Catalog (1094)

One of three vessels by avant garde potter Kumakura Junkichi enclosed respectively in their original signed wooden boxes. First an industrial shaped box in green measuring 7 x 5-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches. Second a bowl in namako glaze, 9 inches (23 cm) diameter. Last a Tsubo in green measuring 6-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 8-1/4 inches (16 x 11 x 21 cm). All are in excellent condition.
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.

A quintessential Mashiko work by important artist Hamada Shoji enclosed in a wooden box annotated by his son Shinsaku. It is 11-1/2 inches (29 cm) square. 7 cm (2-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Hamada Shoji was born in Tokyo, and enrolled in the Tokyo Technical University at the age of 19. In 1918 he met the important British potter Bernard Leach, and the history of ceramic arts was forever changed. One of the most influential and sought after of all Japanese Ceramic artists. There is no shortage of reading material for those who would like to learn more about this potter.

Every shade between mustard and aubergine fades into the deepest blue on the sides of this ovoid form decorated with enigmatic relief-work by Shinkai Kanzan enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Nishiki-ka Kabin. It is 14-1/2 inches (37 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Shinkai Kanzan was born the grandson of Seifu Yohei III in 1912 and was raised from a baby in the confines of the Gojo-zaka ceramic district of Kyoto, inducted daily into the realm of pottery by his father and grandfather. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, and moved on to study painting (after his father’s urging) before returning to ceramics under Kiyomizu Rokubei V and Vi. He was first accepted into the Teiten (later Nitten) National Exhibition in 1930, and was displayed there consistently thereafter as well as others, being prized at the 1939 San Francisco Exposition. Just as he was beginning to take off as an artist, he was drafted and sent to China, where after he spent three years in a Russian Gulag in Siberia. Upon his return to Japan, he branched out on his own; with a unique vision grounded in the roots of the training and instruction he had received before the war, but with a new style and concept to differentiate himself from his peers. In 1951 he was recognized with the Gold Award at the Japanese Art Expo. Following many prizes, in 1974 he was granted the Governors prize at the Nitten, and in 1980 the Nihon Geijutsu-in Sho (Japanese Art Academy prize). In 1989 he was awarded the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Order of Merit for his life-long endeavors. Works by him are held in the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art among others.

Bursting with life, this vessel by avant-garde Shinkai Kanzan was exhibited at the Nitten National Art Exhibition in 1982. Titled Kitsune to Minori no Monogatari, Kabin (Vase, The Tale of Fox and Fruition), the sly creature slinks through fruit laden vines in a path of dark through the light gray glaze covering the simple open form. It comes enclosed in the original signed wooden. It is quite large, measuring 30 cm (12 inches) diameter, roughly the same height and is in excellent condition.
Shinkai Kanzan was born the grandson of Seifu Yohei III in 1912 and was raised from a baby in the confines of the Gojo-zaka ceramic district of Kyoto, inducted daily into the realm of pottery by his father and grandfather. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, and moved on to study painting (after his fathers urging) before returning to ceramics under Kiyomizu Rokubei V and Vi. He was first accepted into the Teiten (later Nitten) National Exhibition in 1930, and was displayed there consistently thereafter as well as others, being prized at the 1939 San Francisco Exposition. Just as he was beginning to take off as an artist, he was drafted and sent to China, where after he spent three years in a Russian Gulag in Siberia. Upon his return to Japan, he branched out on his own; with a unique vision grounded in the roots of the training and instruction he had received before the war, but with a new style and concept to differentiate himself from his peers. In 1951 he was recognized with the Gold Award at the Japanese Art Expo. Following many prizes, in 1974 he was granted the Governors prize at the Nitten, and in 1980 the Nihon Geijutsu-in Sho (Japanese Art Academy prize). In 1989 he was awarded the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Order of Merit for his life-long endeavors. Works by him are held in the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art among others.

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 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.

A signature work decorated with finger twirls of poured glaze over the pale-colored sides of this bottle form by Hamada Shoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Monda Kakubin dating from the 1960s. It is 4 inches (10 cm) square, 9-1/2 inches (24 cm) tall and in excellent condition. What appear in the photographs to be at first glance three chips in the edge are in fact crawling in the glaze, see the last close-up for details.
Hamada Shoji (1894-1978) was born in Tokyo, and enrolled in the Tokyo Technical University at the age of 19. In 1918 he met the important British potter Bernard Leach, and the history of ceramic arts was forever changed. One of the most influential and sought after of all Japanese Ceramic artists. There is no shortage of reading material for those who would like to learn more about this potter.

A rare sake set by Kamoda Shoji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Haiyu Tokkuri-Hai Hitokumi (Ash Glazed Flask and Cups, 1 set). The Tokkuri is 13.5 cm (5 inches) tall, the cups are 6 cm (2-1/4 inches) diameter and all are in excellent condition dating circa 1965.
Kamoda Shoji is without a doubt one of the most important and influential ceramic artists of the 20th century. Born in Osaka in 1933, he studied initially at the Kyoto Municipal University of Art under to be Living National Treasure Tomimoto Kenkichi, graduating in 1955. While in school he was awarded at the Shinshokai Exhibition (where he would be often exhibited) and his graduating project was purchased by the University Museum. While working a stint at a commercial kiln, he was accepted into the Contemporary Japanese Ceramics Exhibition. In 1958 he took up residence at the Tsukamoto Ceramics Research Kiln in Mashiko, establishing his own kiln there in 1961. That same year he was accepted into the National Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogeiten) where he would exhibit until 1967. In 1964 he boldly stepped onto the stage with pieces in the Modern Japanese Ceramics Exhibition held at the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto; International Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition held at Tokyo National Museum, and the New Generation of Ceramics Exhibition held at the Goto Museum. He would receive the JCS (Japan Ceramics Society) Award that year, one of the most important prizes for a Japanese potter. In 1966 his work was presented in New York at the First Japan Art Festival, granting him international acclaim to add to his growing domestic reputation and he would receive the JCS Gold Prize that year, cementing his reputation. Thereafter his work was much celebrated in the world of invitational exhibitions and he would receive many awards. In 1969 he moved his kiln, and would again relocate a decade later. He died suddenly at the age of 49 in 1983. His work would be the subject of a multitude of posthumous exhibitions, starting with the Tochigi Prefectural Museum on the third anniversary of his death, and the following year at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art. His work is held in the National Museums of Modern Art, both in Tokyo and Kyoto, Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art, Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Art, Iwate Museum of Art, Victoria & Albert Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Beijing Palace Museum among many others. For more see: Japanese Ceramics Today: Masterworks from the Kikuchi Collection (1983), Japanese Studio Crafts by Rupert Faulkner (1995) or Into the Fold: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection (2015).

