Catalog (1083)

A large vase decorated with silver and gold orbs under blue by legendary female artist Ono Hakuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yuri kin-gin sai Hana Tsubo. It is 34 cm (13-1/2 inches) tall, 29 cm (11-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, complete with Shiori and Shifuku.
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)

This is a seminal work by the most legendary figure in Shino today, Hayashi Shotaro, in his signature Manyosai glaze with incredible color patterns enclosed in the original singed wooden box complete with wrapping cloth and name card (Shiori and Shifuku). It is huge at 53.5 x 10 x 24.5 cm (21 x 4 x 9-3/4 inches) and in perfect condition. Very Heavy!
Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
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.

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.

Enigmatic natural forms seem fossilized on the white surface of this rare guinomi by female pottery star Hattori Makiko enclosed in a black lidded wooden box signed and dated inside Heisei 27 (2015) and titled simply Shuki. It is 7.5 cm (3 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. This was from way back when we could acquire works by her. Those days are long gone, and this is the last of its kind.
Hattori Makiko was born in Aichi prefecture in 1984. She graduated the Aichi Prefectural University of Education of in 2007, moving to advanced courses which she graduated in 2009. While still in University she participated in her first event, the 40th Female Artists Exhibition in 2006. In 2007 she was accepted into the 45th Asahi Togeiten (and the following year the 46th). In 2008 she was exhibited at the INAX gallery and Chunichikan (Chinese Korean and Japanese) International Art Exhibition. That same year her work was exhibited in Taiwan. 2009 found her in a group exhibition with several rising stars. Tanaka Tomomi, Nakashima Harumi and Hattori Makiko. Since then she has concentrated more on art fairs and festivals, rather than the large competitive exhibitions held nationally. Preferring the interaction with visitors which these smaller venues allow, and reliving the pressure to constantly produce volume so as to stay focused on quality and Uniqueness. Now a mother, there are even more demands on her time.

One of the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen by this pioneering Shino artist, a spectacular Mizusahi by Okabe Mineo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled E-shino Mizusashi. It is 17 cm (6-3/4 inches) diameter, 16 cm (6-1/2 inches) tall 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 sumptuous design of white flowers among dark leaves on a cream-colored dry lacquer form by Okada Yuji exhibited at the Kyoto Kogeikai Kaiten in 2020. It is performed in multiple layers, first the form of dry lacquer, which entails a great amount of time in creation, layer upon layer of lacquer, cloth, paper and Tonoko powder. Then has been applied thick colored lacquer with tataki-nuri texture over which the cream-colored white lacquer is applied. This is ground down to reveal the ridges of the color layers. On top of this the leaves are created and sprinkled with gold, intimating color, while the thick carved shell has been inlayed into the surface. Breathtaking, the box is 26 x 26 x 23 cm (10-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 9 inches) 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.

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.

I have seen a lot of work over the last quarter century by Kawai Kanjiro, and among it all, this is an absolute stunner. 'Museum quality' as a quote gets thrown around a lot, but I do not use it lightly. The form, the clarity of the white, the crispness of the lines of color and his obvious deft touch. It ranks among the top ten percent I have seen by this important artist without a doubt. The vessel is 19 x 12.5 x 16.5 cm (7-1/2 x 5 x 6-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition, enclosed in the original signed high-quality kiri-wood Shiho-buta box titled Hana-Henko. For similar works see the Katsukawa collection published in the biblical tome by the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art.
Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishing his own kiln on the Gojo-no-Saka (It remains standing today and is a must see for anyone visiting Kyoto). Together with compatriots Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach (with whom he traveled throughout Asia) established the modern Mingei movement in ceramics, the most influential ceramics movement in the 20th century. His research on glazes (of which he developed thousands over a lifetime of work) remains influential as well. Refusing to be limited to ceramics, Kanjiro also worked in bronze, wood and paint. An interesting final note on this unusual artist, when offered the title of Living National Treasure, an honor bestowed on very few, he declined.

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

Five Sake Cups by the ;legendary Okabe Mineo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seto-Te Hai. The cups hav a very intimate feel, tiny, just enough room for a shot, each in a different style of Mino ware: Shino, E- Shino, Ki-Seto, Nezumi Shino, and Ao-Oribe. Each cup is 4.5 cm (1-3/4 inches) diameter and all are in excellent condition. It even includes the artists biography from the time, still early in his career, likely 1950s.
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 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.

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.

