Modern Japanese Ceramics Pottery Contemporary
By Appointment is best. You might get lucky just popping by, but a great deal of the month I am out visiting artists or scouring up new items, so days in the gallery are limited.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1428919 (stock #1539)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A fabulous ash glazed Guinomi accented with iron and cobalt by Murakoshi Takuma enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 8.5 cm (3-1/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. Created as part of a restaurant consignment of 50 Guinomi, (for which he created about 70 in total), I was able to get in just after the firing and choose what I felt were a few of the best before anyone had a chance to view. I think this is a unique opportunity to acquire one of his finest pieces.
Murakoshi Takuma is one of those enigmas who simply lives to work with clay. He does not seek to make a living through pottery, but through his primal approach has earned a following which keeps his work in high demand. He was born in Aichi prefecture in 1954 and began his stroll down the pottery path in 1980 under the tutelage of Kyoto potter Umehara Takehira. Favoring very rough Shigaraki glaze, he established his own kiln in 1997 in the Kiyomizu pottery district of Kyoto, then moved to Nagaoka in 2002. Although eschewing the world of competitive exhibitions, he has been picked up by many of Japan’s preeminent galleries, including private exhibitions at the prestigious Kuroda Toen of Tokyo’s Ginza District.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1472980 (stock #MC218)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Widely fissured pale green glaze covers the elegant form of this fresh water jar for use in the Japanese Tea Ceremony by Uraguchi Masauyuki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Seiji Mizusashi. It is 12.5 cm (5 inches) tall, 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. It comes complete with the original black lacquered wooden lid.
Uraguchi Masayuki (b. 1964) discovered pottery while attending the Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music and his world turned when he was introduced to a Song Dynasty Seiji Vase" at the Tokyo National Museum designated a National Treasure during one of his art courses. After graduation he met (and studied under) living National Treasure for celadon Miura Koheiji at the Tokyo University of Art. Inspired by the Southern Song celadons as well as the work of Japanese master ceramists Itaya Hazan and Okabe Mineo, Uraguchi spent years personally researching his own celadon glazes and clay bodies types. He finished his post graduate program in 1989, claiming a prize that same year at the National Traditional Arts and Crafts New Works Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogei Shinsakuten). The following year he would b awarded at the Nitten National Exhibition. In 1991 he established his kiln in Tochigi prefecture. He has since received innumerable awards, including the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition, Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten) among many others. In 1995 he travelled to China to study first-hand the Song guan and Longquan ceramics. In 2001 he moved his Kiln to Hachigocho, Ibaraki Prefecture
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1477422 (stock #MC010)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Vivid yellow streaked with glassy Oribe green glaze highlights the sculpted middle of this exquisite covered jar by important artist Hayashi Shotaro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Oribe Mizusashi. It is entirely sculptural, with a refinement of glaze only this artist can create. Spectacular is all that comes to mind when viewing this groundbreaking artists work. The piece is 7 inches (18 cm) diameter, 6 inches (16 cm) tall and in perfect condition.
Hayashi Shotaro (b. 1947) is one of the biggest names in contemporary Mino ceramics. Although initially entering regular employment upon graduating high school, in 1967 he returned to Toki city to help his brother Kotaro. Very quickly within him was born the urge to create. He won the highest award at the Gifu Prefectural Art Exhibition in 1968, and from there his talent blossomed. He established his own kiln in 1974. Since then his list of exhibitions and awards has been amazing, including the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition), Governors Prize and five times winner of Best of Show at the Asahi Togei Ten (Asahi Ceramics Exhibition), and Best of Show at Gifu Prefectural Exhibition. At the Mino Ceramics Exhibition, in addition to the highest award, the Mino Ceramics Award, he has received all three major awards, including the Shoroku Award and the Kobei Award.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1460482 (stock #1887)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Rainbow colored Shino glaze burnt to a crispy finish covers this bamboo shaped vase by Hayashi Shotaro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. This is a perfect example of the daring route this artist took, propelling the popularity of Shino wares to new heights and inspiring many followers. The colors are fabulous, soft blues, pinks and greens. The gather together in rivulets framing the dark earth of the foot in the center of which is the artists signature. It is 23 cm (9 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.
