Catalog: Artists: Ceramics: Porcelain (60)

An intriguing white tower by Kato Kiyoyuki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hakuho 83-4. It is quite large at 54 cm (21-1/4 inches) and is in excellent condition. Although the size would make one expect it to be heavy, it is incredibly light. Deceptive….Intriguing…It feels more like a sculpture than a vase, a hallmark of this artist.
Kato Kiyoyuki was born in 1931, the heir to a long-established tile-making business in Seto, Kato studied ceramics at high school. His main interest lay in painting and sculpture, however, and it was only when he was in his late twenties that he began to work in ceramics. He made his submission to the Nitten exhibition in 1958. Having set out with an interest in producing well-designed utilitarian ceramics in keeping with the principles of the then newly established Japan Craft Design Association, he soon turned his hand to the making of sculptural ceramics. Kato's development as a ceramic sculptor owed much to his friendship with Teshigahara Sofu (1900-79), the former head of the Sogetsu school of flower-arranging. Rather as avant-garde tendencies in the world of flower-arranging led Hayashi Yasuo and other members of the Shikokai to produce so-called "objet" flower vases' in the late 1940s and 1950s, Terashige's experimental interests encouraged Kato to explore his sculptural ambitions in vessel as well as non-vessel formats. He is the recipient of the most prestigious Japan Ceramic Society Gold Prize

A breathtaking white form of draped porcelain by Nagae Shigekazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box with the original Daimaru Department Store exhibition invitation. Light patterns are almost indiscernible on the surface, incredibly detailed and crisp when viewed close-up. What is surprising about this work is the weight, incredibly light. The piece measures 16 x 16 x 5 inches (41 x 41 x 12 cm) and is in excellent condition. Due to fragility this piece will require special shipping consideration.
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.

An exceptional work by Kondo Takahiro, three sided decorated with concentric squares triangles and circles in rushing fields of blue wrpped in a yellow cloth pouch and enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Jikku tsubo. It is 59 cm (2 feet) tall and in excellent condition enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Created in 1994 it was exhibited at Takashimaya Department Store Gallery that same year in the exhibition "Blue Time 1200". It is also published in the book Kondo Takahiro Time and Space '91-99, Vase Raisonne. A copy of the book is included.
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 petaled vase in snow s\white porcelain with silver blossoming from the rim by Itaya Narumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, from the artist this year. Itaya Narumi was born in Gifu in 1991, and graduated the Toki City Ceramics Research Facility in 2015. She has participated in several exhibitions since, with an emphasis on natural forms and tactile senses.

A globular vase covered in the trademark sansai glazes of Ningenkokuho Tokuda Yasokichi III (Masahiko) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The vase is 6-1/2 inches (17 cm) diameter and in excellent condition. Designated Living National Treasure in 1997 for his supremacy in the use of Kutani glazes, Yasokichi, born Masahiko, has gone a step further than many National Treasures by broadening his spectrum with a new style of Kutani ware. Masahiko graduated from the Kanazawa school of arts, and took up apprenticeship under his father Yasokichi II. His works are held by many private collections, as well as the Polk museum and Kanazawa Contemporary Museum of Art.

Five serene white concave disks set on unique bases by Kato Yoshiyasu enclosed in the original signed and compartmentalized wooden box titled Asobi Kodai Hai, Gokyaku Soroi (Playful Foot Five Sake Cup Set). Each cup is roughly 8 cm (3-1/4 inches) diameter, and all are in excellent condition, from the artist this year. This set was assembled by the artist specifically for our gallery, and is the only boxed set like it in the world.
Kato Yoshiyasu was born in Aichi prefecture in 1985, and graduated the Kurashiki Kogei Crafts School design department in 2008. He then went on to study at the Tajimi Ceramics Research Facility, finishing there in 2014. He moved to Nshio city in 2018, where he set up a studio and works today while raising a cute little baby with his wife.

This young guy’s stuff is very chic; a sake set by Kato Yoshiyasu in purest white and darkest black, everything a dialog between shadow and form. Here the artist has used a combination of his repertoire. The cup is pure white dipped into black, the black then chiseled away in divots creating a beautiful pattern for the eyes and texture for fingers. The Ozabu (Pillow shaped Daiza saucer) is a flattened ball, dimpled to receive the cup, then pierced with various sized holes. Alongside standing sentry the bent silhouette of the Tokkuri, a dark belt between pierced white: an eggshell coming apart. The cup is petite, perfect for a summer sipping reishu cold sake, the rim folded in to trap the delicate aroma. The UFO shaped Daiza (saucer) is 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter and the Tokkuri is 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) tall. All are in excellent condition, enclosed in their respective signed boxes, directly from the artist this summer.
Kato Yoshiyasu was born in Aichi prefecture in 1985, and graduated the Kurashiki Kogei Crafts School design department in 2008. He then went on to study at the Tajimi Ceramics Research Facility, finishing there in 2014. He moved to Nshio city in 2018, where he set up a studio and works today while raising a cute little baby with his wife.

