Catalog: Artists (750)

This cage of raw white porcelain by Goto Miho, like dried bones, contains a glistening membrane, a mysterious ceramic sculpture by this young artist from her Heartbeat of the Skin series. It is 14 x 15 x 16.5 cm (roughly 5-1/2 x 6 x 6-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist. When prompted about her message she said: I feel that there is something vaguely present that is never visible in my everyday life. It always speaks to me like a pulse beating deep within my thin skin, insisting on its existence. Although I have been expressing myself through painting for nearly ten years, now that I think about it, I feel like I've always been struggling to discover its true identity.
When I encountered ceramics for the first time, I suddenly felt that I had found the means to respond to this vague phantom within.
In this medium I constantly interact with unknown experiences; I am able to feel a certain sense of this diaphanous existence and create works through which I can touch people's five senses; gradually giving back to society. For the first time, I feel like I am a part of this world.
Goto Miho entered the ceramics course at Osaka University of Arts in 2021, already an advanced student initially trained in painting. She was awarded at the 14th Prince Takamado Memorial Netsuke Competition in 2022. In 2023 whe entered Ceramic Design Institute of Tajimi City, and the same year was recipient of the 9th Contemporary Art and Culture Foundation Ceramic Artist Support Grant. Her work was also selected for the Ceramic Synergy Exhibition held at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art. This is the first time her work has been offered to an overseas audience.

Ash encrusts one side of this flattened Signature form by Shigaraki Legend Furutani Michio enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Opposite is rich red terracotta and in between rivers of molten green glass. It is 45 cm (17-1/2 inches) diameter, and weighs 14 kg (30 pounds) plus the thick Kiri-wood box. This belongs in a museum of contemporary Japanese pottery.
Furutani Michio is one of the Gods of Shigaraki, an artist who wrote the book on Anagama kilns, and one of the more influential artists of the second half of the 20th century. He was born in Shigaraki; graduating the Konan High School of industrial Arts, he moved to further his studies (like so many great artist before him, Kanjiro, Hamada…) at the Kyoto Institute of Industrial Arts in 1964. After breaking out on his own, he started by building an Anagama in Shigaraki in 1970, the first since the middle ages. He was a true pioneer, reviving the tradition and going on to build over thirty kilns over the next thirty years. No other artist has shown such singular dedication to a firing technique. He has been featured in the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition), Nihon Togei Ten (Japanese Ceramic Exhibition) and the Chunichi Kokusai Togei Ten among others. He passed away at the peak of his career. For more on this artists contributions see his book Anagama – Building Kilns and Firing.

A canonical misshapen Shigaraki Jar by legendary female artist Koyama Kiyoko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Uzukumaru. The igneous coating of mottled natural ash glaze containing clusters of charring gives testament to the fluctuations in temperature during the firing which give the work of this pioneering female artist such a unique quality. Here the form is classic medieval Shigaraki with a cross-work pattern called Higaki engraved into the shoulder of the jar. It is 21 cm (8-1/2 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 magnificent large spiraling work in dark iron by Takatsu Mio. Perfection of form defines this young female artists work, and this does not disappoint. It begins at a blunt point, tightly spiraling outward as the shape evolves from a thick round to a wide spiraling flange. A very challenging work which seems to defy understanding. It is 66 cm long and in excellent condition, directly from the artist. It is signed beneath.
Takatsu Mio (b. 1976) was raised in Gifu prefecture among the scattered kilns of Mino. She graduated the Osaka University of Arts Sculpture Department in 1999, moving on to advanced studies which she completed in 2001, putting her at the forefront of the current female revolution in Japanese ceramic arts. Her first exhibited works were in 1999, and then again in Tokyo in 2001. The following year she exhibited with the 6th International Ceramics Exhibition in Mino with several private exhibitions over the following years in many top venues. In 2005 she made her overseas debut. In 2009 her work was featured in Women Ceramic Artists in the 21st Century (Paramita Museum/Mie Japan) 2011 saw her work accepted into the Faenza International Ceramics Exhibition in Italy, as well as the Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition. She had to take a break to concentrate on motherhood and raising a baby, but it back in the saddle again, creating new works and showing what a woman and a mother can do.

A breathtaking new look at Shigaraki Anagama ware by Furutani Taketoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Yohen Shinogi Tsubo (Natural Ash Glazed Blade Style Shigaraki Tsubo). The artist has coil formed the vessel, with thick walls, then incised a waving pattern leaving a saw-tooth surface dusted in ash with brilliant hi-iro and dark charring. It is 31 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Directly from the artist this summer.
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 studying wheel technique, graduating the following year. He then did a year apprenticeship at a pottery before re-entering for a second course at the Research Facility, graduating in 1995. From that year he returned to the family kiln, receiving the family tradition from both his grandfather Furutani Churoku and father Furutani Hirofumi. Subverting the self, he makes simple, organic pots which have a timeless quality, very much rooted in the now, but paying homage to the traditions past down through the ages. He was named a Designated Traditional Craftsman (Dento Kogeishi) in 2013. He has exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogeiten among others, and still works closely with his father at the family kiln.

