Catalog (1084)

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 exquisite work of micro-calligraphy by young female artist Tamura Seito IV enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Karakusa moyo koro. It is roughly 4 inches tall and in new condition. Tamura Seito is a fourth-generation potter and chosen to inherit the tradition of Saiji micro-calligraphy for the Tamura family. She graduated Tsukuba University in 2004, then began to study under Tamura Keisei. In 2007 she graduated the Ishikawa prefectural Kutani Research Center and began a fellowship there. In 2010 she established her own kiln in Komatsu, and the following year changed her name from Natsuko to Seito.

An organic form like some wavering anemone built from tiny curls of rolled ceramic bound together with slip by female artist Furui Akiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Sou Katachi (Following the shape) dating from 2017. It is built of hundreds of rolled sheafs of shaved clay covered in a white slip and fused together. The amount of work which goes into each sculpture is obvious, making her work great value. It is 12-1/2 inches (32 cm) long and in new condition.
Furui Akiko is yet one of our youngest rising stars, she was born in Aichi prefecture in 1987. She graduated the Aichi University of Education in 2010, and had her first pieces exhibited both in and out of Japan that same year. She has since been featured in a number of events both domestic and abroad. A rising star in the Sculptural Ceramics World, get her work while you can!.

A Capricious sculpture like a colorful head towel removed yet retaining its shape by pioneering 20th century female artist Matsuda Yuriko signed on the base and enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kinrande Utsuwa. It is 9 x 7 x 5 1/2 Inches (22 x 17 x 14 cm) and in excellent condition.
Matsuda Yuriko was born in Ashiya, Hyōgō Prefecture in 1943nd lives and works in Oshino, Yamanashi Prefecture. Yuriko is an avid exhibitor; it is a wonder she has time to do any work at all. Both within Japan (Nihon Togei Ten, Gendai Togei Ten etc.) and without she has an impressive list of exhibitions in a host of countries. She received the Yagi Kazuo prize in 1986 among many others. According to the book “Touch Fire”, Many of the women artists included in this exhibition are independent innovators who work outside the constraints of Japanese ceramic traditions. However, several of the artists, including Matsuda Yuriko, continue to use traditional techniques with skills that rival, if not exceed, those of their predecessors, and in doing so they create new and challenging contemporary ceramic 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).

Ash forms enigmatic shapes on this exquisite cocoon shaped wall vase by Yamada Jozan IV enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 8 cm (3 inches) diameter, 6 inches(16 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Yamada Jozan IV was born into the house of third generation Living National Treasure Yamada Minoru in 1954. He graduated the Tokoname High Ceramics Course in 1973, before entering Osaka University of art. Disappointed with the university scene he left to work under his father, creating a climbing kiln, whereupon he began working with various forms, not only the famous teapots forwhich his family was known, but also ash glazed ware such as this piece. He succeeded the family name of Jozan in 2006 upon the death of his father.

A charred sake flask turned on a wheel then paddled flat by Isezaki Jun enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Tokkuri. It is 12 cm (5 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Isezaki Jun was born the second son to the prominent Bizen family of Isezaki Yozan. With his older brother Mitsuru he studied the plastic arts under the fierce tutelage of his father. He has displayed consistently at the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Japanese Crafts Exhibition) since 1961 and was recipient of the coveted Kaneshige Toyo prize. It was Jun who took up the work of Kaneshige Toyo upon his death, continuing to revitalize and innovate, combining functional forms and modern sculptural shapes. He was the teacher of a host of important artists including Kakurezaki Ryuichi, Wakimoto Hiroyuki and American artists Donna Gilliss among dozens of others. He was named a Living National Treasure (Juyo Mukei Bunkazai or Intangible cultural property) in 2004.

