Modern Japanese Ceramics Pottery Contemporary
By Appointment is best. You might get lucky just popping by, but a great deal of the month I am out visiting artists or scouring up new items, so days in the gallery are limited.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1489295 (stock #MC609)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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a ghostly bowl in the shape of a curled leaf, a wash of thin black accentuating the folds in the hadn formed clay by Shigemori Yoko enclosed in a wooden box titled Happa-bachi (Leaf Bowl). It is slab formed, one of her favorite methods, covered in black then washed down revealing the clay under a thin fog of black, which has remained in the crevices. It measures 15 x 19 x 9.5 cm (6 x 7-1/2 x just under 4 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist’s family, the box signed inside by her brother Naoki.
Shigemori Yoko (1953-2021) was born in Kagoshima. Yoko came to Kyoto where she initially studied painting at the Kyoto Tankidai Art College, then moved to ceramics at the Kyoto Municipal Art University where she studied traditional pottery techniques under Kondo Yutaka before entering advanced courses under avant-garde Yagi Kazuo, graduating in 1979. Her first solo exhibitions were held while still a student at Gallery Iteza in Kyoto. She eschewed the world of competitive exhibitions in favor of the intimacy of private galleries, and her list of solo exhibitions is expansive. She received the Yagi Kazuo prize in 1986 and 1988 at the Nihon Gendai Togeiten National Modern Ceramics Exhibition. She was one of five artists featured in Toh, volume 76, the first issue dedicated to Kyoto potters. Toh was, at the time
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1472523 (stock #MC327)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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An incredible universe is born in the center of this masterpiece by Tenmoku legend Kimura Moriyasu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Tenmoku Chawan. It is 14 cm (5-3/4 inches) diameter, 7 cm tall and in excellent condition.
Born into the Kimura family in Kyoto in 1935 the youngest of four children, it was only natural for Moriyasu to move into ceramics, following and training under his brother Morikazu and learning decorating techniques from his father. It was in 1959 (at the age of 24) when Moriyasu gained National attention as he was selected as one of the participants at the Modern Ceramics of Japan exhibition at the National Museum of Art. Into the 60s he began exhibition with the Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition. It was when viewing a National Treasure Tsubo in the Atake collection that he was moved to express himself solely through the perfection of Tenmoku oil spot glazes. He is held in several important public collections, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas and Houston Museums, Peabody Essex Museum, National Palace Museum Taiwan, as well as the collection of Ise Shrine.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1368832 (stock #1161)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A very unusual architectural shape by Takauchi Shugo covered in winnowing blue salt glaze enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shio-yu Mentori Tsubo. This artist does have a surprisingly wide range, and this piece certainly proves that. Adept at Shino, Oribe, Mashiko styles and others, he is a tough one to nail down and even more difficult to acquire, his pieces proving very popular at exhibition. This is a rare opportunity to acquire one of his masterpieces. It is 27 x 26 x 23.5 cm (10-1/2 x 10-1/4 x 9-1/4 inches) and in excellent condition.
Shugo was born in Tokyo in 1937, opening his kiln in Mashiko at the age of 31. He has exhibited at the Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition and as well as Gendai Nihon Togeiten National Modern Ceramics Exhibition in addition to innumerable public and private exhibitions. He is recipient of the Order of Cultural Merrit from Tochigi Prefecture, and his works have been selected for international exhibitions (Paris, London, Denmark and America) and work by him is held in the V&A, The Art Gallery of New South Wales. For more see the Book “Japanese Studio Crafts” (1995) by Rupert Faulkner of “Fired with Passion” (2006) by Beatrice Chang and Samuel J Lurie.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1462947 (stock #1922)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Enigmatic natural forms seem fossilized on the white surface of this rare guinomi by female pottery star Hattori Makiko enclosed in a black lidded wooden box signed and dated inside Heisei 27 (2015) and titled simply Shuki. It is 7.5 cm (3 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. This was from way back when we could acquire works by her. Those days are long gone, and this is the last of its kind.
