-oka High School Lacquer Course, Receiving top prize for his graduation project. In 1969 he apprenticed under Ito Hiroshi, and the following year was accepted into the Kyoten (Kyoto Prefectural Art Exhibition) as well as the Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai exhibition (Kyoto Kogei Association of artists) where he would be awarded. This begins his solo career. In 1972 he establishes himself as an independent artist, and his work is accepted into the Nitten National Exhibition. In 1973 he is accepted into the Nihon Gendai Kogeiten (Modern Crafts Exhibition). He would subsequently exhibit regularly with the above mentioned Nitten, Nihon Gendai Kogeiten, Kyoten, Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai and later at the Urushi no Bi-ten (Nihon Shikko Kyokai Japanese Lacquer Association) exhibitions as well as solo and group shows, receiving many awards over the years. Later serving as a judge at several of these events. Throughout the 70s and early 80s he would receive numerous awards. In 1985 he took a professorship at the Dohda Art School. 1996 he enters a new phase, having become well known for restoration of lacquer arts, he begins to actively promote restoration work in addition to creating his own artwork. He would go on to restore over 3500 works of lacquer art before 2022. In 1999 he exhibits three Dry-Lacquer works at the New York Art Festival. This is a turning point in his career, when he begins debuting his latest works overseas in Germany, England and America. He retires from the Kyoto City Dohda Art School in 2003 and establishes a lacquer research center in the Ninenzaka area of Eastern Kyoto. In 2006 he opens the Lacquer Studio Shiun to pass on skills to a younger generation and becomes a member of the International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation. Post 2008 he concentrated on sharing his knowledge and technique with students and on the promotion of lacquer art through symposiums and events around the globe while at the same time continued to research into the techniques and restoration of lacquer artworks. Work by the artist is held in the collections of: the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Denver Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts New York, New Orleans Museum of Fine Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum and Shanghai Art Museum among many others.

A spectacular large vase by Kashima Aya featured at the “Ceramic Synergy Exhibition” held at the Kyoto Kyocera Museum of Art in late 2023. In fact, the initial form is created, then a thin layer of ceramic is made separately, dried, then cracked, and the individual pieces are applied like mosaic to the prepared form. The space in between the tiles is then abraded, the tiles glazed with color and the space n between glazed with iron. Each piece requires a great amount of painstaking dedication to complete. It is 26 cm (10 inches) diameter, 52.5 cm (20-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition, directly from the artist. It comes in a signed wooden box with a copy of the Museum exhibition pamphlet upon which it is visible.
Kashima Aya was born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1987. She graduated the Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University, Department of Arts and Culture in 2010. She graduated the Tajimi City Ceramic Design Institute Design Course in 2020, with an additional two years in their advanced Ceramic Lab, graduating in 2022. During this time, she took part in many group exhibitions. She received Nyusen status at the 55th Women's Association of Ceramic Artists (WACA) Exhibition in 2021.

A rare large work blasted with natural ash glaze by Koyama Kiyoko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Kama-shizuku O-Tsubo. The rim is crusty and shows Shinshoku (degradation from the flame) a testament to her infamously long firing times. The front is coated in a flow of green and olive ash, while on the raw earth of the back a single drip (shizuku) from the kiln roof has landed as a colorful accent. This rare teardrop of the fire god is highly prized among collectors. The vessel is 35 cm (14 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Koyama Kiyoko was the subject of the film Hi-Bi (2005) and the recent NHK television drama Scarlet. She is the preeminent pioneering female wood firing artist in Japan. Born in Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1938, she went to Shigaraki village, home of one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns. There she studied the traditional techniques, and bore the brunt of centuries of discrimination against women. Through it all she persevered to become one of the most highly sought of Shigaraki potters. For more on her works see Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections, Japan Society New York, 1993