A Pottery box by pioneering female artist Tsuboi Asuka made as a flowing roll of golden brocade inspired by traditional textiles enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 19 x 15 x 17 cm (7-1/2 x 6 x 6-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Tsuboi Asuka was born in Osaka in 1932, but the family moved to Tokyo when she was 12. She graduated the prestigious and progressive Jiyu Gakkuen (A progressive girls School established in 1921) then moved to Kyoto in 1953, Kyoto, the city she has called home for half a century, where she would spend a year at the Sentsuji Yusai Kobo before enlisting under Living National Treasure Tomimoto Kenkichi. Her first works were exhibited that year at the Shinshokogeikai (where she would be awarded in 1955). She worked to establish the Joryu Togei Ten Ceramic Exhibition for female artists in 1957, to allow women a venue to exhibit works in what was then a very male dominated field. In 1961 she was accepted into the Asahi Togeiten Ceramic Exhibition, and in 1966 would be selected to represent contemporary Japanese ceramics in China, the following year saw he take a study trip to Korea, and in 1970 to Thailand while her work was exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, which would purchase her work in ’71 . She would be awarded at the Canadian International Ceramic Exhibition in 1973, and since her work has been exhibited throughout the globe. Here work to promote the arts was recognized in 1988 with the Kyoto Prefectural Order of Arts and Culture Award, and in 1991 with the Kyoto city Order of Cultural Merit, and again in 1992 with the prefectural Order of Cultural Merit. All culminated in her receiving the Japan Ceramic Society Gold prize, perhaps the most important award allowed a potter, in 2004. Her work can be found in Museum collections including several works in both the Museums of Modern Art in Tokyo and Kyoto, Fukui and Wakayama Prefectural Museums of Art, Suntory Museum, Shiga Togei No Mori Museum, Ariana Museum, Yale University Museum and The International Ceramics Museum in Faenza. According to the book Touch Fire: Tsuboi Asuka's influence on the ceramic arts of Japan cannot be overstated. As one of the first women to aggressively challenge the male hierarchy, she forged a role for women ceramic artists that previously did not exist in Japan. Tsuboi was the charismatic leader of the influential Kyoto women's ceramic group Joryū Tōgei (Women's Association of Ceramic Art) when it was first formed in 1957. This group was pivotal not only in providing a platform for women to participate as artists in their own right, but in giving them the opportunity to present their challenging work to the public.

Jigen Tobako Ceramic Box decorated with a combination of his Time and Space themes with silver Mist exhibited at Takashimaya Department store in 1997 wrapped in a specially fitted silk bag with the Takashimaya pamphlet and enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 9 x 6 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches (22.5 x 16 x 18.5 cm) and in excellent condition. The time of this production marks a turning point in his production we see a combination hear of the time and space theme which dominated his work in the 90s and the Silver-mist which took over his work near the end of that decade. Perhaps a true Dimension Box, it shows many sides of this multi-faceted artist, his roots in Sometsuke porcelain inside, his Time and Space themes outside and overall his epochal Mist Series, three dimensions together in one piece. Certainly if you were looking for one work to represent Takahiro, this would be high on the list.
Kondo Takahiro (b. 1958) was born the grandson of Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo. However, he graduated Hosei University not with a degree in sculpture or crafts, but in Literature. From there he studied at the Kyoto Prefectural Technical Institute of Ceramics, followed by a year at the Kyoto Municipal Institute of Industrial Research. 15 years later he would spend a year in Edinburgh studying glass making, and with this combination of skills, was born the silver mist series for which he is so highly acclaimed. Work by him is held in Museums throughout the world, including the National Museum of Scotland, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Museum of Arts & Design, New York, Spencer Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Art Gallery NSW, Sydney, Hamilton Art Gallery, Australia, Miho Museum. National Gallery of Victoria, Paramita Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Shigaraki, and The São Paulo Museum of Art, Brazil among others. Without a doubt one of the most important contemporary artists in Japan today. For more see Celestial Ceramics: the Art of Kondo Takahiro (2002)

An exceptional work by Kondo Takahiro, three sided decorated with concentric squares triangles and circles in rushing fields of blue wrpped in a yellow cloth pouch and enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Jikku tsubo. It is 59 cm (2 feet) tall and in excellent condition enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Created in 1994 it was exhibited at Takashimaya Department Store Gallery that same year in the exhibition "Blue Time 1200". It is also published in the book Kondo Takahiro Time and Space '91-99, Vase Raisonne. A copy of the book is included.
Kondo Takahiro (b. 1958) was born the grandson of Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo. However, he graduated Hosei University not with a degree in sculpture or crafts, but in Literature. From there he studied at the Kyoto Prefectural Technical Institute of Ceramics, followed by a year at the Kyoto Municipal Institute of Industrial Research. 15 years later he would spend a year in Edinburgh studying glass making, and with this combination of skills, was born the silver mist series for which he is so highly acclaimed. Work by him is held in Museums throughout the world, including the National Museum of Scotland, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Museum of Arts & Design, New York, Spencer Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Art Gallery NSW, Sydney, Hamilton Art Gallery, Australia, Miho Museum. National Gallery of Victoria, Paramita Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Shigaraki, and The São Paulo Museum of Art, Brazil among others. Without a doubt one of the most important contemporary artists in Japan today. For more see Celestial Ceramics: the Art of Kondo Takahiro (2002)