A recumbent form of grungy urban themes by Kato Kiyoyuki enclosed in the original signed wooden box dating from the 1960s. It is 42 x 7 x 13.5 cm (16-1/2 x 3 x 5 inches) and is in excellent condition. The box has oxidized with age.
Kato Kiyoyuki was born in 1931, the heir to a long-established tile-making business in Seto. He studied ceramics at high school however his main interest lay in painting and sculpture, and it was only when he was in his late twenties that he began to work in pottery. He made his first submission to the Nitten exhibition in 1958, and began producing well-designed utilitarian ceramics in keeping with the principles of the then newly established Japan Craft Design Association, but soon turned his hand to sculptural ceramics. Kato's development as a ceramic sculptor owed much to his friendship with Teshigahara Sofu (1900-79), the former head of the Sogetsu school of flower-arranging. Terashige's experimental interests encouraged Kato to explore his sculptural ambitions in vessel as well as non-vessel formats. According to Kiyoyuki, “When a shape that is completely free of unnaturalness emerges, the clay and I become one”. He won the Grand Prize at the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition in both 1964 and 1965. He is the recipient of the most prestigious Japan Ceramic Society Gold Prize. He has exhibited with the aforementioned Nitten National Fine Arts Exhibition and Asahi Ceramics Exhibition, Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten International Ceramics Exhibition as well as Faenze International Ceramics Exhibition, Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition, Nihon Gendai Kogeiten National Modern Crafts Exhibition and Seto Togeiten among many many others, and his list of private exhibitions could not be covered on this page. Work by him is held in the V&A (London), Tokyo and Kyoto National Museums of Modern Art, Canterbury Museum (New Zealand) and the Sogetsu Museum in Aichi among others. For more see Toh Volume 8, which was dedicated entirely to him.

A large open vessel decorated with squirrels in kaki-otoshi style by Shinkai Kanzan enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 36 cm tall, 27 cm diameter and in excellent condition. Due to size this will require special shipping consideration.
Shinkai Kanzan was born the grandson of Seifu Yohei III in 1912 and was raised from a baby in the confines of the Gojo-zaka ceramic district of Kyoto, inducted daily into the realm of pottery by his father and grandfather. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, and moved on to study painting (after his fathers urging) before returning to ceramics under Kiyomizu Rokubei V and VI. He was first accepted into the Teiten (later Nitten) National Exhibition in 1930, and was displayed there consistently thereafter as well as others, being prized at the 1939 San Francisco Exposition. Just as he was beginning to take off as an artist, he was drafted and sent to China, where he would be captured after the Japanese surrender and spent three years in a Russian Gulag in Siberia. Upon his return to Japan, he branched out on his own; with a unique vision grounded in the roots of the training and instruction he had received before the war, but with a new style and concept to differentiate himself from his peers. In 1951 he was recognized with the Gold Award at the Japanese Art Expo. Following many prizes, in 1974 he was granted the Governors prize at the Nitten, and in 1980 the Nihon Geijutsu-in Sho (Japanese Art Academy prize). In 1989 he was awarded the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Order of Merit for his life-long endeavors. Works by him are held in the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art among others.

Simple arcs of bent-grass in iron decorate this large bowl by living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tetsu-e Chawan. It is 14.8 cm (6 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3 inches) tall and in excellent condition. It comes with a clipping from a newspaper announcing the naming of Uichi as Living National Treasure in 1985.
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 teachers 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, Clark Center and the Freer Gallery among others.

Red drips slide down the dark Tenmoku glaze on this small Tsutsu-chawan tea bowl by Living National Treasure Ishiguro Munemaro enclosed in a wooden box signed by his student and future Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi titled Ishiguro Munemaro Saku Tenmoku-yu Samon Chawan. It is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter, 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Ishiguro Munemaro (1893-1968) was born into a wealthy family in Toyama, and spent his childhood surrounded by precious Chinese ceramics in the collection of his father. Like many well born gentlemen of his time, he served in the Military, stationed in Korea until 1916. Upon returning to Japan, he took to the study of Chinese language and ceramics as a connoisseur. Shortly after he began potting, moving to Kyoto, establishing a studio in the mountain village of Yase Northeast of the city. His association with Koyama Fujio brought him into influential circles. He dedicated himself to the re-discovery and perfection of ancient glaze techniques, developing hundreds of glazes over his lifetime. He was designated one of the first Living National Treasures in 1955. Works by him reside in the permanent collections of the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum; Musée National de Ceramique, Sèvres, France; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; National Museums of Modern Art, Kyoto and Tokyo.