A rare set of Tokkuri by important artist Okabe Mineo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seto-te Tokkuri. The shapes are twins, one in E-shino style with iron decoration under white feldspar, the other in austere Oribe green glaze. The flaring mouths are both ulled slightly creating a perfect pouring spout. They are 13 cm (5-/4 inches) tall, 7 cm (2-3/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Okabe Mineo (1919-1990) was born the first son of important artist Kato Tokuro, however the relationship with his father was volatile. When he was 9 Tokuro moved the young family to Seto, where Mineo would graduate the Aichi Prefectural Ceramics School in 1937. After a year at the family kiln, he moved to Tokyo, then joined the army in 1940. He fought against the Americans and would spend several years as a prisoner of war in the Philippines, repatriated to Japan in 1947. He returned to Aichi prefecture, leaving enough distance between himself and his estranged family, and with his wife began producing pottery in Toyoda. In 1953 he met Koyama Fujio; that same year he was awarded the Hokuto prize at the Nitten, and his work was collected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was the true beginning of his career. In 1955 he received the JCS award, one of the highest honors for a Japanese potter. By the mid ‘60s. he moved to celadon ware. He changed his name from Kato to Okabe in 1978, to honor his wife who supported his efforts for so many years.

A swollen sail shape in graduations of color by Miyashita Zenji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaze no Deban (Cue the Wind, or Wind in the Sails, if you like). It is 20 x 21 x 28 cm (8x 8-1/2 x 11 inches) and in excellent condition. It retains the original Shifuku and Shiori.
Miyashita Zenji (1939-2012) was born into the family of potter Miyashita Zenju, and graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art under Kiyomizu Kyubei and Kusube Yaichi. Starting with the most difficult, he worked from Celadon, which relies on shape and extreme control of firing. He began exhibiting in the annual Nitten exhibitions in 1964, eventually winning eighteen prizes. According to the Sackler, which holds 6 works by him, “ His mature work was a modern embodiment of a classic Kyoto mode associated with the Heian period (794–1185). He applied delicate layers of color—reminiscent of multilayered court robes or decorated papers made for inscribing poetry—using not over-glaze enamels or glazes but clay itself, dyed with mineral pigments”. He is held in the aforementioned Freer-Sackler, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, and the Brooklyn Museum the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and of course the National Museums of Modern Art both in Kyoto and Tokyo among a host of others.

Lavender tinged crawling pale glaze covers the soft porous clay of this classically inspired Mizusashi by Living National Treasure Miwa Kyusetsu XI enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shiro-hagi Mizusashi. It is 20 cm (8 inches) diameter, 18 cm (7-1/4 inches) tall. It comes complete with the original ceramic lid as well as a Kae-buta (alternate lacquered lid) in a separate compartment within the box The box is contained inside a second, black lacquered wooden box, and all is in excellent condition.
Miwa Kyusetsu XI (1910-2012) was born the third son of the ninth generation Miwa Kyusetsu (Setsudo) and studied under his father and older brother (Kyusetsu X: Kyuwa). He also studied under Kawakita Handeishi. He was first exhibited in 1955, and garnered his first acolades at the 4th Natioanl Traditional Craft Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogei Ten) in 1957. Following the retirement of the 10th generation Kyusetsu, he succeeded the name in 1967. He received the Imperial Order with Purple Ribbon in 1976 and the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1982. He was acknowledged as a Yamaguchi Prefectural Preserver of Intangible Cultural Properties in 1972 and Designated Living National Treasure in 1983. He officially retired, passing on the family name and mantle to Miwa Ryusaku, but continued making pottery under the name “Jusetsu”.