Two lug handles leap from the sides of this traditional form by Karatsu Legend Nakagawa Jinenbo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Chossen Karatsu Mimitsuki Hanaire. Mottled glaze covers the rough clay darkened by flame with flashes of white and blue and crispy chunks of ash and debris clinging to the sides. It is a work which embodies the best of this highly sought artist. The vessel is 9 inches (23 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Nakagawa Jinenbo (1953-2011) was always fascinated with Karatsu ware, and studied under the great Inoue Toya from the age of 24. Several years later he returned to his hometown to establish a climbing kiln of his own, which he put to great use. From there, not satisfied with his own skills, he went to Tanaka Sajiro for an additional apprenticeship. Afterwards, as many Chajin artists, he concentrated on private exhibitions as an outlet for his work, shunning the world of mass competition and retail. His life and career were cut short far too early, making his work both highly valued and hard to find.

It is a privilege to introduce this incredible sculpture by the young female ceramicist Furui Akiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tsubomi (bud) dating from 2017. It is made up of hundreds of rolled sheafs of shaved clay covered in a white slip and fused together. The amount of work which goes into each sculpture is obvious, making her work great value.
Furui Akiko was born in Aichi prefecture in 1987. She graduated the Aichi University of Education in 2010, and had her first pieces exhibited both in and out of Japan that same year. She has since been featured in a number of events both domestic and abroad. A rising star in the Sculptural Ceramics World, she is, along with Shingu Sayaka and Tanaka Tomomi, an artist with a strong following and a distinct style all her own.

A menagerie of 12 comic creatures grin back at us as we pour another cup of sake from this Tokkuri decorated by world renowned woodblock artist and painter Clifton Karhu enclosed in the original wooden box also decorated on all facets with the same humorous creatures as well as a self portrait on the lid captioned EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY. It is 17.5 cm (7 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Clifton Karhu (1927-2007) had his first introduction to Japanese living stationed in Sasebo during the occupation from 1946 to 1948, and returned not long after graduating the Minneapolis Art University to spend many years as a missionary before he took up art as his modicum. Although he had participated in painting exhibitions, it was after his move to Kyoto in 1963 that he began working with woodblocks, for which he is most remembered. There he would remain, for nearly half a century, creating some of the most quintessential and recognizable prints of the 20th century.

Like a fossilized ammonite excavated from some dry desert pit, dry green glass leaves off to arid cracked earth on this swirling vessel by Atarashi Kanji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is a powerful work with sensational textures. 26 cm (10 inches) diameter, rising from 7 to 11 cm (3 to 4-1/2 inches) high at the shoulder. Due to the convoluted shape and extreme temperatures there are stress fractures born from the firing process.
Atarashi Kanji was born in Osaka in 1944, and graduated the Osaka College of Craft design. After 3 years in Kobe, and 4 in Kishiwada (Wakayama) he came to settle in Iga, where he was one of the driving forces behind the resurrection and preservation of the Iga tradition. Although displayed at the National Craft Fair, he prefers the intimacy of the private exhibition, of which he holds several every year. And if ones visit to japan is not timed right for an exhibition, he can otherwise be found at his kiln working along with his son and daughter.