An iconic work in pale white by Living National Treasure Tsukamoto Kaiji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hakuji Karakusa Hachi (white porcelain bowl with Chinese Grass Design). The execution is breathtaking, so perfectly formed it demonstrates clearly the talent for which he was named a Living National Treasure. It is 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.
Tsukamoto Kaiji (1912-1990) was fascinated with Song period Hakuji and Seihakuji porcelains and spent his life reviving that tradition. He received a Gold Medal at the 21st Century Exposition in California in 1964. In 1965 he was awarded at the 12th Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, and was awarded again in 1967, the same year his work was exhibited at the worlds Expo in Montreal. He exhibited with the Nihon Togei Ten national Ceramics Exhibition from its inception in 1971. The following year he was once again awarded at the 19th Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition. He received the prestigious Japan Ceramic Society (JCS) award in 1979, and Japan-China Culture Award in 1980. In 1983 he was designated an Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for Seiji and Seihakuji porcelain. Held in The National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, The National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, The Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka, Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum and Menard Art Museum among others. For more see “Japanese Studio Crafts” (1995) by R. Faulkner.

A signature work by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Golden light shines through the silhouette of iron colored trees on the tapering cylinder. It was a design technique developed by this generation. The original rosewood stand is included. The vase is 31 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
The Kiyomizu family potters managed one of the most productive workshops in Kyoto’s Gojozaka district throughout the second half of the Edo period. From the Meiji they began producing tableware for export and special pieces for government-sponsored exhibitions under Rokubei IV. Rokubei V led the kiln into the 20th century, and his son, Rokubei VI (1901-1980), would assume lead in 1945, taking the kiln through the tumultuous years after the Second World War. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, then the Kyoto Special School of Painting, before apprenticing under his father in 1925. He exhibited frequently and was often prized at the National Bunten, Teiten and Nitten Exhibits, where he later served as judge. He was also lauded abroad, in the USSR, France, Italy, Belgium and was appointed a member of the Japan Art Academy. In 1976 he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit for his lifelong devotion to promoting Japanese pottery traditions. His works are held in numerous museums throughout the globe.

An exquisite plate by legendary Okabe Mineo enclosed in a wooden box titled Benishino Hirabachi, annotated inside: Work of Mineo Sensei signed and sealed by Kuroda Totoan. There is something very intimate about this artist and his work, the glaze is thin, reealing the body of the work and you can feel the potters hands in the clay. It is 32.5 cm (13 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 delicate sake cup (hai) by Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Outside is covered in festive red while inside the character Kotobuki (Fortune) is housed in a double ring in blue. Signed in the foot ring, it is 5 cm (2 inches) diameter and in perfect condition. For more on this artist see the recent edition of Arts of Asia Magazine (Spring 2021), A Seeing Eye: Modern Ceramics in Japan During the First Half of the 20th Century by John Wright.
Kondo Yuzo (1902-1985) was born in the Gojozaka district of Kyoto and studied alongside Kawai Kanjiro and Hamada Shoji at the Kyoto Ceramics Reseaerch facility, where he studied kiln technique directly under Shoji. He then apprenticed under recently returned Tomimoto Kenkichi for three years before establishing himself as a unique artist in the Kiyomizu district of Kyoto in 1924. He served as a professor at the Kyoto University of Art where he helped shape generations of potters. After an illustrious career he was named a Living National Treasure for Sometsuke Porcelain in 1977. Works by the artist are held in the collection of the LACMA, Cleveland and Brooklyn Museums of Art, Kyoto Municipal and Tokyo National Museums of Modern Art among many others.

Mountains rise majestically over meandering inlets on this vase by Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yama Sometsuke Kabin (Vase with Mountain Design in Blue). It is 19 cm (7-3/4 inches) tall, 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter and in perfect condition. It comes with the original custom made cloth pouch and shiori. For more on this important artist see the recent edition of Arts of Asia Magazine (Spring 2021), A Seeing Eye: Modern Ceramics in Japan During the First Half of the 20th Century by John Wright.
Kondo Yuzo (1902-1985) was born in the Gojozaka district of Kyoto and studied alongside Kawai Kanjiro and Hamada Shoji at the Kyoto Ceramics Reseaerch facility, where he studied kiln technique directly under Shoji. He then apprenticed under recently returned Tomimoto Kenkichi for three years before establishing himself as a unique artist in the Kiyomizu district of Kyoto in 1924. He served as a professor at the Kyoto University of Art where he helped shape generations of potters. After an illustrious career he was named a Living National Treasure for Sometsuke Porcelain in 1977. Works by the artist are held in the collection of the LACMA, Cleveland and Brooklyn Museums of Art, Kyoto Municipal and Tokyo National Museums of Modern Art among many others.

A quintessential example of this artists most sought-after style, a ‘Scattered Blossoms’ vessel by Kondo Yutaka enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Funka Bin (Scattered Flowers Bottle). The pattern of petals is impressed deeply into the surface, and filled with white slip, contrasting starkly against the textured black background. It is 23 cm (9 inches) tall, 17 cm (7 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. For a similar work see the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York. According to their description:
Among the more unexpected twentieth-century Japanese proponents of buncheong idioms was the potter Kondō Yutaka. The eldest son of Kondō Yūzō, a designated National Living Treasure for his work in porcelain with cobalt blue-painted designs, Yutaka eventually branched out in different directions, including an exploration of Korean buncheong ceramics, examples of which he first encountered in Western collections during his travels. He would later learn about buncheong ware in Korea. Yutaka developed a highly creative vocabulary of white-slip design, as exemplified by this stunning black-and-white vase, whose stamped and white slip-applied pattern both echoes and is utterly distinct from antique buncheong ware.
Kondo Yutaka (1932-1983) was born into a traditional pottery family in Kyoto. He studied under Living National Treasures Kondo Yuzo and Tomimoto Kenkichi at the Kyoto Municipal University of Art, graduating in 1957. That same year his work was accepted into the New Masters of Crafts Exhibition (Shin-takumi Kogeikai Ten). From 1962-63 he traveled in the US and lectured at Indiana Universtiy with Karl Martz. Returning to Japan he was granted a position at his Alma Matter, where he would continue to teach for the rest of his life, while making frequent research trips abroad to South and Central Asia, where he would master the T’zu Chou techniques expressed in these works. He twice received the Mayors prize at the Kyoten Exhibition, was awarded at the Asahi Togeiten, and is recipient of the coveted JCS award in 1967. The following year would see his work displayed at the New Generation of Ceramics Exhibition held at the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art. In 1985 a posthumous exhibition was held honoring his lifes work at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art. Work by the artist is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Musée Tomo, Tokyo And the Victoria & Albert Museum, London among others. For more on this important artist see the book Kondo Yutaka: The Transformation of a Traditional Kyoto Family (2010)