Scrafitto dots surround a pool of crackled glass deeply impressed into the ovoid form of this ko-tsubo by Yagi Kazuo enclosed in a wooden box signed by his son Yagi Akira. White slip appears haphazardly slapped on the body as with a wide brush, creating a vigorous dynamic, combined with the pointilized circle and abstract form, there is a tension which draws one into the belly of the work, certainly reflecting the best this important artist had to offer. It is 16.5 x 13 x 15 cm (6-1/2 x 5 x 6 inches) and in excellent condition. For a nearly identical piece see New Forms, New Voices (2017) p. 85.
Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979) was one of the most influential Avant Garde potters of 20th century Japan. He was born into the family of potter Yagi Isso, a noted specialist in fine Chinese and traditional Japanese forms and glazes. Kazuo studied at the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility, like many great potters before him including his father and the founders of the Mingei movement, Kawai Kanjiro and Hamada Shoji. While there immersed in traditional forms, he joined the Ceramic Sculpture Association of Japan, and in 1939 was exhibited with them. Drafted shortly thereafter, he wa sent to China, but quickly returned to Japan with illness, for which he was discharged, and went back to sculpture, very much influenced by Western Art movements of the time. The war years were difficult of course, but following Japan’s Surrender, Kazuo was accepted into the Nitten National Exhibition. Like many young artists who had been held in the yolk of Japan’s strict military regime, he was grasping for something new, and his work expressed a strong desire to throw off the weight of traditionalism and function. So it was in 1948 when Kazuo, along with a number of other potters including Suzuki Osamu, Yamada Hikaru and Kumakura Junkichi, founded the Iconic Sodeisha Group. The work of this group would change forever the perception of Japanese pottery, and he would go down as one of the most influential potters of the 20th century.

A stark flower in black rises to the rim of this white glazed early vase by Yagi Kazuo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is an excellent example of the mid-century aesthetic, dating from the 1950s to early 1960s. It is 13 cm (5 inches) diameter, 26 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979) was one of the most influential Avant Garde potters of 20th century Japan. He was born into the family of potter Yagi Isso, a noted specialist in fine Chinese and traditional Japanese forms and glazes. Kazuo studied at the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility, like many great potters before him including his father and the founders of the Mingei movement, Kawai Kanjiro and Hamada Shoji. While there immersed in traditional forms, he joined the Ceramic Sculpture Association of Japan, and in 1939 was exhibited with them. Drafted shortly thereafter, he was sent to China, but quickly returned to japan with illness, for which he was discharged, and went back to sculpture, very much influenced by Western Art movements of the time. The war years were difficult of course, but following Japan’s Surrender, Kazuo was accepted into the Nitten National Exhibition. Like many young artists who had been held in the yolk of Japan’s strict military regime, he was grasping for something new, and his work expressed a strong desire to throw off the weight of traditionalism and function. So it was in 1948 when Kazuo, along with a number of other potters including Suzuki Osamu, Yamada Hikaru and Kumakura Junkichi, founded the Iconic Sodeisha Group. The work of this group would change forever the perception of Japanese pottery, and he would go down as one of the most influential potters of the 20th century.

A large vase in earthen colors by Kasama legend Wada Morihiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Sounka-mon Utsuwa. It is 15.5 × 9 x 47cm (6 x 3-1/2 x 18-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Wada Morihiro (1944-2008) was born in Hyogo prefecture and apprenticed under Kyotos Tomimoto Kenkichi before moving to Kasama in 1976. He has been displayed at the Nihon Togei Ten (National Ceramics Exhibition), Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition) Gold medal at the Florence International Ceramics Exhibition in 1980 as well as being displayed at the Victoria Albert and Smithsonian as one representative of modern Japanese ceramics in 1983. He subsequently received the Japanese Ceramic Society Award in 1988, one of the highest honors for a Japanese potter.

A crumpled news print from the New York Times dated 82-5 by pioneering Ceramic Sculpture Icon Mishima Kimiyo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 25 x 14 x 13.5 cm (10 x 5-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Mishima Kimiyo was born in Osaka in 1932, and began her artistic career as a painter in the early 1960s. She started making collages with newspapers, discarded waste papers from printing companies, and old movie posters. As the materials she used for her collages accumulated in her studio, she came upon the idea to make her iconic newspaper-shaped ceramics. She said, "I thought that if I changed the newspaper's paper into ceramics, it might express a sense of impending crisis or instability regarding 'information'." She was awarded the Ja@an Ceramics Society Gold Award in 2021, testament to her contributions and to the progressive nature of the JCS. The list of institutions holding her work is formidable and includes the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Tokyo, Musee Cernoschi, Paris, the Museum of Faenza in Italy, the Ariana Museum in Geneve, the Keramion Museum for Contemporary Ceramic Art in Germany, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Everson Museum of Art in New York, the Ohara Museum of Art, Okayama, the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, the Gifu Prefectural Contemporary Ceramic Museum of Art and Benesse Art Site on Naoshima among many others.