A selection of three sake cups by Tanoue Shinya encapsulating the various characters fo this artists work. Each comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box. 700 dollars for all three or:
a) White W2.5(7cm) H2(5cm) 250.00
b) Blue W3.5(9cm) H2(5cm) 300.00
c) White W3(8cm) H1.5(4cm) 250.00
Tanoue Shinya was born in Kyoto, the cultural heartland of Japan in 1976. He garnered a BA from Doshisha University in Theology, and after two years in a textile company, an Associate in Fine Arts from Saga Art College in 2003. He has a list of private and group exhibitions very impressive for his age, including the Mino Ceramic Park International Ceramic exhibition (awarded 2005), Asahi Modern Craft Exhibition, Design in Ceramic Vessel Exhibition in Aichi, Nihon Togeiten National Ceramic Exhibition, (Awarded 2007) and Asahi Ceramic Exhibition, (Awarded 2007). Gendai Togeiten National Modern Ceramics Exhibition. His work has been exhibited in the United States, France, Germany, Hong Kong Italy and many others. His work is held in the collections of The Museum of Kyoto, The Museum of Ceramic Art in Hyogo, INAX Tile Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Tweed Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art among others.

A Tenmoku Hanging vase by the living master of that genre, Kimura Morikazu, enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tetsuyu Kohen Kake-hana-ike. The lozenge form features two lug handles in the shape of a traditional Waniguchi Japanese Shrine Gong. It is 7-1/2 x 6-1/2 x 2 inches (19 x 16.5 x 5.5 cm) nd in excellent condition, retaining the original shiori and wrapping cloth.
Kimura Morikazu was born to the house of a Kyo-yaki potter and studied under Ishiguro Munemaru, He established his first kiln in the Gojo Zaka area of Kyoto in 1947, moving to Fukui in 1976. He is held in the collection of both the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art and the Imperial Household Agency. He has been displayed at innumerable private exhibitions in addition to major exhibitions such as the Nitten, Nihon Dento Kogeiten(National Traditional Crafts Exhibition) and Nihon Togei Ten (National Ceramics Exhibition) among others. Winner of the Japan Ceramics Society (JCS) award, purchased by the Ministry of Foreign affairs. Morikazu has been incredibly influential on the subsequent generation of potters.

Elegant imagery in rusty orange decorates the yellow body of this small vase by important artist and Living National Treasure Tokuda Yasokichi I enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 4-1/2 inches (11 cm) tall and in excellent condition. A very difficult artist to find, this is a rare opportunity.
Tokuda Yasokichi I (1873 –1956）was born into a family of textile dyers in Ishikawa prefecture, but entered the ceramics world under the tutelage of his Brother Matsumoto Sahei, specializing in the Yoshidaya decorative technique of Kutani ware in 1890. In 1922 he received Imperial patronage. He was named one of the first living National Treasures in 1953 (and his grandson, Yasokichi III would also be named such).

A cloud of terracotta clay floats over rays of white emanating down through the gray body of this object by Kawasaki Chitaru enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Light Cloud. The complete lack of glaze accentuates the rich color of the clay body, tiny “tombo-no-me” (dragonfly eyes) salting the surface. It is 20 x 12.5 x 23 cm (8 x 5 x 9 inches ) and in excellent condition, with the artist name and date engraved on the side.
Kawasaki Chitaru (born in Hiroshima, 1938) has dedicated his life since 1988 to promote the development of a pottery village in Bayat, Klaten, Central Java. Splitting his time between there and his position at Kyoto Seika University. Retired in 2008, and now serving as an Honorary Lecturer, he started to focus on education program by building and developing a craft school in that village. As an artist, he has done a lot of art activities and exhibitions since 1960. His latest solo exhibition “Knot, Connection, and String Playing” was exhibited in National Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2012. Among other awards he was granted Grand Prix at the 1995 “1st Busan International Exhibition”, Busan, South Korea. In 1983 he garnered Silver in the Ceramic Design Competition organized by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and in 1982 his work was selected for the Japan Modern Ceramic Exhibition which traveled throughout Europe.

A signature work in gold Shino by Suzuki Tomio enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yohen Kin Shino Hachi (Shimmering Altered Gold Shino Bowl). It is 10-1/2 inches (27 cm) diameter, 5 inches (13 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Suzuki Tomio was born in 1948 in Yawata, Kyoto, and has spent his life in the perfection of Shino glazing. He did not move for independence until establishing his own kiln at the age of 40. One of his most notable advances in Shino glazing is the development of Yohen-kin or transformed gold Shino. First introduced in 2003, this type of shino is an opulent, golden glaze and has come to serve as the predecessor for a number of lustrous glazes in the artist's growing body of shino work. In 2011, his work was acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art for display in their East Asian Art collection and in 2012 by the University of Durham's Oriental Museum in the United Kingdom. He holds regular exhibitions across Japan at major department store galleries, including Takashimaya, Hanshin, and Mitsukoshi.