A rare early form, the crawling Shino glaze covered in rich rust red with autumn grass in white silhouette by Mino pottery legend Suzuki Osamu (Kura) enclosed in the original wooden box signed on the side and titled Shino Hanaike on the lid. It is 26 cm (10-1/4 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.
Suzuki Osamu was born in Gifu prefecture in 1934, and graduated the Tajimi Technical School ceramics division in 1953. (not to be confused with avant garde potter Suzuki Osamu of Kyoto Sodeisha fame) 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 Shino 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 lovely small koro decorated with Chinese Bell Flowers by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI enclosed in a signed wooden box titled Kikyo Koro. Inside the box appears to be written Seimei Gama Yakisei (fired in the Seimei kiln) signed Rokubei. It is 10.5 cm (4 inches) tall and in excellent condition. A quintessential piece by Rokubei VI.
The Kiyomizu family potters managed one of the most productive workshops in Kyoto’s Gojozaka district throughout the second half of the Edo period. From the Meiji they began producing tableware for export and special pieces for government-sponsored exhibitions under Rokubei IV. Rokubei V led the kiln into the 20th century, and his son, Rokubei VI (1901-1980), would assume lead in 1945, taking the kiln through the tumultuous years after the Second World War. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, then the Kyoto Special School of Painting, before apprenticing under his father in 1925. He exhibited frequently and was often prized at the National Bunten, Teiten and Nitten Exhibits, where he later served as judge. He was also lauded abroad, in the USSR, France, Italy, Belgium and was appointed a member of the Japan Art Academy. In 1976 he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit for his lifelong devotion to promoting Japanese pottery traditions. His works are held in numerous museums throughout the globe.

An exquisite vase covered in rivulets of blue, yellow and green on a slightly flattened bottle form by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The turned form has been slightly flattened creating four rounded sides, the resulting shape reminiscent of traditional Edo period green-glass bottles. Wide bands of blue mark th corners, with a narrow streak like a waterfall cascading between the ocher and jade on the sides. The vase is 30 cm (12 inches) tall, 16 cm (6 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Rokubei VI (Shotaro, 1901-1980) graduated from the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts (Kyoto Shiritsu Bijutsu Kogei Gakko) and then Kyoto Municipal Special School of Painting (Kyoto Shiritsu E-ga Senmon Gakko) before taking a position under his father in 1925. That same year, he entered his first competition. Early on he was not limited to pottery, but worked in metal, sculpture and glass as well, absorbing aspects of modernism and the arts and crafts movement into his oeuvre. His career was to be marked by success in exhibitions including numerous awards at the aforementioned government sponsored Bunten/Teiten/Nitten National exhibitions and would later serve as a judge there. He enjoyed international acclaim, showing pieces at exhibitions, having his works join museum collections and winning awards in Belgium, the USSR, France and Italy. He did much to cultivate the arts and young artists in the post war years, taking full advantage of his position as a star to promote both traditional and avant-garde approaches. He would be appointed a member of the Japan Art Academy in 1962 and awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in 1976. So dedicated was he, in fact, he died in 1980 after collapsing at an exhibition celebrating the Kiyomizu family's history. A multitude of works by him are held in the The National Museums of Modern Art, both in Tokyo and Kyoto.

The poetry of the ancient Chinese monke Hanshan spills over like blue rain down the sides of this porcelain vase by Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kanzan-shi Sometsuke Kabin (Vase with blue and White Design of Cold Mountain Poem). It is 25.5 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition. The poem reads:
On Cold Mountain, only white clouds come,
Don't accept the dust of the mundane world.
Our house has only a simple stool,
The full moon shines brightly over the mountain.
You can see the light blue pond from the window of the stone bed,
Deer and tigers often come to the pond.
Naturally, I came to aspire to a quiet life like this,
On Cold Mountain, a life away from the mundane world…
Kondo Yuzo (1902-1985) was born in the Gojozaka district of Kyoto and studied alongside Kawai Kanjiro and Hamada Shoji at the Kyoto Ceramics Research facility, where he studied kiln technique directly under Shoji. He then apprenticed under recently returned Tomimoto Kenkichi for three years before establishing himself as a unique artist in the Kiyomizu district of Kyoto in 1924. He served as a professor at the Kyoto University of Art where he helped shape generations of potters. After an illustrious career he was named a Living National Treasure for Sometsuke Porcelain in 1977. Works by the artist are held in the collection of the LACMA, Cleveland and Brooklyn Museums of Art, Kyoto Municipal and Tokyo National Museums of Modern Art among many others. According to Jaanus, Hanshan Shide, known in Japan as Kanzan, was a semi-legendary Tang dynasty, Zen (Chan) eccentric who is frequently depicted in Chinese and Japanese ink painting. Kanzan (lit. cold mountain) is thought to have lived as a poet-recluse near Mt. Tiantai (Jp:Tendai) in Zhejiang. The little that is known of his biography is provided in the preface to a collection of Kanzan's poetry, Kanzanshi Shishuu.