Hayashi Shotaro (b. 1947) is one of the biggest names in contemporary Mino ceramics. Although initially entering regular employment upon graduating high school, in 1967 he returned to Toki city to help his brother Kotaro. Very quickly within him was born the urge to create. He won the highest award at the Gifu Prefectural Art Exhibition in 1968, and from there his talent blossomed. He established his own kiln in 1974. Since then his list of exhibitions and awards has been amazing, including the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition), Governors Prize and five times winner of Best of Show at the Asahi Togei Ten (Asahi Ceramics Exhibition), and Best of Show at Gifu Prefectural Exhibition. At the Mino Ceramics Exhibition, in addition to the highest award, the Mino Ceramics Award, he has received all three major awards, including the Shoroku Award and the Kobei Award.
All Items : Artists : Lacquer : Contemporary item #1433723 (stock #1594)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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There is something deeply elegant and feminine about the work of the female Maki-e artist Arai Etsuko, clearly evident here in this glass sake set decorated with olives in colored lacquer and precious gold powder enclosed in a compartmentalized and signed wooden box. Inside, the simple black silhouette, outside, various shades of green connected by gold branches from which hang fruit in various stages of ripeness. The Tokkuri is 17 cm (6-3/4 inches) tall, the cups 5 cm (2 inches) diameter. All are in new condition, directly from the artist this year.
Arai Etsuko (born in Kanagawa in 1980) apprenticed under Hiroshi Okada after Graduating the Kyoto School of Traditional Arts in 2003. For seven years she learned the arts of maki-e and kanshitsu, nunobari and inlay, working both on new pieces, as well as in the restoration of antique items, giving her a deep understanding of the various processes of lacquer over the centuries. In 2010 she moved out on her own. Her work is characterized by the exquisite mixture of traditional lacquer ware manufacturing methods and the delicate and gentle style unique to a woman. Her work has been exhibited at various venues throughout Japan, including the Asahi Craft exhibition and Kyoten. She was designated a Traditional Craftsperson (Dento Kogeishi)of Kyoto in 2014, Nationally in 2015. In a recent conversation She said she was drawn to the world of Lacquer by its glitter and sheen. Unlike drawing or pottery, the creation of lacquer art has no immediate sense of gratification, the imagery is brought out through layers over weeks or months, often invisible until the final stages. A most demanding medium, patience and diligence are paramount, but the result is unlike any other artform, and with proper care, can be passed through the generations, an heirloom to span the centuries.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1479033
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A single strand of gold lightning streaks down the darkness of this deep chawan by Tsujimura Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kuro Oribe Chawan on the lid, and named Raimei (Thunder Clap) inside the lid. Dating circa 2015, it is 11 x 9.5 x 10.5 cm (4-1/2 x 4 x 4-1/4 inches) and in excellent condition. The gold repair is artist made.
Tsujimura Shiro was born in Nara in 1947, and began his steps into the art world as an oil painter in 1965. While living at a Buddhist temple he experienced a profound connection with a Korean Tea Bowl, and began potting. He established his kiln and residence in 1970, with his first solo exhibition held in 1977. By the 1990s he had become an international star, with works exhibited in the US, UK, Germany, France and many other nations. He is highly acclaimed and somewhat reclusive, avoiding the public spectacles often needed to make one in Japan. A must have in any contemporary collection of Japanese ceramic art, work by him is held in museums throughout the globe, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at Smithsonian Institution, The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, The Spencer Museum, Ackland Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, The British Museum, Stockholm Museum of Art and the Miho Museum among many others
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1469367 (stock #MC023)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A natural ash glazed (Shizen-yu) vase by legendary artist Kumano Kurouemon enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Echizen Hanaire. It is 26 cm (10-1/2 inches) tall, 17 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
A ceramic madman, oil painter and recluse, Kuroemon is as eccentric as his pottery predicts. Born in Fukui prefecture in 1955 Kuroemon was a painter from youth, he began his studies under Fujita Jurouemon in 1976, and moved to study also under Toda Soshiro. Invited to the Soviet Union he spent time there and in Sakhalin in the 80s, returning to Japan to build his own kiln in 1987. He was the feature of a major exhibition in Germany in 2004, but aside from a few small exhibitions held in Japan (which quickly sell out) he remains a humble artist holed up in his mountain hermitage and works by him are not easy to acquire.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Porcelain : Contemporary item #1404156 (stock #1346)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Celadon is all about form, and here Yagi Akira has nailed it with this expertly executed architectural silhouette covered in pale blue-green glaze and enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 4-1/2 inches (14 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
This name is a must have in any collection of modern Japanese Pottery. Akira was born in Kyoto in 1955, son of avant garde Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979) one of the founding members of Sodeisha. Akira was voted one of the 20 most important living artists by Honoho, Japans premier printed ceramic forum. Works by the artist are held in the British Museum, Victoria Albert Museum, Cleveland Art Museum, Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian and Tokyo Muesum of Modern Art among many others. He was also the recipient of the Japan Ceramic Society (JCS) award in 1998, one in a long and prestigious list of awards.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Sculptural : Contemporary item #1114704 (stock #468)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Each uniquely carved row of frets on this large textured koro is a variegated shade of raw clay by Matsuzaki Ken enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The piece measures7 inches (17 cm) square, 9 inches (22 cm) tall and is in fine condition.