An open basin in the shape of a tea bowl by female artist Okuda Tomoko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Raku Kohen Hanaire (Kiln altered Raku Vase). It has the feeling mas as if it has grown this way, out of some geologic process, than sculpted out of clay. Large and tactile it is 8 inches (20 cm) diameter, 5 inches (13 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Okuda Tomoko studied under the great female avant-garde legend Tsuboi Asuka, and lived and worked in Tokoname for 20 years, before returning to her home of Nara in 2014. With a great number of private exhibitions, her works have been exhibited at the Asahi Togeiten Ceramic Exhibition, as well as in America, France and England. She has been awarded the Joryu Togeiten (Female Artist Ceramic Exhibition). Her philosophy is “pottery should be free and supple like a cat, imbued with warmth and grace, leave your heart to the soil and have fun”.

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

A shell shaped swirling form by young female artist Takatsu Mio enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 6-1/2 inches (16.5cm)wide, roughly 7 inches (18cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Takatsu Mio (b. 1976) was raised in Gifu prefecture among the scattered kilns of Mino. She graduated the Osaka University of Arts Sculpture Department in 1999, moving on to advanced studies which she completed in 2001. Her first exhibited works were in 1999, and then again in Tokyo in 2001. The following year she exhibited with the 6th International Ceramics Exhibition in Mino with several private exhibitions over the following years in some of Japans top venues. In 2005 she made her overseas debut. In 2009 her work was featured in Women Ceramic Artists in the 21st Century (Paramita Museum/Mie Japan) 2011 saw her work accepted into the Faenza International Ceramics Exhibition in Italy, as well as the Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition.

A covered box in red tinged shino glaze by Hori Ichiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Nezumishino Tobako. The pin-holed thick white glaze appears to be licked by the shadows of the flames, and on one side the artists finger prints are clearly visible as four molten points. The way the reds move like vapor across the surface it is as if it is still on fire. It is 10 inches (28cm) long and in excellent condition.
Hori Ichiro (b. 1952) graduated the Tajimi School of Industrial Design and apprenticed under Kato Kozo. He has been awarded the Governors prize at the Asahi Ceramics Exhibtion, and has been displayed at the Chunichi Kokusai Togei Ten as well as Nihon Dento Kogei Ten. He says, “I believe in making pottery which is born of nature…”

Wow! Is what comes to mind the first time you see this daring silver glazed organic Kake Hana-ire by Okumura Hiromi. The clay folds about onto itself, forming a seed-like pod, with an opening in the top and wings extending out both sides. A wire loop is affixed to the back for wall hanging. A signed and stamped wooden plackard by the artist accompanies the piece. It is 11 x 14 x 5 inches (28 x 36 x 13 cm) and is in fine condition.
Okumura was born in Kyoto in 1953, and was thus from an early age inducted into the avant-garde world of pottery being created at that time by the founders of Sodeisha and their influence. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art Ceramic division in 1978. Throughout the 80s a slew of public and private exhibitions led him to an appointment as professor of Ceramics at Kyoto Seika University. He received Grand Prize at the Kyoten in 1990, and has since received other awards there. His work was selected for the traveling exhibition showcasing young Japanese talent “Japanese Pottery: The Rising Generation from Traditional Japanese Kilns”. He has been exhibited frequently in America as well.

An amorphic vessel covered in organic green by Sodeisha member Kumakura Junkichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box dated the 20th day of April 1970. It is 10 inches (25 cm) tall and in excellent condition. A major retrospective of his life work was held this summer at the Shigaraki Togeinomori Museum. Kumakura Junkichi (1920-1985) began working in ceramics in the 1940s, his works submitted to innumerable National and International Exhibitions including the Japan Art Festival, New York and the international Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Florence Italy. He also submitted to the Brussels World Exposition and helped design murals for the World Exposition Osaka. At the International Ceramics Exhibition, Prague in 1962 he took a silver prize. He was also often exhibited and is in the permanent collection of the Japanese National Museum of Modern Art as well as the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. Along with Suzuki Osamu, Hikaru Yamada and Yagi Kazuo, Junkichi was one of the founding members of the influential Sodeisha (Crawling Through Mud Association), a group of revolutionary post war ceramic artists whose influence remains strong today.