An elegant celadon receptacle with custom made black lacquered lid by important female potter Suwa Sozan II titled Seiji Mizusashi and enclosed in a wooden box annotated by the third generation head of the family. The Taru shape (a traditional bound shallow wood bucket) is surmounted at the rim with lily pads upon which rests a tiny frog. In the center of the base is her circular stamp. It is 24 cm (9-1/2 inches) diameter, 12 cm (5 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Suwa Sozan (1852-1922) was born in Kutani country, present day Ishikawa prefecture, where he initially studied before moving to Tokyo in 1875. Over the next 25 years he would gravitate between Tokyo and Kanazawa, working at various kilns and research facilities. He again relocated, this time to Kyoto in 1900 to manage the Kinkozan Studio. His name became synonymous with celadon and refined porcelain. He was succeeded by his adopted daughter upon his death. He is held in the Kyoto National Museum among many others. Sozan Torako (Suwa Sozan II 1890–1977) was born in Kanazawa in 1890, and was soon adopted by her uncle, Suwa Sozan I. Her ceramics resemble those of Sozan I, but are considered to be more graceful and feminine. Torako assumed the family name upon her uncles death in 1922. She is held in the collection of the Imperial Household Agency among others.

Balancing the scales and industrial shape by Sodeisha star Takano Moto-o enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Utsuwa (Receptacle) and dating from the height of Sodeisha influence in the 1960s. It is 12 x 15 x 12 cm (5 x 6 x 5 inches) and 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 dish by preeminent avant-garde artist Yagi Kazuo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Haku Ogi Kashizara dating from the 1960s. The plate is ribbed like the surface of a folding fan, thus the name. It is roughly 7 inches (17.5 cm) diameter and is 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.

A rare set of Sake Service Vessels (Tokkuri) by important artist Yagi Kazuo stamped near the base the white slip and engraved with butterflies and a poem. Emblazoned is the verse
URAURANI
TERERU HARUBINI HIBARI AGARI
KOKORO KANASHIMO
HITORISHI OMOEBA
The lark takes flight on a spring day
Inadvertently I am taken with sadness
Left thinking alone…

Geese take flight from autumn grasses on the dark clay surface of this flaring vase by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI dating circa 1960. It is 12-1/4 (31.5 cm) tall and in excellent condition. It is very similar in shape, style and theme to the piece held by the Nihon Geijutsu-in published on page 143 of the book Kiyomizu Rokubei Rekidaiten (2004). This came from the Rokubei family estate. There is no box.
The Kiyomizu family potters managed one of the most productive workshops in Kyoto’s Gojozaka district throughout the second half of the Edo period. From the Meiji they began producing tableware for export and special pieces for government-sponsored exhibitions under Rokubei IV. Rokubei V led the kiln into the 20th century, and his son, Rokubei VI (1901-1980), would assume lead in 1945, taking the kiln through the tumultuous years after the Second World War. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, then the Kyoto Special School of Painting, before apprenticing under his father in 1925. He exhibited frequently and was often prized at the National Bunten, Teiten and Nitten Exhibits, where he later served as judge. He was also lauded abroad, in the USSR, France, Italy, Belgium and was appointed a member of the Japan Art Academy. In 1976 he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit for his lifelong devotion to promoting Japanese pottery traditions. His works are held in numerous museums throughout the globe.

A rare late 1950s to '60s sculptural work by Kitade Fujio, an artist credited with bringing Kutani into the modern age, enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hekimen Ni Seshite Okizaru Kaki (Vase left abandoned by the wall). The clay is quite pure, covered in blasts of black and beige. It is 9-1/4 x 5-1/2 x 11 inches (24 x 14 x 28 cm) and in excellent condition. Kitade Fujio was born in 1919 the first son of potter Kitade Tojiro. He graduated the Ceramics research facility in 1937, but coming of age during the war years was, of course, disruptive, and he did not complete his courses at the Kanazawa University of Art until 1950, the same year he was first accepted into the Nitten National Exhibition. In 1955 he received top prize at the Ishikawa prefectural Art Exhibition, and about this time would change his name from Fujio (two characters) to Fujio (three characters, as is the signature on this box). He would subsequently be accepted into and awarded at the National Modern Crafts Exhibition and Asahi Ceramics Exhibition; He would garner the Hokutosho prize at the Nitten in 1965 and would later serve as a judge there as well as at the Chunichi International Ceramics Exhibition, The Gendai Kogeiten Craft Exhibition and at the Asahi Ceramics exhibition. He was awarded consecutively at the 1st through 3rd Traditional Kutani Craft Exhibitions. In 1979 he would be granted a professorship at the Kanazawa University of Art. From that time he would divide his time between teaching and working with clay, garnering many more awards. In 1983 he would be commissioned by the Emperor to make a Tsubo, and the following year would be honored with the Kaga Cultural Award. 1990 he would become principal of the Art University. In 2010 he would receive special accolades from the Japan Ceramic Society for his life’s work. Work by him is held in the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa and the Kutani Art Museum among others.

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.

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.

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.

A wonderful early work by Hara Kiyoshi awarded at the 1962 Nihon Dento Kogeiten Traditional Crafts Exhibition enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ume-mon Hachi (Plum Patterned Basin). It is covered in a foamy blue-white glaze, the body sculpted like the five petals of a plum blossom. The dish is 43.5 cm (17 inches) diameter and is in excellent condition. It comes with the original catalog (published on page 1) as well as the original gold award label. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a piece with all of its provenance from Japan. It is also an opportunity to see a piece, not by a Living National Treasure, but a piece recognized by an artist which gives reason why he would be designated a Living National Treasure. A part of ceramic history.
Hara Kiyoshi (b. 1936) was born in Shimane, and studied pottery under Living National Treasures Ishiguro Munemaru and Shimizu Uichi from 1954 before establishing his own kiln, first in Tokyo, then later in Saitama. He was first selected for exhibit at the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition in 1958. In 63 he first exhibited at the Asahi Togeiten Ceramics Exhibition. Since his work has received much attention,both within Japan and abroad in Europe, The Americas and Asia. He received the Japan Ceramic Society prize in 1975, and was named a Living National Treasure for Tetsu-yu in 2005 and is recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun.