An open tsubo covered in highly unusual gloss glaze with a colorful floral spray by Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 24 cm (9-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishing his own kiln on the Gojo-no-Saka (It remains standing today and is a must see for anyone visiting Kyoto). Together with compatriots Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach (with whom he traveled throughout Asia) established the modern Mingei movement in ceramics, the most influential ceramics movement in the 20th century. His research on glazes (of which he developed thousands over a lifetime of work) remains influential as well. Refusing to be limited to ceramics, Kanjiro also worked in bronze, wood and paint. An interesting final note on this unusual artist, when offered the title of Living National Treasure, an honor bestowed on very few, he declined.

Dramatic waves are combed into the clay surface of this large Toban Platter by Living National Treasure Suzuki Osamu (Kura) covered in glass-like copper green; unusually signed and dated on bottom 1957 and enclosed in an artist signed wooden box. This has the wow factor in truckloads! A quintessential piece by this influential artist showing not only the innovation early in his career, but the consistency with which he approached Mino pottery, Museum quality, sure to become a centerpiece of any collection. It is 53.5 x 31 cm (21 x 12 inches) and in excellent condition.
Suzuki Osamu was born in Gifu prefecture in 1934, and graduated the Tajimi Technical School ceramics division in 1953. That same year he was awarded at the 6th Dento Kogeiten Traditional Crafts Exhibition. One of the great researchers, he spent many years excavating old kiln sites in an effort to re-invent Mino ware. In 1962 he was exhibited in Prague. And the next year took a prize at the Asahi Ceramic Exhibition. Very much lauded at this time, it culminated in 1969 when he received the JCS Gold award (Japan Ceramic Society), one of the highest honors for a Japanese potter. He would receive the JCS award again in 1982, and by that point be nurturing or inspiring a number of young potters aspiring to the forgotten ways of Shino ware. He was named a Living National Treasure in 1994 for his life-work. Work by him is held in a multitude of public collections throughout the world. For more see “Japanese Studio Crafts, Tradition and the Avant-Garde” (1995) by R. Faulkner.

A Blue Mist series box by Kondo Takahiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box with two shifuku and toreki. A precursor to his monolith forms, this is an excellent example of this important contemporary artist. It is 18 x 12 x 14.5 cm (7 x 5 x 6 inches) and 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)

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 small bowl in Kaki-yu by important artist Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in a wooden box upon which his friend and equally important artist Munakata Shiko has painted an image of the bowl outside titled Go-Kowan (Honorable small bowl) and inside annotated: Kanjiro Sensei Saku (Made by Kanjiro), signed Munakata Shiko. It is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Kawai Kanjiro (1890-1966) was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishing his own kiln on the Gojo-no-Saka (It remains standing today and is a must see for anyone visiting Kyoto). Together with compatriots Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach (with whom he traveled throughout Asia) established the modern Mingei movement in ceramics, the most influential ceramics movement in the 20th century. His research on glazes (of which he developed thousands over a lifetime of work) remains influential as well. Refusing to be limited to ceramics, Kanjiro also worked in bronze, wood and paint. An interesting final note on this unusual artist, when offered the title of Living National Treasure, an honor bestowed on very few, he declined.
Munakata Shiko (1903-1975) is a dominant figure in Japanese twentieth-century prints. He was also very active as a poet, critic, painter in both Western and Japanese techniques, calligrapher and book designer. Munakata was born in Aomori in northern Honshu, the sixth of fifteen children of a forger of steel blades. Leaving school at thirteen, he joined the family business, but moved to a lawyer's office at seventeen, which gave him time to sketch. In 1921 he first saw reproductions of Van Gogh's works, which remained arguably his greatest inspiration throughout his life, and began to teach himself oil-painting. He moved to Tokyo in 1924, and lived by various means including drawing educational charts while continuing to paint He was accepted at the Teiten (Imperial Exhibition) in 1928. He became inspired by woodblock prints and by 1927 was experimenting with woodblocks. The following year he had his first prints accepted at the Creative Print Association Exhibition. In 1931 he had his first one-man show of prints in Tokyo. Munakata began to write in 'Han geijutsu' magazine in 1932, which brought him into contact with Maekawa Senpan and the folk style. He fell into the circle of the Folk Art Movement with its great potter Kawai Kanjiro, and i 1936 he spent 40 days at Kawai's house where he developed a Buddhist dimension to add to his already strong folk and Shinto interests and subject-matter. The two remained lifelong friends. His home in Tokyo was destroyed in the second world war, and he spent seven years in Toyama, at the end of which his work was accepted in São Paolo in 1951, which marks the beginning of his subsequent international career. In 1952 he helped establish the Japanese Print Institute. In 1952 he won a prize at Lugano and in 1955 the first prize for prints at the São Paolo Biennale, and in 1956 at the Venice Biennale. These made his reputation not only internationally but also at home, where he now became a celebrity and was subsequently heaped with honours culminating with the 'Kunsho' (Order of Merit) in 1970. The Munakata Memorial Museum in Aomori opened the day after his funeral. There is also a museum devoted to his prints in Kamakura, while large collections of his works are in the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, the Folk Art Museum, Tokyo, and the Ohara Museum Complex in Kurashiki.