Hattori Makiko was born in Aichi prefecture in 1984. She graduated the Aichi Prefectural University of Education of in 2007, moving to advanced courses which she graduated in 2009. While still in University she participated in her first event, the 40th Female Artists Exhibition in 2006. In 2007 she was accepted into the 45th Asahi Togeiten (and the following year the 46th). In 2008 she was exhibited at the INAX gallery and Chunichikan (Chinese Korean and Japanese) International Art Exhibition. That same year her work was exhibited in Taiwan. 2009 found her in a group exhibition with several rising stars. Tanaka Tomomi, Nakashima Harumi and Hattori Makiko. Since then she has concentrated more on art fairs and festivals, rather than the large competitive exhibitions held nationally. Preferring the interaction with visitors which these smaller venues allow, and reliving the pressure to constantly produce volume so as to stay focused on quality and Uniqueness. Now a mother, there are even more demands on her time.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Porcelain : Contemporary item #1477379
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Gold pinstripes glimmer beneath the yellow glaze of this striking pitcher by Ono Jiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yuri Kinsai Suichu. The vessel is expertly crafted, with the title Suichu being open ended, so that it may serve for serving Japanese sake, tea or any other liquid. It is 21 cm (8 inches) tall and in excellent condition. In the first photograph it is shown with a sake cup made by his wife Emi, the cup is not included.
Ono Jiro was born in Saga, in 1953, the son of future porcelain star Ono Hakuko. He graduated from the prefectural Ceramics Research facility in 1971. He continued there studying Wheel technique, graduating again in 1977. He has exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, National Ceramic Art Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten. Much lauded, he has been repeatedly awarded at the Kyushu Yamaguchi Ceramics Exhibition, Saga prefectural Art Exhibition and West Japan Crafts Exhibition among many others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1479299 (stock #MC108)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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An emerald tear clings to the lip of this fabulous sake flask by Furutani Taketoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Tokkuri. It is 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter, 13.5 cm (5-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition, directly from the artist. .
Furutani Taketoshi was born the son of master craftsman Furutani Hirofumi in 1974, graduating the Shigaraki Industrial High School Ceramics department in 1992 before entering the Shiga prefectural Ceramics Research Facility where he learned first Small Rokuro wheel technique, graduating the following year. In 1993 he would find himself under the tutelage of Suzuki Iwau before re-entering for a second course at the Research Facility, graduating in 1995. From then he returned to the family kiln where he learned in the time-honored tradition from both his grandfather Churoku I and father Hirofumi (Churokuk II). In 2013 he was named a Dento Kogeishi Traditional Craftsman. Since he has exhibited consistently at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. Subverting the self, he makes simple, organic pots which have a timeless quality. As well he dares new forms and challenges the clay with innovative techniques, coercing from the pliable earth challenging incarnations very much rooted in the now, yet still paying homage to the traditions passed down through the ages.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Porcelain : Contemporary item #1356824 (stock #1110)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Gold bubbles out from the scraffito marked white surface of this kogo incense box with accompanying black and opaque glass incense burner by Kondo Takahiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The glass box is 9.5 x 11.3 x 10 cm. The pottery box is 6 x 5 x 4 cm and both are in excellent condition.
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)
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1438013 (stock #1630)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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My Australian friend nailed it when he looked at this Tsujimura Shiro tsubo and emphatically declared: Bro that is crusty as….
Shiro is known for his lopsided forms and ash encrustation, and this vessel does not disappoint. It is 18 cm (7 inches) diameter, roughly the same height and in excellent condition, enclosed in the original signed wooden box.