A set of colorful Tokkuri in the shape of squared gourds by Living National Treasure Kato Hajime enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Aka-e Hohyo Tokkuri (red glazed Tokkuri in squared gourd form). About the white bottom are fortuitous characters in green with a belt of blue, yellow and green in the center. They are 15.5 cm (6 inches) tall. There is slight rubbing of the red glaze typical of handling. Enclosed with them is a photocopy from an art book (unknown publication) with an identical set of Tokkuri and the artists biography up until his death in 1968.
Kato Hajime (1900-1968, sometimes referred to as Toshiro, an alternate reading of his name) was born in Seto city, home of a long pottery tradition. However, after serving briefly at the Aichi Prefectural Ceramics School, he moved to rural Mino in Gifu in 1926, another locale long known for its pottery tradition. The following year he was awarded at the 8th Imperial Art Academy Exhibition, the same year was accepted at the first Crafts division Exhibition of the Bunten National Exhibition. In 1937 he would be awarded at the Paris World Exposition. From 1940 he would move to Yokohama, where he would delve extensively into the techniques of Ming decorated porcelain. From 1955 he would serve as head of the ceramics department and the Tokyo National University of Art. His career culminated in being named one of the early Living National Treasures (Juyo Mukei Bunkazai) in 1961. In 1966, he became the president of the Japan Crafts Association and also became an expert committee member on the Council for Protection of Cultural Properties. In 1967 he became professor emeritus of the Tokyo University of the Art. The same year he was awarded the Imperial Order of Cultural Merit (Purple Ribbon) by the reigning Emperor. He was commissioned to decorate the Take-no-ma audience room of the new Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

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.

Enigmatic script in Doro-e raised design decorates the sides of this simple white glazed chawan by 20th centiury Master Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in a wooden box endorsed by his wife Tsune. Brief tinges of subdued red appear through he cloudy white glaze. It is 5 inches (12.5 cm) diameter, 4 inches ((10 cm) tall and in perfect condition. 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 tall stem-footed Hagi flower vessel enclosed in the original wooden box by Yamato Yasuo. It was created in that postwar age when once again expression was finding a voice in Japan, and the early avant-garde potters such as Yamato Yasuo and Kumakura Junkichi were reaching beyond tradition as a means of verbalizing their interpretation of Japan in a new age. Here enigmatic shapes rise from the slightly striated Hagi clay, the entire covered in pale blue tinged glaze with outlines of iron and splashes of color on the queer images. The foot is bare earth, inscribed with the name Yasuo and the year 1958. The work is a fine representative of the period and its movements. It is large at almost a foot (29 cm) tall, roughly 8 inches (20 cm) diameter at the widest and is in excellent condition. Yamato Yasuo was born in 1933 to a long line of Hagi potters. He learned under his father Harunobu and grandfather Shoroku who would have been head of the kiln at the time of this pieces creation. He is one of Hagi’s most well respected artist, and his works are often displayed at the Nitten and other National Exhibitions. He has been named an important cultural asset of Yamaguchi Prefecture (ken Juyo Mukei Bunkazai). A rare opportunity to acquire an early work by one of the most important Hagi potters.

Here is an amazing vase by the most sought after of all Japanese potters, Kawai Kanjiro dating from the 1940s, enclosed in a fine kiri box endorsed by the Kawai Kanjiro Museum. The box is signed Kanjiro Saku, Gosu Hana-ire Hentsubo, Kawai Koha (Made by Kawai Kanjiro, a Gosu blue flower vase of altered urn shape, endorsed by Kawai Koha. Koha is Kanjiros daughter, and the current head of the Kawai Kanjiro Museum. The stately composure of its dramatic silhouette is surpassed only by the striking flashes of color dashed across the blue surface. Subtle yet seeming to speak of an excess of energy, the vase epitomizes work by this preeminent artist. The trapezoidal base rises to an elongated ovular center, from which extends a sharpened angular mouth. It is difficult to describe the power of this piece; one must hold it to truly appreciate the brilliance of its artistry. The vase is 8 inches (21 cm) tall, 5-1/2 by 4-1/2 inches (11 x 14 cm) across and is in perfect condition. 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.

Vibrant tusty red splashes across the black glazed surface of this sculpted vase by Kawai Kanjiro dating from the 1950s enclosed in a wooden box annotated by his daughter Koha, the head of the Kawai Kanjiro Kinenkan Museum. The vase is roughly 8 by 4 by 4-3/4 inches (20 cm x 12 x 10 cm) and is in perfect condition. 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 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 heavily glazed early square pottery dish by Kimura Ichiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The sandy clay appears to have been twice fired, the first firing unglazed with a simple ash burn later a very thick feldspathick glaze wiped on and re-fired. It is roughly 11 by 11-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches (28 x 29 x 6 cm) and is in good condition, no chips or cracks but some color has soaked into the crackled white glaze. Originally from Mashiko, Kimura Ichiro (1915-1988) went to study ceramics at the Kyoto ceramic research institute, as had his forbearer Hamada Shoji, to whom he later apprenticed, establishing his own kiln in 1946 at the close of World War II. Along with Shoji and later Tatsuzo, He was one of the founders of modern Mashiko pottery and was displayed and awarded prolifically during his lifetime. Those include the Nihon Mingei ten, Gendai Tougei ten, National Tojiki ten, and National Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition among many others.