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”.

Leaf images in various seasonal shades decorate the raw earth of these expertly crafted dishes by legendary artist Kitaoji Rosanjin, the set enclosed in a double box, the inner box the original age darkened kiri-wood box signed by Rosanjin, the outer box later covered in black lacquer showing the esteem for which both this dish set and box were afforded. On bottom is the star mark, indicating these were made for use in his restaurant. Each dish is roughly 18.8 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter and in overall excellent condition. An abrasion in the edge of one dish is pre-firing (see last photo). For nearly identical plates see Kitaoji Rosanjin Ten (Jap. 1988).
Kitaoji Rosanjin (1883-1959) They say adversity is the mother of invention, and Rosanjin can be said to epitomize that expression. Born during the tumultuous first half of the Meiji period in the cultural center of Kyoto, he was adopted at age six by a woodblock carver. He showed an early genius for calligraphy, and began his early manhood as a carver of seals and carver/painter of shop signs after a brief apprenticeship to a pharmacy. He also taught calligraphy and bought and sold antiques during these early years. In 1921 he founded what would become the impetus for his life’s work, his first restaurant, the Bishoku club, and followed in 1925 with a restaurant in Tokyo called the Hoshigaoka. Rosanjin began working in ceramics to replace the collection of dishes that was destroyed in the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. He was largely a self taught artist with a diverse range, beginning with a kiln on his rented property .in Kamakura, and later paying visits for brief apprenticeships to many of the days top artists. He retired to work exclusively on the arts in 1936. Magazine editor, lacquer artist, metal-working and finally store owner in Tokyo’s Ginza, Rosanjin was everywhere at once. He was displayed at the museum of Modern Art in New York in 1954, a rare honor indeed for living artist. Like his contemporary, Kawai Kanjiro, Rosanjin was offered the title of Living National Treasure in 1955 for his work in Oribe pottery, but refused the offer.

An iconic square bottle by one of the most important Japanese artists, Kawai Kanjiro, enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The fawn spotted white glaze is decorated with Gosu floral patterns in blue and red with a rich iron red at the mouth, the raw clay revealed at the base. It is 12 x 12 x 18 cm tall (roughly 5 x 5 x 7 inches) and in excellent condition dating likely from the height of his career, 1940s-50s.
Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishing his own kiln on the Gojo-no-Saka (It remains standing today and is a must see for anyone visiting Kyoto). Together with compatriots Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach (with whom he traveled throughout Asia) established the modern Mingei movement in ceramics, the most influential ceramics movement in the 20th century. His research on glazes (of which he developed thousands over a lifetime of work) remains influential as well. Refusing to be limited to ceramics, Kanjiro also worked in bronze, wood and paint. An interesting final note on this unusual artist, when offered the title of Living National Treasure, an honor bestowed on very few, he declined.

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 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

A bunch of grapes in slight color under shadowy cool leaves decorate the milky white and sand toned surface of this very unusual plate by Kitaoji Rosanjin enclosed in a wooden box annotated by Living National Treasure Arakawa Toyozo dated 1968. It is 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Kitaoji Rosanjin (1883-1959) They say adversity is the mother of invention, and Rosanjin can be said to epitomize that expression. Born during the tumultuous first half of the Meiji period in the cultural center of Kyoto, he was adopted at age six by a woodblock carver. He showed an early genius for calligraphy, and began his early manhood as a carver of seals and carver/painter of shop signs after a brief apprenticeship to a pharmacy. He also taught calligraphy and bought and sold antiques during these early years. In 1921 he founded what would become the impetus for his life’s work, his first restaurant, the Bishoku club, and followed in 1925 with a restaurant in Tokyo called the Hoshigaoka. Rosanjin began working in ceramics to replace the collection of dishes that was destroyed in the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. He was largely a self-taught artist with a diverse range, beginning with a kiln on his rented property .in Kamakura, and later paying visits for brief apprenticeships to many of the days top artists. He retired to work exclusively on the arts in 1936. Magazine editor, lacquer artist, metal-working and finally store owner in Tokyo’s Ginza, Rosanjin was everywhere at once. He was displayed at the museum of Modern Art in New York in 1954, a rare honor indeed for living artist. Like his contemporary, Kawai Kanjiro, Rosanjin was offered the title of Living National Treasure in 1955 for his work in Oribe pottery, but refused the offer.
Arakawa Toyozo (1894-1985) was born in Tajimi,the ancient home of Shino and Oribe wares. In 1922 he met Kitaoji Rosanjin I Kyoto, and became his apprentice, working at the Hoshigaoka kiln in Kamakura until 1933. He moved back to Gifu and devoted his life to re-creating Shino and yellow-and-black Seto wares of the Momoyama period. He, along with Kato Tokuro, is responsible for the revival of Mino ware. He was designated Living National Treasure in 1955, and received the Order of Cultural Merit in 1971.