A riot of spring flowers in minute detail covers this dainty tea cup by Kawada Satomi enclosed in the original wooden box titled Hanazukushi-wan, and signed Kutani Satomi. The cup is 7.5 cm (3 inches) diameter, 6.5 cm (2-1/2 inches) tall and is in excellent condition. There are two types of Kutani overglazes, one like watercolor, opaque and vivid, the other like translucent glass. During the Meiji period when massive western demand brought about a thriving export market, the former was popular. However, in the later 20th century and more recently artists have been drawn to the latter. Like her mentor Nakamura Toshito, Kawada Satomi picks up where the Meiji tradition left off, but with a much more modern sensibility. Her work is delicate, extravagant, and peppered with unusual tones of blue and lavender. She graduated the Nagoya Design Institute in 1998, working as an illustrator. She enrolled at the Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Research Facility, graduating in 2005, and entered the Nihon Kogeikai and followed with an apprenticeship under Nakamura Toshito. She was designated a Traditional Craftsperson in 2017.

A set of five brightly colored tea cups by Kitagawa Kazuki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kasaneirome Chawan (Tea Bowl of Layered Colors). Each is 8 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter, 6 cm (2-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition, directly from the artist this Spring. The artist creates each of these cups individually by pouring liquified porcelain into a mold, swirling it around, allowing it to dry slightly, then pouring it out and adding another layer of differing color. After removing it from the mold and drying, each piece is hand etched to reveal the various layers of color in vibrant beams like sunlight through a rainbow. There is something very joyful about these works.
Katagawa Kazuki was born in Kyoto in 1991, and graduated the design department of Seika University in 2014 before moving for advanced studies at the Tajimi Municipal Ceramics Research Facility where he graduated in 2016. He now lives and works in Tajimi, and has developed several lines of intriguing pottery.

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)

An elegant porcelain incense burner of draped form by porcelain master Kubota Yasuyoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seihakuji Ryusen -mon Koro. It is 15.5 cm (6 inches) to the top of the finial and is in excellent condition.
Kubota Yasuyoshi was born in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto on the Southern Island of Kyushu in 1952. He was awarded top prize at the Yamaguchi Ceramics Exhibition in 1982, and since has been awarded at the National Ceramics Exhibition as well as the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition among many others.

A playful bowl in vivid colors by Tokuda Junko (Tokuda Yasokichi IV) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Kutani Chawan. It is 13cm (just over 5 inches) diameter, 8.5 cm (3-1/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Tokuda Junko (Yasokichi IV) was born the first child of future Living National Treasure Tokuda Masahiko in 1961. While on a trip to the United States in her mid-20s, the young Tokuda came across a pot from Jingdezhen, China and drew her back to the fold of the family tradition. She graduated from the Institute for Kutani in 1990 and embarked on her path as an artist. Succeeding the family name in 2010 upon the passing of her father, Junko is one of very few female heads of traditional potting family.

An exquisite vessel of pure white carved with ripples by Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuho) Maeta Akihiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seihakuji Chomon Henko. It is 27 cm (10-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Maeta Akihiro was born in Tottori city in 1954, graduating the Osaka University of Art in 1977. He has exhibited at and been awarded at the National Ceramic Art Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten) the 1993 Shin-Takumi Kogeiten New Crafts Person Exhibition, National Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogeiten) as well as grand prize at the 20th influential Chanoyu no Zokei Modern Forms in Tea exhibition held at the Tanabe Museum. In 1999 his work was selected for exhibition in Paris. That same year he was awarded the order of cultural Merit by his home of Tottori. In 2004 he received the important JCS award (Nihon Tojikyokai-sho). In 2007 he was recipient of the Shijuhosho Imperial award with purple ribbon. In 2010 he was Order of the was awarded the order of cultural Merit by his home of Tottori Prefecture, and was named an important cultural property of the prefecture the following year. In 2013 he was named a Living National Treasure (Juyo Mukei Bunkazai) for Hakuji porcelain. His work is held in the collections of a great many public institutions including the Imperial Household Collection, Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, MOA Museum, Tanabe Museum and overseas the British Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Auckland Museum, Indianapolis Museum, Philadelphia Museum, and Everson Museum of Art among many others.