Enigmatic green and red florals capped by ascending butterflies alternate with bird images in the cathedral-like windows on the side of this large vessel by Kyoto artist Yamazaki Koyo enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The vase is 13-1/2 inches (34 cm) tall and in fine condition, dating circa 1950. Koyo (1890-1979) studied under Kiyomizu Rokubei VI, and was displayed consistently in many National and Local Exhibitions. He has been awarded four times at the Nitten, twice at the Nihon Shin Kogei Ten (Japanese National New Craft Exhibition) as well as the Kofukai and is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art Boston and Bern Museum of Art Switzerland among others

A large sculptural vase by Eiraku Zengoro XVI (Sokuzen, 1917-1998) enclosed in the original signed wooden box dating from the 1950s, an era when Japan was redefining its own views on art. This is an excellent example of work from that time. Born into traditional tea ware, Zengoro XVI was with the rest of his compatriots, experimenting with new ideas and new forms, unafraid of a dawning new era. This piece is 35.5 cm (14.5 inches) tall, 17 cm (7 inches) square and in fine condition. Born in Kyoto in 1917, into the house of the 15th generation Eiraku Zengoro. Losing his father at 15 he was immediately enrolled in the Kyoto School of Crafts and took over the family name in 1935. From 1937 to 1945 he fired from a kiln on the grounds of the Mitsui residence in Kanagawa prefecture as well as from Kyoto. Married at 25, his first son was born two years later, but he lost his wife in 1945, the same year he stopped working at the Mitsui kiln and Japan’s war effort collapsed, hurling the country into an era of uncertainty. As one of the 10 providers of tea ceramics to the main tea schools, he was able to get the family kiln moving again and prospering by 1949. During the 50s he exhibited both contemporary and traditional forms in the Top venues, Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi as well as at the Matsuzakaya. After a lifetime of production he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in 1986 from Kyoto. Work by the artist is held in the Kyoto National Museum among many others.

This is a stunner; a piece exemplifying the style of this incredible artist! Radical black florals decorate the rich iron sides of the bowl, tapering ever so slightly closed toward the top to help trap the aroma of the green tea within. Imagine the color contrast of dark earth-tones with the foamy maccha inside! It comes enclosed in a fine kiri-wood box endorsed by Kawai Koha, current head of the Kawai Kanjiro Museum. The bowl is 4-3/4 inches (12 cm) in diameter, 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) tall and in perfect condition. 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 unusual long inverted pottery cone on a silver plated base by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Gengama Senmon Kabin. It is 15 inches (38 cm) tall and in excellent condition. Rokubei began experimenting with these fluted froms in the 50s, and what he called “Gengama” glazes around 1960. My guess is that this piece dates circa the early 60s. I have never seen another example like this with a metal base.
The Kiyomizu family potters managed one of the most productive workshops in Kyoto’s Gojozaka district throughout the second half of the Edo period. From the Meiji they began producing tableware for export and special pieces for government-sponsored exhibitions under Rokubei IV. Rokubei V led the kiln into the 20th century, and his son, Rokubei VI (1901-1980), would assume lead in 1945, taking the kiln through the tumultuous years after the Second World War. He graduated the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, then the Kyoto Special School of Painting, before apprenticing under his father in 1925. He exhibited frequently and was often prized at the National Bunten, Teiten and Nitten Exhibits, where he later served as judge. He was also lauded abroad, in the USSR, France, Italy, Belgium and was appointed a member of the Japan Art Academy. In 1976 he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit for his lifelong devotion to promoting Japanese pottery traditions. His works are held in numerous museums throughout the globe.

Two shades of black form ethnic patterns on this hishigata vessel by Kiyomizu Rokubei dating circa 1960 nearly identical to figure 12 (page 85) of the catalog Yagi Kazuo to Kiyomizu Rokubei exhibited at the Muse Tomo in Tokyo in 2017. It is 18 x 13 x 24.5 cm (roughly 7 x 5 x 10 inches) and is in excellent condition. This came from the Rokubei family estate. No box
Kiyomizu Kyubei (1922-2006) was born Tsukamoto Hiroshi in Nagoya. He graduated from Nagoya Industrial High School (now the Nagoya Institute of Technology), majoring in architecture. Coming of age during the war years was not easy. he worked in glass and metal before being adopted into the Kiyomizu family in 1951. In 1953 he graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in metal casting. In 1958 he continued his studies of sculpture under under Shigeru Senno, while working in clay at the Rokubei kiln. In 1963 he became an assistant professor at the Kyoto City University of Arts, advancing to full professor in 1968. He then took a one year sabbatical in Italy and since has received many prizes including the 17th Mainichi Arts Award in 1976 and the Excellence Award at the Henry Moore Grand Prize Exhibition in 1979. He succeeded as head of the Kiyomizu Family in 1980, relinquishing the reins to his son Masahiro in 2000. According to the catalog from the recent Kyubei/Kazuo exhibtion “The works by Kiyomizu Hiroshi dating from the 1950s display handsome, geometric forms. Design like consideration is a sensibility shared by many ceramicists today and he gives us an impression that he was ahead of his time.
The National Museums of Modern Art in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka hod 16 works

A rare sculptural basin by Kiyomizu Kyubei dating from the late 1950s signed on the base Yo. Very heavy, it is 11 x 8 x 9 inches (28 x 20 x 23.5 cm) and is in excellent condition. This came from the Rokubei family estate. No box. Early works by Kyubei are rare because, according to the catalog: Yagi Kazuo to Kiyomizu Rokubei (exhibited at the Muse Tomo in Tokyo, 2017) “he changed names several times and is said to have destroyed the works he produced in those days. Judging from the ceramic works that remain and his achievements, his activities during the 1950s are significant.”
Kiyomizu Kyubei (1922-2006) was born Tsukamoto Hiroshi in Nagoya. He graduated from Nagoya Industrial High School (now the Nagoya Institute of Technology), majoring in architecture. Coming of age during the war years was not easy. he worked in glass and metal before being adopted into the Kiyomizu family in 1951. In 1953 he graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in metal casting. In 1958 he continued his studies of sculpture under under Shigeru Senno, while working in clay at the Rokubei kiln. In 1963 he became an assistant professor at the Kyoto City University of Arts, advancing to full professor in 1968. He then took a one year sabbatical in Italy and since has received many prizes including the 17th Mainichi Arts Award in 1976 and the Excellence Award at the Henry Moore Grand Prize Exhibition in 1979. He succeeded as head of the Kiyomizu Family in 1980, relinquishing the reins to his son Masahiro in 2000. According to the catalog from the recent Kyubei/Kazuo exhibtion “The works by Kiyomizu Hiroshi dating from the 1950s display handsome, geometric forms. Design like consideration is a sensibility shared by many ceramicists today and he gives us an impression that he was ahead of his time.
The National Museums of Modern Art in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka hold 16 works

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.