Tsujimura Shiro was born in Nara in 1947, and began his steps into the art world as an oil painter in 1965. While living at a Buddhist temple he experienced a profound connection with a Korean Tea Bowl, and began potting. He established his kiln and residence in 1970, with his first solo exhibition held in 1977. By the 1990s he had become an international star, with works exhibited in the US, UK, Germany, France and many other nations. He is highly acclaimed and somewhat reclusive, avoiding the public spectacles often needed to make one in Japan. A must have in any contemporary collection of Japanese ceramic art, work by him is held in museums throughout the globe, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at Smithsonian Institution, The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, The Spencer Museum, Ackland Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, The British Museum, Stockholm Museum of Art and the Miho Museum among many others
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1480076 (stock #FT23)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A rare blue gleams on the edges of this small cuboid by Furutani Taketoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Hen Hana-ire. The surface is heavily abraded as with a chisel, giving plenty of grip for the natural blown-ash glaze. It is 9 x 6.5 x 9 cm (3-1/2 x 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Furutani Taketoshi was born the son of master craftsman Furutani Hirofumi in 1974, graduating the Shigaraki Industrial High School Ceramics department in 1992 before entering the Shiga prefectural Ceramics Research Facility where he learned first Small Rokuro wheel technique, graduating the following year. In 1993 he would find himself under the tutelage of Suzuki Iwau before re-entering for a second course at the Research Facility, graduating in 1995. From then he returned to the family kiln where he learned in the time-honored tradition from both his grandfather Churoku I and father Hirofumi (Churoku II). In 2013 he was named a Dento Kogeishi Traditional Craftsman. Since he has exhibited consistently at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. Subverting the self, he makes simple, organic pots which have a timeless quality. As well he dares new forms and challenges the clay with innovative techniques, coercing from the pliable earth challenging incarnations very much rooted in the now, yet still paying homage to the traditions passed down through the ages.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1489918 (stock #MC685)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A beautiful small Guinomi by Matsuo Takaaki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Yohen Hai. It is 7 cm 2-3/4 inches) diameter, 5 cm (2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Matsuo Takaaki was born in Yokohama in 1938. He began studies under Tsuji Seimei at Renkoji in 1960 where he trained for over 15 years. He became independent in 1975 and built a climbing kiln in Tama. Since he has been exhibited with the Issuikai but mainly focuses on the intimacy of private exhibitions.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1474349 (stock #MC238)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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This raw form covered in scorched white has been slabbed off in the Shinogi style by Atarashi Manabu. The word Shinogi denotes the curve on a samurai Sword blade, and has come to be used in pottery to describe things which have been scored or sculpted with a knife. The sake vessel is 15.5 cm (6 inches) tall and in excellent condition and comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shino Shinogi Tokkuri.
Atarashi Manabu has been growing in popularity as one of the leaders in the Iga pottery tradition since the first time I saw his work nearly 20 years ago when visiting the family showroom in Iga village. Born in 1973 in Osaka son of the second generation artist and one of the leading revivalists of the Iga tradition in post war Japan, Atarashi Kanji. He graduated the literature department of Kansai University in 1995, moving to apprentice under his father a few years later. In 2002 he built his first anagama Kiln, and held his first of a multitude of solo exhibitions. Intensely fired multiple times to achieve the bidoro glass puddles and landscape effects which define his aesthetic, the geometric works add a contemporary sensibility to the traditional Iga style and transcend the realm of utilitarian crafts breaking into the sculptural domain. His work has proven innovative and challenging to the norm, taking his fathers tradition into the 21st century.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Porcelain : Contemporary item #1449846 (stock #1778)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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This young guy’s stuff is very chic; a sake set by Kato Yoshiyasu in purest white and darkest black, everything a dialog between shadow and form. Here the artist has used a combination of his repertoire. The cup is pure white dipped into black, the black then chiseled away in divots creating a beautiful pattern for the eyes and texture for fingers. The Ozabu (Pillow shaped Daiza saucer) is a flattened ball, dimpled to receive the cup, then pierced with various sized holes. Alongside standing sentry the bent silhouette of the Tokkuri, a dark belt between pierced white: an eggshell coming apart. The cup is petite, perfect for a summer sipping reishu cold sake, the rim folded in to trap the delicate aroma. The UFO shaped Daiza (saucer) is 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter and the Tokkuri is 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) tall. All are in excellent condition, enclosed in their respective signed boxes, directly from the artist this summer.