The elegance of these works by Fukami has created a stir in the collecting world which has not abated over the last 25 years. Offered here a rare wing (or blade as some describe them) object by world renowned Fukami Sueharu dating circa 2006 enclosed in the original wooden box titled “Tenku”, signed and stamped by the artist. It is mounted on a wooden base, and comes with an artist designed metal stand (all fit in the box). The sculpture is 13 inches (33 cm) long and is in perfect condition.
Fukami Sueharu is synonymous with seihakuji celadon. He has been displayed numerous times at the prestigious Nitten, Nihon Togei Ten (National Japanese Ceramic Exhibition) and Nihon Gendai Kogei Ten (National Japanese Modern Crafts Exhibition) among others. He is held in the Yale University Museum among others. For more information on this artist a quick web-search, or a look at the article highlighting his life in the March 2005 edition of Orientations Magazine will be enlightening. The list of museums holding his work is, in fact, much to long for this page, but includes the National Museums of Modern Art, Tokyo /Kyoto / and Osaka, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Philadelphia St. Louis, Portland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Smithsonian, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Musée national de céramique, Sèvres, Musée des arts décoratifs, Paris, Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf and the National Gallery of Australia among many others

The last work by this important artist, a five piece stacking box decorated in iconic Dragonflies by Okada Yuji enclosed in a custom made wooden storage box. This piece was completed in 2022, shortly before he passed away. The dragonflies are performed in colored lacquer and gold powder with carved and polished Yellow and White Oyster-shell eyes. They fly over a swirling sea of Mother of Peral flakes. Inside is all Nashiji powdered gold. The boxes (stacked) are 23 x 23 x 39 cm (9 x 9 x 15-1/2 inches) and the set is in perfect condition.
Okada Yuji was born in Kyoto in 1948 and graduated with honors from the Kyoto Hiyoshi-ga-oka High School Lacquer Course, Receiving top prize for his graduation project. In 1969 he apprenticed under Ito Hiroshi, and the following year was accepted into the Kyoten (Kyoto Prefectural Art Exhibition) as well as the Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai exhibition (Kyoto Kogei Association of artists) where he would be awarded. This begins his solo career. In 1972 he establishes himself as an independent artist, and his work is accepted into the Nitten National Exhibition. In 1973 he is accepted into the Nihon Gendai Kogeiten (Modern Crafts Exhibition). He would subsequently exhibit regularly with the above mentioned Nitten, Nihon Gendai Kogeiten, Kyoten, Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai and later at the Urushi no Bi-ten (Nihon Shikko Kyokai Japanese Lacquer Association) exhibitions as well as solo and group shows, receiving many awards over the years. Later serving as a judge at several of these events. Throughout the 70s and early 80s he would receive numerous awards. In 1985 he took a professorship at the Dohda Art School. 1996 he enters a new phase, having become well known for restoration of lacquer arts, he begins to actively promote restoration work in addition to creating his own artwork. He would go on to restore over 3500 works of lacquer art before 2022. In 1999 he exhibits three Dry-Lacquer works at the New York Art Festival. This is a turning point in his career, when he begins debuting his latest works overseas in Germany, England and America. He retires from the Kyoto City Dohda Art School in 2003 and establishes a lacquer research center in the Ninenzaka area of Eastern Kyoto. In 2006 he opens the Lacquer Studio Shiun to pass on skills to a younger generation and becomes a member of the International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation. Post 2008 he concentrated on sharing his knowledge and technique with students and on the promotion of lacquer art through symposiums and events around the globe while at the same time continued to research into the techniques and restoration of lacquer artworks. Work by the artist is held in the collections of: the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Denver Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts New York, New Orleans Museum of Fine Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum and Shanghai Art Museum among many others.