A large deep bowl decorated in abstract underglaze blue imagery by Shibata Ryozo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Sometsuke Hachi and dating cica 1995. It is 28 cm (11 inches) diameter, 14 cm (5-1/2 inches) deep and in excellent condition.
Shibata Ryozo (b. 1952) completed advanced studies at the Kyoto Municipal University of Arts in 1978 (his work was purchased by the university the previous year for its permanent collection). In 1993 he first exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten National Traditional Crafts Association, and in 94 was awarded at the Izushi Porcelain Trienial in Hyogo. After that he concentrated more on the Kansai area, and has been awarded at the Kyoto Bijutsu Kogeiten (97), Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai Ten (98), Seto Sometsuke Exhibition (99) and Osaka Crafts Exhibition on multiple occasions. He has been a guest speaker at the University of Michigan in 2005, and artist in residence in Campbell Australia in 2006. Just this year his work was selected for exhibition in Boston at the Society of Arts and Crafts. In 2014 his work was collected by the Imperial household agency, and he is held in the collections of Kyoto City and Toyooka City Museums among others.

A set of ten sake cups by Takegoshi Jun depicting Umi-no-sachi (treasures of the sea) in aka-e and overglaze enamels enclosed in the original compartmentalized wooden box. Each cup is uniquely decorated with a delicacy in the raw, Shrimp, Red Snapper, blow fish et al. Each cup is 8 cm (roughly 3 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Takegoshi Jun (alternatively written Takekoshi) was born in Ishikawa prefecture, home to Kutani Yaki, the son of the third generation Takegoshi Taizan (1919-1984) in the early post-war era, 1948. He learned pottery techniques under his father, while training in Nihonga painting at the Kanazawa University of Fine Art, graduating in 1971. He then apprenticed under the Kutani monument Kitade Fujio, and began exhibiting with the Nitten National Exhibition. Since he has exhibited with many venues, garnering awards at the aforementioned Nitten, Shin Kogeiten New Crafts Fair, took top prize at the 38th Gendai Kogeiten (Modern Crafts Fair, and has been featured several times on Japanese Television. He received the Prestigious JCS award, on e of the highest honors for a Japanese potter, n 2007. Works by him are held in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Newark Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Yale University Art Gallery among others.

A Mizusashi Water Jar for use in the Japanese Tea Ceremony by Otani Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The artist has chosen to rely solely on the flavor of the clay, truly barren earth colored only with shadow and light resulting from the flame and kiln position. This beautifully showcases the nature of the distinct Shiseki filled Shigaraki clay. Top an austere black lacquered wooden lid like a pool of dark shadow. It is 26 cm (10-1/2inches) diameter, 13.5 cm (6 inches) high and in excellent condition.
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.

A black clay sculpture by Yamaguchi Mio titled Ningen (Human). This is not a glaze, but the actual color of the clay, left raw at firing time, to settle to a soft, matte black. It is 20.5 x 30 x 49.5 cm (8 x 12 x 20 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist, dating from 2022.
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.

Large Leafed Vines are silhouetted against age darkened silver on this striking covered basin by Banura Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. A segment of vine serves as a handle on the lid and it appears to float above the table on three ribbon feet. It is 25 cm (10 inches) diameter, 15 cm (6 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Banura Shiro (1941-2001) was born the fourth son of influential Lacquer Artist Banura Shogo. His sensitivity to textures may stem from that exacting influence. Although his older brother succeeded the family tradition (another branching into paper arts), Shiro, after graduating the Kyoto University of Fine Art, apprenticed in the plastic arts under Kawamura Kitaro (1899-1966) who was a student of Kitaoji Rosanjin. Rosanjin, a restaurateur, artist, and overall renaissance man believed the dish was there to support and bring out the beauty of food served. Shiro took this as his raison d’etre; his lifetime pursuit to create dishes which complimented the seasonality, texture, color and flavor. He had an impressive list of exhibitions, including a private exhibition at the Umeda Kindai Bijutsu-Ten as well as the Niponbashi Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya, and Ikebukuro Tobu, the equivalent of being displayed on New Yorks Fifth Avenue or other cities most Trendy streets, as well as many international exhibitions. Like most Iga-area artists, his output was low, but quality and originality high, making his work very much in demand.

A sculptural form covered in iconic Iga Kiln effects by Toyosaki Nobuhiko of the Korin-kiln in Mie prefecture enclosed in the original signed wooden box. On the convex shoulder, green glass pools crystalline, while a smattering of goma (sesame) ash clings to the bulbous side, gray charring and plenty of flying ash to fill in the blanks. It is 25 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Born in 1955, he graduated Kyoto’s Ritsumeikan University department of Science and Engineering in 1980 before enrolling in the Seto Ceramic Research Facility. In 1982 he moved to Toki City where he apprenticed under the Iga master Kishimoto Kennin. In 1988 he returned to his hometown, establishing his own kiln that same year. He has remained focused on private venues and the intimacy of the private exhibition.