A feminie curve defines this shapely vase by Miyashita Zenji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Deisai Sanka Kaki - Sawayaka Kaze (Colored Clay Scattered Flower Vase - Gentle Breeze). The colored clays are of course, his most famous forte, and here he has added a rim of golden "flower blossoms" on black. The vessel is 29 cm (11-1/2 inches) tall, 10.5 x 23 cm (4 x 9 inches) at the base.
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.

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.

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

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.

A lovely bowl covered with abstract flower designs by Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hanawan. It is 12 cm (4-3/4 inches) diameter, 11.5 cm tall and in excellent condition. Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishing his own kiln on the Gojo-no-Saka (It remains standing today and is a must see for anyone visiting Kyoto). Together with compatriots Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach (with whom he traveled throughout Asia) established the modern Mingei movement in ceramics, the most influential ceramics movement in the 20th century. His research on glazes (of which he developed thousands over a lifetime of work) remains influential as well. Refusing to be limited to ceramics, Kanjiro also worked in bronze, wood and paint. An interesting final note on this unusual artist, when offered the title of Living National Treasure, an honor bestowed on very few, he declined.

An open mouth sings in French on the side of this flattened bottle by preeminent Avant-Garde potter Yagi Kazuo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hakushi-mon Henko. It is 10-1/2 inches (26.5 cm) tall, 7 x 2-3/4 inches (18 x 7 cm) and is in excellent condition. Dating circa1950. For a nearly identical piece see: Crafts in Everyday Life in the 1950s and 1960s (Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, 1994).
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.

Jagged bands of color like the climbing mountains surrounding Kyoto rise up the sides of this majestic work by Miyashita Zenji enclosed in the original signed wooden box exhibited at the 5th Kyoto Modern Ceramic Artists Exhibition in 1985. It is 14 x 17 x 37.5 cm (5-1/2 x 7 x 15 inches) and in excellent condition. It is a reasonably early work in this saidei oeuvre of the artist.
Miyashita Zenji (1939-2012) was born into the family of potter Miyashita Zenju, and graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art. Starting with the most difficult, he worked from Celadon, which relies on shape and extreme control of firing. He is held in the British Museum, Metropolitan New York, and Brooklyn Museum among a host of others.

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.

One of a very few works combined with glass by the innovative Hashimoto Tomonari, this piece a hollow rectangular form in his signature mottled metal glaze with a cascade of molten green glass coming down both sides and pooling in a froth on the top. It is 42 x 20 x 20 cm (16-1/2 x 8 x 8 inches) and comes with a signed wooden placard, 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 fabulous Bizen Tane-Tsubo Seed Jar in the Momoyama style by Living National Treasure Kaneshige Toyo enclosed in a wooden box annotated by Kaneshige Kosuke. Beautiful Hi-iro flame coloring brightens the sides and a smattering of yellow flying ash clings to the shoulder about a line of waves. The tsubo is marked on the base with the fundo weight mark of Toyo. It is 23.5 cm (9 inches) tall, 20.5 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
It comes with a photograph of the artist’s son, Kaneshige Kosuke, holding the jar, the photograph annotated: Toyo-saku Bizen Tane Tsubo sealed and signed by Kosuke.
Kaneshige Toyo (1896-1967) is one of the leaders of the group of artisans who sought to revive the tradition as it was flagging to extinction in the pre-war years and considered one of the most important figures in 20th century Bizen. It is Toyo who has been credited with having rediscovered the techniques of the Azuchi Momoyama period. Born in Bizen, Okayama prefecture, into the potting family of artisan Kaneshige Baiyo, Toyo began working with clay in 1910. By the 1930’s, he was thoroughly ensconced in the research of ancient techniques. Over the next 20 years, he was to become a leading figure in Japanese pottery, and lifelong friend of Kawakita Handeishi, Kitaoji Rosanjin and Miwa Kyuwa. Post-war, in an effort to elevate Japanese pottery, he, along with Arakawa Toyozo and Kato Tokuro, helped to establish the Nihon Kogei kai (Japan Art Crafts Association). He was designated Living National Treasure in 1956, and subsequently received the Order of Cultural Merit from Okayama for his lifework. For more see the new important tome by the Miho Museum: The Bizen (2019) according to which “He formed the Bizen Pottery Society, mentored the younger generation, participated in the founding of the Japan Kogei Association and built the foundations for the postwar success of Bizen ware”.