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).

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 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 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.

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.

Raised designs in slip decorate the yellow glaze of this deep bowl by Kawai Kanjiro enclosed in a kiriwood box titled O-yu Tsutsugaki-mon Wan annotated by Kawai Toshitaka, current head of the Kawai Kanjiro Museum. This piece dates from later in the artists illustrious career, 1950s-1960s. It is 4 inches (10 cm) diameter, 3-1/4 inches (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.

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 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”.

A fabulous vase in the form of a rice pestle by Bizen Living National Treasure Kaneshige Toyo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Kine-gata Hanaire (Vase in the Shape of a Pestle). A fabulous range of colors plays across the surface, all natural kiln effects resulting from heat, cold, clay content and placement. The vase is 26 cm (10 inches) tall and in excellent condition. It comes with a custom made black lacquered wooden outer box to protect the original box.
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”.

Horses dash past in a fervent black mass both carved into and built up onto the paddled surface of this large vessel ballooning open from a narrow base by Nakazato Tarouemon XIII enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Inside the box is written Tataki Tsubo (Paddled Vessel), Kurabe Uma (Horse Race), exhibited Autumn 1958 at the Tokyo Mitsukoshi Sports Theme Art Exhibition; Ochawangama, Nakazato Tadao (given name of Nakazato Tarouemon XIII) followed by the artists seal. An excellent example of the mid-century aesthetic. The vessel is 34.5 cm (13-1/2 inches) diameter, 30 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition. It has a copper insert for water (so you do not have to fill the whole Tsubo with water if displaying flowers). Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Nakazato Tadao (1923-2009) was born the first son of the 12th generation of Nakazato Tarouemon in Karatsu City. He graduated from the Craft Design Course, Tokyo School of Crafts (mod. Chiba University). In 1943, and first exhibited with the Nitten in 1951. In 1956 he would receive the Hokutosho prize there, followed by another commendation in 1958, and the JCS award in 1961. He took over the family name upon his fathers retirement in 1969. He would go on to receive many awards throughout his career, including the Prime Minister's Award in 1981, and the Japan Art Academy Award in 1984, The Saga Prefectural Order of Cultural Merit in 1985, and the Order of Cultural Merit by Karatsu city in 1995. In 2002 he retired from the world, entering a Buddhist temple and taking the name Hoan. He would ultimately be awarded the Order of the Rising Sun for his lifes work and be appointed an adviser of the Japan Art Academy. He was succeeded by his son,

Five unique plates by Tomimoto Kenkichi, from various eras depicting bucolic scenery each uniquely signed on the back. Kenkichi changed his signature regularly, which makes it very easy to date his works. These date from the 1950s. Each is between 18.5 and 19.5 cm diameter (roughly 7-1/2 inches). One has a slight firing flaw near at the rim, otherwise they are all in excellent condition. A smaller 6th plate will be included, bonus.
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.

A rare set of small early earthy dishes by Kiyomizu Rokubei VII enclosed in the original wooden box signed Hiroshi titled Ki-yu Memezara roku-iri (6 Yellow Glazed Small Dishes). Dating from the 1950s, the shapes are flawless, and show the mastery of design for which this artist would become known. They are 14 cm (5-1/2 inches) diameter and all are in excellent condition.
Kiyomizu Kyubei (1922-2006) was born Tsukamoto Hiroshi in Nagoya. He graduated from Nagoya Industrial High School (now the Nagoya Institute of Technology), majoring in architecture. Coming of age during the war years was not easy. he worked in glass and metal before being adopted into the Kiyomizu family in 1951. In 1953 he graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in metal casting. In 1958 he continued his studies of sculpture under under Shigeru Senno, while working in clay at the Rokubei kiln. In 1963 he became an assistant professor at the Kyoto City University of Arts, advancing to full professor in 1968. He then took a one year sabbatical in Italy and since has received many prizes including the 17th Mainichi Arts Award in 1976 and the Excellence Award at the Henry Moore Grand Prize Exhibition in 1979. He succeeded as head of the Kiyomizu Family in 1980, relinquishing the reins to his son Masahiro in 2000. According to the catalog from the recent Kyubei/Kazuo exhibition “The works by Kiyomizu Hiroshi dating from the 1950s display handsome, geometric forms. Design like consideration is a sensibility shared by many ceramicists today and he gives us an impression that he was ahead of his time. The National Museums of Modern Art in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka hold 16 works by this important artist.

A true work of art by the most sought after of all Japanese potters, Kawai Kanjiro (1890-1966), enclosed in the original signed and stamped wooden box dating from the 1940s. It is covered in an unusual green glaze with swirling deco design on the shoulder, spinning flowers in the center like an iron dragon. The depth of the soft swirls around the neck is phenomenal. That contrasted with the crisp clarity of the iron design on the unusual green field make this vase very desirable. It is expertly crafted from red clay, and measures 7-3/4 inches (19.5cm) tall, 6-1/2 by 5-3/4 inches (14.5 x 16.5 cm) across the body. It is in perfect condition. 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 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