Vibrant yellow overfills this deep plate by Living National Treasure Tokuda Masahiko (Yasokichi III) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 21cm (Just over 8 inches) diameters, 6.5cm (2-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Tokuda Yasokichi III (Masahiko, 1933-2009) was born the first son of Tokuda Yasokichi II who had been adopted as a teenager into the Tokuda family. Masahiko graduated from the Kanazawa school of arts, and took up apprenticeship under his grandfather and father Yasokichi I & II. Well versed in orthodox Kutani design, he broke with tradition developing his own unique style titled Saiyu in the 1970s. By broadening his spectrum with this new style of Kutani ware he garnered considerable attention. In 1986, he was named a Bearer of Important Intangible Cultural Assets by Ishikawa Prefecture (local version of Living National Treasure) and a decade later was designated Living National Treasure in 1997 for his supremacy in the use of Kutani glazes. Yasokichi III, His works are held by the Polk Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, The British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Smithsonian, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Kanazawa Contemporary Museum of Art among many others.

A gossamer work by the demanding young female artist Lu Xueyun enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Breeze 2019-I. The vessel is made up of married sheets of thin porcelain, so thin in fact that light passes easily through it. Her works are truly exquisite, captivating in their frailty. I have been following the diaphanous works of this artist (known in Japan by the Japanese reading of her name, Ro-san) for nearly 5 years and waiting for the opportunity to introduce her to the outer world. This is 21.5 x 27.5 x 13.5 cm (8-1/2 x 11 x 5-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist
Lu Xueyun was born in Chongqing, China in 1987 and graduated the SiChuan International Studies University in 2010, before taking a position in a Chinese company overseas division. Unsatisfied with corporate life, she enrolled in the Traditional Arts Super College of Kyoto, Ceramics Course graduating in 2019, then did two years study at the Ishoken Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center. While there she took part in several juried and group exhibitions, but this is the first time her works have been shown to an international audience.

A large work of overlapping strips of sheer porcelain by the demanding young female artist Lu Xueyun enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The vessel is made up of overlapping strips of thin porcelain, so thin in fact that light passes easily through it. Her works are truly exquisite, captivating in their frailty. I have been following the artist (known in Japan by the Japanese reading of her name, Ro-san) for nearly 5 years and waiting for the opportunity to introduce her to the outer world. This is 29.5 x 31.5 x 19 cm (roughly 1 foot diameter x 7-3/4 inches tall) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist
Lu Xueyun was born in Chongqing, China in 1987 and graduated the SiChuan International Studies University in 2010, before taking a position in a Chinese company overseas division. Unsatisfied with corporate life, she enrolled in the Traditional Arts Super College of Kyoto, Ceramics Course graduating in 2019, then did two years study at the Ishoken Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center. While there she took part in several juried and group exhibitions, but this is the first time her works have been shown to an international audience.

A gossamer work by the demanding young female artist Lu Xueyun enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Breeze 2019-III. The vessel is made up of married sheets of thin porcelain, so thin in fact that light passes easily through it. Her works are truly exquisite, captivating in their frailty. I have been following the diaphanous works of Lu (known in Japan by the Japanese reading of her name, Ro-san) for nearly 5 years and waiting for the opportunity to introduce her to the outer world. This is 20 x 18.5 x 12 cm (12 x 7-1/2 x 5 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist
Lu Xueyun was born in Chongqing, China in 1987 and graduated the SiChuan International Studies University in 2010, before taking a position in a Chinese company overseas division. Unsatisfied with corporate life, she enrolled in the Traditional Arts Super College of Kyoto, Ceramics Course graduating in 2019, then did two years study at the Ishoken Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center. While there she took part in several juried and group exhibitions, but this is the first time her works have been shown to an international audience.

A long low basin by Lu Xueyen in translucent white porcelain enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Enfolding II. It is 21.5 x 38 x 15 cm (8-1/2 x 15 x 6 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
I have been following the diaphanous works of Lu Xueyun (known in Japan by the Japanese reading of her name, Ro-san) for nearly 5 years and waiting for the opportunity to introduce her to the outer world.
Lu Xueyun was born in Chongqing, China in 1987 and graduated the SiChuan International Studies University in 2010, before taking a position in a Chinese company overseas division. Unsatisfied with corporate life, she enrolled in the Traditional Arts Super College of Kyoto, Ceramics Course graduating in 2019, then did two years study at the Ishoken Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center. While there she took part in several juried and group exhibitions, but this is the first time her works have been shown to an international audience.