Matsuzaki Ken was born in Tokyo in 1950, and grew up in that dynamic post war era where tradition and modernity were at constant loggerheads. He graduated Tamagawa University in 1972, and moved to Mashiko to take up an apprenticeship under (to be) Living National Treasure Shimaoka Tatsuzo; putting him in direct lineage with Mingei legend Hamada Shoji. In 1978 he established the Yushin kiln, initially emulating the ordinary Mashiko-Mingei themes. However he could not be labeled so easily, and has sought expression in many forms and themes, including Shino, Hakeme, Yakishime, Zogan and porcelain. He is widely exhibited both inside and outside Japan, including New York, Boston and England and including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Works by the artist are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Sackler MuseumAMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston, Cleveland Museum of Art, Israel Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ibaraki Prefectural Museum and Mashiko Ceramic Museum as well as any number of other important public and private collections.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1490091 (stock #MC662)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A beautiful vessel by Kitamura Junko exhibiting the best of her handiwork. It is 16 cm (6-1/4 inches) diameter, 13.5 cm (5-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. There is no box.
Kitamura Junko learned under the tutelage of Suzuki Osamu and Kondo Yutaka of the influential Sodeisha. Like Mashiko artist Shimaoka Tatsuzo, her work is influenced by Jomon pottery, however her approach is very different. After impressing patterns into the clay with bamboo and firing once with a dark slip, the impressions are painstakingly filled with white slip, defining the pattern, and fired again. Works by the artist are held in many public collections, including the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Houston Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum of Art among many others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1115151 (stock #471)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Burnt yellow glaze streaks down the body to form encrustations of glazz on the base of this organic looking vessel by Hori Ichiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 10 inches (25.5 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Hori Ichiro (b. 1952) graduated the Tajimi School of Industrial Design and apprenticed under Kato Kozo. He has been awarded the Governors prize at the Asahi Ceramics Exhibtion, and has been displayed at the Chunichi Kokusai Togei Ten as well as Nihon Dento Kogei Ten. He says, “I believe in making pottery which is born of nature…”
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1469113 (stock #MC007)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1468667 (stock #MC032)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Wow, a jaw-dropping bowl in igneous black like some volcanic expulsion by Kim Hono enclosed in the original signed wooden box. So impressed was even the artist with this piece that he has drawn an image of the bowl up the side of the box and over onto the lid. It is 11.5 x 13 x 10 cm 4-1/2 x 5 x 4 inches) and in excellent condition.
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 Traditiaonal 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).
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1113687 (stock #466)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A large Shinshoku Ware-tsubo eroded through natural processes during firing with a shattered rim attached to the body at the shoulder. This piece is a virtual textbook on Yohen firing effects. Tamadare, Shinshoku, koge and other effects are supplanted by a large white kutsuki on the front, all under the shadow of the shattered rim fused to the shoulder. It is roughly 10 inches (25 cm) tall, the same diameter enclosed in a fine kiri-wood box. To quote from Japanese Wood fired Ceramics, Ceramic pieces exposed to prolonged high temperatures and heavy ash deposit will begin to erode…as the erosion progresses, holes may appear in the ceramic pieces. This usually occurs just before major collapse. Here we see heavy erosion on the fire side of the piece, heavily coated in ash and deeply pitted. The Japanese aesthetic emphasizes asymmetry and an appreciation of the Natural forces. This aesthetic is best expressed with the respect shown towards accidents of firing, often highly appreciated for their unique qualities. Connoisseurs spend years searching for that one unpredictable piece, and it can become the focal point of a collection, most appropriate in the dark humble confines of a tea room.