A huge porcelain vase in shattered gold by legendary porcelain artist Ono Hakuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yuri Kinsai Tsubo ‘Kagayaku’ (Shine). It is 37.5 cm (15 inches) tall 25 cm (10 inches) diameter 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)

A spectacular Mizusashi fresh water container by Bizen Living National Treasure Kaneshige Toyo enclosed in a wooden box annotated by his son Kaneshige Kosuke titled Bizen Yahazuguchi Mizusashi. A fabulous range of colors plays across the surface, all natural kiln effects resulting from heat, cold, clay content and placement. The receptacle is 18 cm (7 inches) diameter, 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) tall and comes with a custom made black lacquer wooden lid.
Kaneshige Toyo (1896-1967) is one of the leaders of the group of artisans who sought to revive the tradition as it was flagging to extinction in the pre-war years and considered one of the most important figures in 20th century Bizen. It is Toyo who has been credited with having rediscovered the techniques of the Azuchi Momoyama period. Born in Bizen, Okayama prefecture, into the potting family of artisan Kaneshige Baiyo, Toyo began working with clay in 1910. By the 1930’s, he was thoroughly ensconced in the research of ancient techniques. Over the next 20 years, he was to become a leading figure in Japanese pottery, and lifelong friend of Kawakita Handeishi, Kitaoji Rosanjin and Miwa Kyuwa. Post-war, in an effort to elevate Japanese pottery, he, along with Arakawa Toyozo and Kato Tokuro, helped to establish the Nihon Kogei kai (Japan Art Crafts Association). He was designated Living National Treasure in 1956, and subsequently received the Order of Cultural Merit from Okayama for his lifework. For more see the new important tome by the Miho Museum: The Bizen (2019) according to which “He formed the Bizen Pottery Society, mentored the younger generation, participated in the founding of the Japan Kogei Association and built the foundations for the postwar success of Bizen ware”.

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.

Chidori plovers soar between warm green clouds draped over the rim of this Oribe style bowl by Kitaoji Rosanjin enclosed in a double wood box (Nijubako) annotated by Living National Treasure Kaneshige Toyo. On the bottom of the bowl is the star mark of Rosanjin, which he used to mark pieces made for his restaurant. The bowl is 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. The box is titled Oribe-fu Chawan, Rosanjin-saku (Oribe style bowl made by Rosanjin).
Kitaoji Rosanjin (1883-1959) They say adversity is the mother of invention, and Rosanjin can be said to epitomize that expression. Born during the tumultuous first half of the Meiji period in the cultural center of Kyoto, he was adopted at age six by a woodblock carver. He showed an early genius for calligraphy, and began his early manhood as a carver of seals and carver/painter of shop signs after a brief apprenticeship to a pharmacy. He also taught calligraphy and bought and sold antiques during these early years. In 1921 he founded what would become the impetus for his life’s work, his first restaurant, the Bishoku club, and followed in 1925 with a restaurant in Tokyo called the Hoshigaoka. Rosanjin began working in ceramics to replace the collection of dishes that was destroyed in the 1923 Kanto Earthquake. He was largely a self-taught artist with a diverse range, beginning with a kiln on his rented property .in Kamakura, and later paying visits for brief apprenticeships to many of the days top artists. He retired to work exclusively on the arts in 1936. Magazine editor, lacquer artist, metal-working and finally store owner in Tokyo’s Ginza, Rosanjin was everywhere at once. He was displayed at the museum of Modern Art in New York in 1954, a rare honor indeed for living artist. Like his contemporary, Kawai Kanjiro, Rosanjin was offered the title of Living National Treasure in 1955 for his work in Oribe pottery, but refused the offer.