Kato Yoshiyasu was born in Aichi prefecture in 1985, and graduated the Kurashiki Kogei Crafts School design department in 2008. He then went on to study at the Tajimi Ceramics Research Facility, finishing there in 2014. He moved to Nshio city in 2018, where he set up a studio and works today while raising a cute little baby with his wife.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1490138 (stock #MC195)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A pair of eight sided Shino Yunomi Cups by Suzuki Osamu (Kura) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shino Yunomi. Each is decorated with triangles about the skirt, in red on white and in white on red. A striking combination, they are 7.5 cm (3 inches) tall, roughly the same diameter, and in excellent condition. A major retrospective will be held on the artist in Japan.
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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Porcelain : Contemporary item #1449912 (stock #1780)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A Beautiful bowl in crackled white set into a lattice like structure of raw porcelain pierced with a plethora of various sized holes by Kato Yoshiyasu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Haku-yu no wan (White Glazed Bowl). A singular drip of fissured glass forms a bead from the bulging line between the thick glaze and raw clay where the two parts of the bowl have been joined. It is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter, 10 cm (4 inches) tall and in excellent condition, from the artist this year.
Kato Yoshiyasu was born in Aichi prefecture in 1985, and graduated the Kurashiki Kogei Crafts School design department in 2008. He then went on to study at the Tajimi Ceramics Research Facility, finishing there in 2014. He moved to Nshio city in 2018, where he set up a studio and works today while raising a cute little baby with his wife.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1455327 (stock #1578)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A superb example of this traditional shape by Living National Treasure Isezaki Jun enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Mizusashi. Glaze seems to be worn and deteriorated from centuries of use on the dark earthen surface. It is 18.5 cm (7-1/2 inches) Diameter, 19 cm (7-5/8 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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1470278 (stock #MC080)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A hakuji sake bottle with a slightly lobed seihakuji sake cup by Suzuki Osamu enclosed respectively in their original signed wooden boxes. The Tokkuri is faceted with a spiraling twist, creating a fun dialog between itself and the low, lobed cup, at the center of which is impressed the character, Flower. The cup is 9.5 cm (just less than 4 inches) diameter, the Tokkuri is 16.2 cm (6-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Suzuki Osamu (1926-2001) was, along with Kumakura Junkichi, Hikaru Yamada and Yagi Kazuo, one of the founding members of Sodeisha. He studied pottery at the Daini Kogyo Gakko in Kyoto. In 1948 he helped to establish Sodeisha. He received the JCS award in 1959 (and was granted the rare gold award in 1983). In 1962 he was awarded at the Prague International Ceramics Expo, the first of many international awards. In 1987 he was granted the Order of Cultural Merit by Kyoto Prefecture, followed by the same award from Kyoto City in 1993 and 1994. He exhibited with Sodeisha, The National Ceramics Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten) among others. 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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1472382 (stock #MC208)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Words fall short on describing this breathtaking vessel by master potter Kimura Morikazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Biryu Kessho Yohen Chawan. It is quite large at 14.5 cm (nearly 6 inches) diameter, 8 cm tall and is in perfect condition.
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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1449764 (stock #1775)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A modern interpretation of the six sided shuki popular in ki-seto from the Momoyama period, this in white Raku by Hashimoto Tomonari enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shiro Raku Guinomi. The fire blackened (originally white) clay sets off the thick white glazze like winter snow receding from garden stones. It is 6 cm (2-3/8 inches) across, the same height and in excellent condition, directly from the artist this year.
Hashimoto Tomonari was born the son of a sculptor and has felt comfortable with the processes of creation since childhood. He graduated with a masters from the Kanazawa University of Art in March 2017, then relocated to Shigaraki. A visit to his humble home studio is eye opening. Although he comes across as shy in conversation, when you move on to the subject of art, he is all confidence. He was named a finalist for the Loewe Craft Prize in 2019 and is already making international waves around Asia. He is held in the collection of the V&A London and Los Angeles County Museum.