An otherworldly form from the age of Sputnick by important artist Morino Taimei exhibited at the 1959 Nitten National Art Exhibition and published in the Nittenshi (vol. 22). It is signed in romanized characters H. Morino (His given name is Hiroaki). It is roughly 12 inches (30 cm) tall, 15 inches (38 cm) diameter and 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 Fitzgerald Collection.

A rare work by Sodeisha founding member Yamada Hikaru of a torn vessel engraved with enigmatic characters. It is 18 cm (7 inches) diameter, 26 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Yamada Hikaru (1924-2001), was born into the family of layman potter and priest Yamada Tetsu, and raised in Gifu after the family home was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake. At the age of 20 he entered the Kyoto ceramics research facility, 15 years junior to those who had inspired the great Mingei movement at that same institution. Somehow escaping overseas service in the war, he met Yagi Kazuo in 1945, and the two formed an instant bond, founding a group for young potters the following year. Compounded by the austerity and poverty they faced as young artists in the immediate postwar, the group grew and along with Kumakura Junkichi, Suzuki Osamu and Yagi Kazuo formed the most influential post war ceramics organization, Sodeisha, as it was, in 1948. They eschewed public competition and espoused the ideas of art for arts sake, negating the ideas of the mingei movement, which stressed function over form. Together, members of the group worked tirelessly to promote modern Japanese pottery for the next several decades both within and outside of Japan. Held in innumerable public and private collections including the National Museum of Modern Art, both Tokyo and Kyoto, Museum of New South Wales and the Victoria Albert.

A trio of sculptural forms by Takano Moto-o dating from the formative years of modern Japanese crafts at the height of Sodeisha influence in the 1960s. These are being offered as a group for one price. One is distorted, like an apparition, or the world seen through an old pane of glass. The second is like a flute licking back; both in pure white. The third is a square basin with handles decorated with a geometric pattern. The piece on the left in the group photograph is 10 inches (26 cm) tall and comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box All three are in excellent condition.
Takano Moto-o was born into a Kyoto pottery family in 1934, and although trained as a potter of tea ceramics, moved into the world of sculpture, entering Sodeisha in 1966, and would exhibit with the avant garde association until 1983 as well as the National Ceramic Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten). He was selected for the “Contemporary Ceramic Art” exhibition which toured Canada, U.S.A., Mexico and Japan in 1972. Since his work has been exhibited in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and various countries in Europe. He focuses on sculptural pursuits, filling the time between with tableware.

A set of five yunomi by Suzuki Osamu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kao no Aru Yunomi. Each cup has a small face on one side, pale glaze covering all but that smiling fellow and the foote. Each cup is 3 inches (8 cm) tall and in fine condition.
Osamu was, along with Kumakura Junkichi, Hikaru Yamada and Yagi Kazuo, one of the founding members of the influential Sodeisha (Crawling Through Mud Association), a group of revolutionary post war ceramic artists whose influence remains strong today. Works by him are in too many collections to note in this small add, including the Kyoto and Tokyo National Museums of Modern Art, Victoria Albert and New York Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.

An exquisite Venetian glass vase by Yasuda Taizo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Lace pattern vase. A web of hair thin qhite is woven into the clear glass hemmed by bars of gold. It is 16.5 x 7 x 17 cm (6-1/2 x 2-3/4 x 6-3/4 inches). Yasuda Taizo was born in Hyogo prefecture in 1972. He studied Glass making at the Toyama Prefectural Glass Research Facility, graduating there in 1994, and continued working in Toyama until 1997, when he established his own studio. However it was immediately after graduating that he first began to receive acclaim, iwith a prize in 1995 at the Toyama City Art Fair prize. He would continue showing there, as well as the Toyama Prefectural Exhibition, Takaoka Craft Fair, Modern Glass Exhibition in Satsuma, Nihon Dento Kogeiten Traditional Crafts exhibition, and was also awarded at the first Toyama International Glass Exhibition in 2008.