A Heavy Slab-formed open rectangle of buff stoneware decorated with blanks of color “peeling” from the sides by Okada Kenzo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaku Tsubo. It measures 16 inches (40 cm) tall, 4-1/2 x 20 inches (12 x 51 cm) and weighs 16.5 kilograms (36 lbs) not including the box. It is in excellent condition. Due to size and weight the cost of shipping will be accrued separately. Okada Kenzo (b. 1948) is based physically in Mashiko but his work is based very much in the modern dimmension. He has exhibited at many domestic and international events including the Japan Traditional Art and Crafts exhibition, Chunichi International Ceramics Exhibition, and the Nihon Togeiten (National Pottery Exhibition), as well as Faenza International Ceramic Art exhibition and the 1993 Japan Society NY exhibition titled 'Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections. Work by him is held in the collection of the V&A, London among others.

Spectacular keshiki resulting from the combination of multiple kiln affects and textures defines this large footed slab by Kanzaki Shiho enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 14 x 20 inches (36 x 51 cm) and in excellent condition.
Kanzaki (b. 1942) prefers firing his kiln for ten days, resulting in the rich textures and heavy ash deposits apparent on this Tsubo. He began life born in Shigaraki, and was fast tracked into the Kansai University Law Department, but rather the life of a lawyer, after graduation he went with his heart to take up the precarious life of a potter, apprenticing under Mino artist Matsuyama Suketoshi. Later he returned to Shigaraki working there at the research center while developing his own style and methods with the Anagama. He has consistently stayed with the personal world of private exhibitions, developing a large following both at home and abroad and his list of exhibitions is impressive. .He has been the subject of several documentaries and Television interviews, and is widely published. For more information see, The Fire Artist, a documentary by Canadian Director Claude Gagnon.

A fantastic Mimitsuki fresh water container with rolling, sculptural corners very much in the style of the highly sought Bizen master Kakurezaki Ruichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 7-1/2 inches (18.5 cm) tall, 9 inches (23 cm) wide and in excellent condition, dating circa 1998. It is likely that Ryuichi needs no introduction, one of the most well known of Bizen potters, he is interestingly originally not from Bizen but far off Nagasaki, which seems to have gifted him with the ability to see the clays potential beyond conventional form. He graduated the Osaka University of Fine Arts, then enjoyed a long apprenticeship under Bizen Living National Treasure Isezaki Jun before opening his own kiln in 1986. Combining traditional technique with modern architectural form, He was recipient of the Japan Ceramics Society Award, Grand Prize at the Fifth Contemporary Tea Ceremony Utensils Exhibition, Tanabe Museum and has a list of public and private exhibitions which go beyond this brief add, including a showing in New York this year. His works are held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum of London, National Ceramic Museum of France and the Tanabe Museum among others.

A large and lovely platter by Koyama Kiyoko enclosed in the original signed wooden box.  The wavelike surface traps the thick crystalline ash glaze in deep green pools, the edges left raw and exposed.  The excessive amount of glaze is typical of this artists work, and she is known for firing her kiln for up to 14 days straight.  The dish is roughly 1 foot (30 cm) square and in excellent condition.  Kiyoko was the subject of the film Hi-Bi (2005) and is the pioneering female wood firing artist in Japan. Born in Sasebo, Nagasakin in 1938, she went to Shigaraki village, home of one of Japans Six Ancient Kilns (RokkoGama).  There she studied the traditional techniques,, and bore the brunt of centuries of discrimination against women.  Through it all she persevered to become one of the most highly sought of Shigaraki potters. It is a true pleasure to be able to offer this piece.