An artist whose bold creations work well in a Western setting, here is a seminal piece just in time for the season decorated with dark iron branches laden with silver blossoms by Miyake Yoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ginsai Sakura Mon Henko. Here the artist has set the oxidized silver flowers and dark tree silhouettes on a ground of rusty yellow, an intriguing combination. It is 57.5 x 13 x 30.5 cm (23 x 5 x 12 inches) and is in excellent condition. This is a masterpiece, and at almost two feet long sure to garner a great deal of attention.
Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
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 trumpeting fluted form covered in igneous blasted ash by Iga legend Kojima Kenji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Iga Ruiza Hanaire. Ruiza is the name of these small circular studs which decorate the vase between the flutes near the rim. It seems to dance on the table, the form bent as if in a twirl. This vessel, very organic in formation, is 25 cm (10 inches) tall, roughly 15 cm (6 inches) diameter at the top, and is in excellent condition.
Kojima Kenji was born in Aichi Prefecture in 1953 and graduated from the Tokoname Ceramic Vocational High School in 1971. In 1973 he spent a year in Iga before moving to Bizen for a five year apprenticeship with Konishi Tozo. He returned to Iga in 1979 and built an anagama. He has exhibited with the Nihon Togeiten National Ceramic Exhibition, Asahi Togeiten Ceramic Art Exhibition and Chunichi International Ceramic Exhibition as well as an impressive list of solo exhibitions in some of Japan’s top galleries.

A striking Tetsu-yu Kakiwake Kabin by Shimizu Yasutaka enclosed in the original signed wooden box and accompanied by the original autographed exhibition catalog from 2007. The vessel is featured as item number 1 in the catalog, the star of the show and obviously very important to the artist to have earned such placement. It stands 16 inches (42 cm) tall, 11 inches (29 cm) diameter and is in excellent condition.
Yasutaka was born into the pottery household of future Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi in 1947. Although always involved in pottery, he began his official apprenticeship in the plastic arts under his fathers tutelage after graduating Ryukoku University in 1971. One year later his first piece was accepted in National competition at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogeiten). The following year he was awarded the first of many awards at the second Kinki Area Nihon Kogei Kai Exhibition. In 1975 he was accepted into the Nihon Togei Ten (National Ceramics Exhibition). He has a constant following in the world of Private exhibitions, and his work is held by Kyoto Prefecture. Due to size the cost of shipping will be assessed separately from the list price.

Grapes in gold lined ocher decorate this flaring cylinder the color of a cloudy sky by Miyake Yoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Nuki-e Kinsai Budomon Tsutsu. It is 30 cm (12 inches) tall, 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
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.

Pale jade spots dot the incised surface of this unusual vase by Nagae Shigekazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box retaining the Shiori and Shifuku. The vase, if not for its distant, moon-like quality, has a very pop-art-presence, blending both the austerity of Japanese traditional aesthetics with contemporary art. Fun and moving; a haunting pleasure. It is 14 inches (35.5 cm) tall, 5 inches (13 cm) square at the base, 7 inches (19 cm) wide at the rim 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 pottery box decorated in over-glaze enamels and precious metals by Kato Reikichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Sengiri Jikiro.　It is a colorful and playful work a pleasure to look upon. It is 9-1/2 x 5-1/2 x 8 inches (24 x 14 x 20 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Kato Reikichi was born in 1953 the 22nd generation of an unbroken line of potters spanning back to the Keicho era in the Momoyama period. He graduated the art department of Tamagawa University and has since worked to expand his traditional repertoire with an emphasis on sculpture and experimentive glaze research. He has been exhibited and awarded at the Nitten on numerous occasions. He received several awards over the years at the Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten International Ceramic Exhibition, as well as the Asahi Togeiten, Nihon Shin Kogeiten National New Crafts Exhibition, and the Niko-kai Exhibition among many others. His work is held by the Seto City Museum, The Furukawa Museum The Nitten Kaikan and the Aichi Prefectural Ceramics Museum among others.

Who says the work of a woman potter is feminine? This is a powerful Iga work by Watanabe Aiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box. There is nothing sedate about this work, charred and dripping with glassy green glaze, freckled with flying ash; the heavy lug handles jutting from the side slightly off kilter. The vessel is 7 inches (17 cm) tall, roughly the same diameter and in excellent condition.
Aiko established her first Anagama kiln in Shigaraki in 1994, and moved to Iga in 2001 where she built her second kiln. That was a big year of change for her, and she held her first of many private exhibitions in Shibuya, Tokyo, including one just finished at Kuroda Toen. Always building in 2003 she began planning her third Anagama kiln, which was first fired in 2005. A promising young artist still affordable, but with recent media attention that condition may not last.