Tiger stripes of crackled gold over veins of red, yellow and green on black by Kobayashi Mitsugi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Taste of an Autum Day. It is 12-1/2 inches (32 cm) tall, 8 x 9 inches (20. X 23 cm) round and in excellent condition.
Kobayashi Mitsugi, born in Aichi prefecture in 1932, and graduated the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts. He was awarded at the Nihon Gendai Kogei Ten (Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition) in 1973 Kogeisho-Prize and 1980 Governor of Tokyo Prize as well as the Tokusen-Prize at the Nitten National Exhibition in 1993. He has been exhibited widely in Japan as well as Germany, France, New York and Budapest among others. His works were featured in the 1978 “Modern Japan Craft”, at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. The 1982 “World Glass Now ’82” at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, the 1991 “Biennale Internationale Du Verre D'Art Contemporain”, France where he received the Gold Prize culminating in a 2005 Solo Exhibition at the Paramita Museum, Mie. He is held in the Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, Museo Municipal de Arte en Vidrio (Madrid), Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, and Paramita among others.

A lidded bottle of hand blown blue glass with a white stripe swirling up to a ball-lilke bung of clear with a white center by Nakashima Yasushi It is 7 inches (18 cm) tall plus the lid, and in excellent condition. Perfect for chilled summer sake, signed on the base Y. Nakashima.
Nakashima Yasushi (1938-2017) was born in Hyogo prefecture and graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art in 1962. While still at university he was accepted into the Mainichi Kogyo Design exhibition. He began his career as a designer for Hino Automotive, in charge of their top model the Contessa. However dissatisfied with the opportunities there he moved to Nisshin Denki where he headed up the lighting design department. He left Nisshin in 1974, and began his own career as an independent artist, focused on the plastic arts of glass and ceramic while maintaining his contacts in the design world. With his past in lighting, he was innovative in creating works which combined glass, pottery, metal and electric lights. This did not deter him from consulting in other areas of design, and he was awarded at the National Catalog and Poster Exhibition in 1978. Although he would remain unaffiliated, a difficult place to be in group conscious Japan, he would be accepted into many of the National exhibitions including the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition and awarded at a number of important events, including the National Craft Exhibition, National Modern Ceramic Sculpture Exhibition (and the Shigaraki Ceramics Exhibition in 1999. One monumental work stands in the park in Toki City, Gifu prefecture. He is held in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Ringling Museum among others.

A tall bottle of hand blown clear glass wth a swirling strip of red by Nakashima Yasushi. The top is ground to a smooth finish, and it wears a a dimpled, heavy glass, cap with matching red swirl caps. Signed on the base Y Nakashima. It is 15 inches (38.5 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Nakashima Yasushi (1938-2017) was born in Hyogo prefecture and graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art in 1962. While still at university he was accepted into the Mainichi Kogyo Design exhibition. He began his career as a designer for Hino Automotive, in charge of their top model the Contessa. However dissatisfied with the opportunities there he moved to Nisshin Denki where he headed up the lighting design department. He left Nisshin in 1974, and began his own career as an independent artist, focused on the plastic arts of glass and ceramic while maintaining his contacts in the design world. With his past in lighting, he was innovative in creating works which combined glass, pottery, metal and electric lights. This did not deter him from consulting in other areas of design, and he was awarded at the National Catalog and Poster Exhibition in 1978. Although he would remain unaffiliated, a difficult place to be in group conscious Japan, he would be accepted into many of the National exhibitions including the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition and awarded at a number of important events, including the National Craft Exhibition, National Modern Ceramic Sculpture Exhibition (and the Shigaraki Ceramics Exhibition in 1999. One monumental work stands in the park in Toki City, Gifu prefecture. He is held in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Ringling Museum among others.