Layers of color in an amorphic form like a jellyfish (or perhaps when smoiking like an underwater volcano) by Miyashita Zenji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Deisai Koki, Umi no Ho　（Colored Clay Incense Vessel, （Musical） Score of the Sea）．It is 21 x 19 x 10 cm (8 x 7-1/2 x 4 inches) and is 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 galactic river flows across the top of this beautiful sculpture by Hashimoto Tomonari enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply: Untitled. It is 29.5 cm (just under 1 foot) in diameter, 21 cm (8 inches) tall 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 already making international waves around Asia. Work by him is held in the V&A in London, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Houston and a large sculpture has recently been installed in his home prefecture of Wakayama.

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.

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.

A spectacular silver and gold lid covers this small basin by Tomimoto Kenkichi enclosed in a wooden box titled Aka-e Tsutsugata Yunomi and annotated within: Made by Tomimoto Kenkichi Sensei in 1925 signed by Tsujimoto Isamu (for more on him see below). The cup is covered inside with creamy white, outside in red with decoration of gold plum blossoms. It is surmounted by a solid silver lid pierced with leafy vines and peaked with a gold chrysanthemum. The cup is 7 cm (2-3/4 inches) diameter and in perfect condition, signed inside the foot.
Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963) is one of Japan's finest and most important ceramic artists ever, voted the number one most influential potter of the 20th century by Honoho Magazine. He was born into a privileged family in Nara, and would spend part of his youth in England studying design and manufacturing techniques. In 1950, Tomimoto became the first professor to the Ceramic Section of the Department of Crafts, Kyoto City University of Arts. He was also involved in a number of art associations and art universities throughout his life and trained many influential ceramic artists of modern Japan. He would be appointed member of the Japan Imperial Art Academy, as well as designated an intangible cultural asset (Mukei Bunkazai or Living National Treasure), and awarded the Order of Cultural Merit. For an excellent read see the recent article by John Wright in Arts of Asia.
Tsujimoto Isamu was a patron and great collector of the works of Tomimoto during the artists lifetime. Following his death Isamu created the Tomimoto Kenkichi Kinenkan Museum, and served as the first director there.

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 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.

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 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).

A massive tsubo with fissured shoulder in earth tones by Sugitani Keizo accompanied by the artists signed placard. It is 45 cm diameter and in excellent condition. This is absolutely spectacular for large flower arrangements.
Sugitani Keizo was born in Osaka in 1959. In 1982 he graduated the Ceramic Art Institute of the Tekisui Museum of Art. He has selected for a number of group exhibitions including the International Ceramics Competition Mino and the Asahi Art exhibition, where he has been awarded. He has been exhibited at some of Japns top galleries as well as London, Art Miami, Maastricht, New York, Taipei and Shanghai among others.

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)

Undoubtedly one of the stars of the show, this dynamic work is a one of a kind, a deeply sculpted vessel by Furutani Taketoshi in austere fire color enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Hi-iro Chokoku Maru-Tsubo.
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.

The spider crosses a glimmering golden web wet with dewdrops of solid gold Hirame and inlayed mother of pearl, a stellar work by Okada Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The interior and base are glittering with gold Nashiji. Known for his depictions of small creatures, this is a perfect example of his work. It is 8 cm (just over 3 inches) diameter and in excellent 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 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)

Dark glaze covers this beautifully crafted Koro from Kawai Kanjiro dating circa 1936 enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 11.5 x 9 x 8.5 cm (4-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches) excluding the lid and is in excellent condition. The lid is of exotic hardwood with an agate finial, and is a later addition (Kanjiro did not make lids for his koro). For similar examples see the Katsukawa collection published in the biblical tome by the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art.
Kawai Kanjiro was a true artist by nature, and together with Hamada Shoji, set a pattern of study for modern potters. After graduating the Tokyo School of Industrial Design, he came to study in Kyoto, eventually establishing his own kiln on the Gojo-no-Saka (It remains standing today and is a must see for anyone visiting Kyoto). Together with compatriots Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach (with whom he traveled throughout Asia) established the modern Mingei movement in ceramics, the most influential ceramics movement in the 20th century. His research on glazes (of which he developed thousands over a lifetime of work) remains influential as well. Refusing to be limited to ceramics, Kanjiro also worked in bronze, wood and paint. An interesting final note on this unusual artist, when offered the title of Living National Treasure, an honor bestowed on very few, he declined.