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 191 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 eas 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 perservered, 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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1466358 (stock #YOKO54)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A wide Hai (sake cup) covered in earthen glaze with vibrant blue lines undulating through the basin by Shigemori Yoko enclosed in a signed wooden box. The blue has worked its way into the pale glaze, creating a stark texture in the riches line through the bowl. It is 9.2 cm (roughly 3-3/4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, in a box annotated by her nephew.
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 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. She was one of five artists featured in Toh, volume 76, The first issue dedicated to Kyoto Potters. Toh was at the time the most in depth survey of important contemporary potters published in 1993. Her work is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Jars : Pre 2000 item #1297612 (stock #850)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A powerful Mimitsuki Karatsu Mizusashi by Nakagawa Jinembo (Jinenbo b. 1953) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Vicious white glaze, deeply fissured, supplants the fawn brown of the back, all over a very rough red clay filled with shiseki stones. The piece breathes energy, vivacious and playful it is a pleasure to view and use. The lid is similarly glazed, with hakeme brush marks inside. The piece is roughly 7 inches (18 cm) tall, the same diameter and in perfect condition.
Jinembo was always fascinated with Karatsu ware, and studied under the great Inoue Toya from the age of 24. Several years later he returned to his hometown to establish a climbing kiln of his own, which he put to great use. From there, not satisfied with his own work skills, he went to Tanaka Sajiro for an additional apprenticeship. Since he has, as many Chajin artists, concentrated on private exhibitions as an outlet for his work, shunning the world of mass competition and retail, making his work both highly valued and hard to find.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Pre 2000 item #1321801 (stock #936)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A ceramic koro incense burner, the stone-like body decorated with a portion of a red ring by Sato Kazuhiko enclosed in the original wooden box with all the exhibition paraphernalia. It is 8-1/2 x 4 x 8 inches (21.5 x 10 x 20 cm) and is in excellent condition. This piece was exhibited at Tokyo’s Nipponbashi Mitsukoshi in 1994 and was published in the December edition of the magazine Fujin Gaho that same year. A copy of the article on the artist is enclosed and the original Exhibition labels are attached.
One of my personal favorites, Sato Kazuhiko was born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1947. He graduated the Tokyo University of Art Ceramic department advanced studies in 1972. Trained under Living National Treasures Tamura Koichi and Fujimoto Yoshimichi, his graduation work was awarded a prize. He held his first solo exhibition the next year, a difficult feat for a young artist. In 1979 his work was displayed in New York’s Bloomingdales Department store, and the following year he was selected for exhibition in Sidney and Melbourne, Australia. Three years later his works would travel to Washington DC and London. From there he blossomed, one can only wonder how he kept up wth the demand or the number of exhibitions he was asked for each year. He is a widely displayed artist and author of many books on the ceramic arts. He also plays guitar, and piano, self taught! For more information on this artist see Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections (1993).
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1265578 (stock #754 )
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Amazing Glaze on this unusual three sided vase by Iga artist Atarashi Kanji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Shell shapes are impressed into the thick green fromwhere it was supported in the kiln. Able to be used either standing or on its back, this is a superb work. It is 15 inches (39 cm) long 4-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches (11.5 x 14 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Kanji was born in Osaka in 1944, and graduated the Osaka College of Craft design. After 3 years in Kobe, and 4 in Kishiwada (Wakayama) he came to settle in Iga, where he was one of the driving forces behind the resurrection and preservation of the Iga tradition. Although displayed at the National Craft Exhibition, he prefers the intimacy of the private exhibition, of which he holds several every year. And if ones visit to japan is not timed right for an exhibition, he can otherwise be found at his kiln working along with his son and daughter.