A drinking set covered in gold foil and Rimpa inspired florals by Kuroki Kuniaki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tebuki Glass Shuki and named inside Kinasi Korin. There are two cups, a Tokkuri sake flask, and two chopstick holders, one saphire the other ruby. The Tokkuri pot is 5 inches (12.5 cm) tall and all is in excellent condition. Kuroki Kuniaki was born in Miyazaki prefecture in 1945. He began his career employed straight out of school by the Yamaya Glass Company in 1963. It would only be a decade later that he would venture out on his own, to begin creating unique works of glass art. Yet another ten years would pass before he went fully independent in 1984. He began with a project to revitalize Edo style Cut glass (Satsuma Kiriko), and established his workshop in 1989. He was awarded the National Order of Excellence for modern craft in 1991 and began to garner attention overseas. He was awarded in Paris in 1995, Rome in 1996 and Athens in 1997. Since he has been exhibited widely throughout Japan, as well as the US, Singapore, Throughout Europe, Taiwan, Australia among many others. His works have been collected by the Imperial Household Agency and the Royal Family. They are held in the collection of Philadelphia, Denmark Glass Museum, Peking Palace Museum and Kitazawa Museum among others.

Scales of color overlap in the crystal basin of this oblong form by Kobayashi Mitsugi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Mosaic Mon Sara (mosaic pattern dish). It is 8 x 6-1/2 x 1-1/2 inches (21 x 16.5 x 3.5 cm) and in excellent condition.
Kobayashi Mitsugi, born in Aichi prefecture in 1932, and graduated the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts. He was awarded at the Nihon Gendai Kogei Ten (Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition) in 1973 Kogeisho-Prize and 1980 Governor of Tokyo Prize as well as the Tokusen-Prize at the Nitten National Exhibition in 1993. He has been exhibited widely in Japan as well as Germany, France, New York and Budapest among others. His works were featured in the 1978 “Modern Japan Craft”, at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. The 1982 “World Glass Now ’82” at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, the 1991 “Biennale Internationale Du Verre D'Art Contemporain”, France where he received the Gold Prize culminating in a 2005 Solo Exhibition at the Paramita Museum, Mie. He is held in the Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, Museo Municipal de Arte en Vidrio (Madrid), Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, and Paramita among others.

A pool of green and gold veined with black and spotted with white on a morphic form by Kobayashi Mitsugi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 8 x 6 inches (20 x 15 x 4 cm) and in excellent condition. Kobayashi Mitsugi, born in Aichi, graduated the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts. He was awarded at the Nihon Gendai Kogei Ten (Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition) 1973 Kogeisho-Prize and 1980 Governor of Tokyo Prize as well as the Tokusen-Prize at the Nitten National Exhibition in 1993. He has been exhibited widely in Japan as well as Germany, France, New York and Budapest among others. He is held in the Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, Museo Municipal de Arte en Vidrio (Madrid), Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, and Paramita among others.

Crimson petals seem to swirl about a vortex of yellow fading to white on the overall black glass surface of this plate by Nakashima Yasushi enclosed in the original signed wooden box and exhibited at the 19th Nihon Dento Kogeiten exhibition (catalog included). It is 14 x 16 inches (35.5 x 41.5 cm) and is in excellent condition. It is titled Anba Unmo Nami-Uchi Sara, Roran no Hana. (I believe he is using the first two characters as “ateji” meaning Amber Mica Waved Dish, Orchid Flowers).
Nakashima Yasushi (1938-2017) was born in Hyogo prefecture and graduated the Kyoto Municipal University of Art in 1962. While still at university he was accepted into the Mainichi Kogyo Design exhibition. He began his career as a designer for Hino Automotive, in charge of their top model the Contessa. However dissatisfied with the opportunities there he moved to Nisshin Denki where he headed up the lighting design department. He left Nisshin in 1974, and began his own career as an independent artist, focused on the plastic arts of glass and ceramic while maintaining his contacts in the design world. With his past in lighting, he was innovative in creating works which combined glass, pottery, metal and electric lights. This did not deter him from consulting in other areas of design, and he was awarded at the National Catalog and Poster Exhibition in 1978. Although he would remain unaffiliated, a difficult place to be in group conscious Japan, he would be accepted into many of the National exhibitions including the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition and awarded at a number of important events, including the National Craft Exhibition, National Modern Ceramic Sculpture Exhibition (and the Shigaraki Ceramics Exhibition in 1999. One monumental work stands in the park in Toki City, Gifu prefecture. He is held in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Ringling Museum among others.