Catalog: Artists: Ceramics: Porcelain (96)

A globular vase covered in the trademark sansai glazes of Ningenkokuho Tokuda Yasokichi III (Masahiko) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The vase is 6-1/2 inches (17 cm) diameter and in excellent condition. Designated Living National Treasure in 1997 for his supremacy in the use of Kutani glazes, Yasokichi, born Masahiko, has gone a step further than many National Treasures by broadening his spectrum with a new style of Kutani ware. Masahiko graduated from the Kanazawa school of arts, and took up apprenticeship under his father Yasokichi II. His works are held by many private collections, as well as the Polk museum and Kanazawa Contemporary Museum of Art.

A breathtaking white form of draped porcelain by Nagae Shigekazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box with the original Daimaru Department Store exhibition invitation. Light patterns are almost indiscernible on the surface, incredibly detailed and crisp when viewed close-up. What is surprising about this work is the weight, incredibly light. The piece measures 16 x 16 x 5 inches (41 x 41 x 12 cm) and is in excellent condition. Due to fragility this piece will require special shipping consideration.
Shigekazu (b. 1953) graduated the Seto Industrial School of Ceramics in 1974 Beginning to grab attention in the late 70s, he has striven to perfect porcelain casting techniques, creating one-off shapes and forms previously impossible. He is held in the collection of the V&A (London), LACMA (Los Angeles) and the National Gallery of Australia, Cincinnati and Cleveland Art Museums, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Japan Foundation and many many others. With very low output, this is a rare opportunity to join the worlds top museum collections by acquiring this artist.

A pair of celadon Te-shoku candle sticks by contemporary potter Orita Tatsuya enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The elegantly sculpted base rises to a dish in which is imbedded a brass pin to secure the candle, with a long tapering handle. The handle features a bamboo nodule decoration in the center, with a curl of clay at the end, the rough edges of which, like a shaving of planed wood contrasting with the perfection of the form. Each is roughly 9-1/2 inches (18 cm) long, 4-1/2 inches 11 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Born in Kagawa prefecture in 1964, Tatsuya entered the Seto Ceramics Research facility in 1984 before moving to apprentice under Takita Koichi. He moved to establish his own kiln in 1989. Twice prized at the Nihon Mingei-Kan Ten, he has been exhibited at the Nihon Dento Kogei-Ten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition) as well as the Nihon Togei Ten (National Ceramics Exhibtion) where he received the Nihon Togei-Ten Prize in 1999 and the Mombu Kagaku Daijin Sho prize in 2009. In 2008 his entry was purchased by the Imperial Household Agency.

A sometsuke vase titled Time and Space by Kondo Takahiro published in the retrospective hard cover book “Kondo Takahiro ‘91-‘99” and enclosed in the original signed wooden box with exhibitions labels attached. It is 21 x 14 x 17 cm (8 x 5-1/2 x 7 inches). This piece was used as the cover of the book which is included with the sale.
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)

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)

A small celadon box by in the shape of an elephane by Akiyama Yo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Zo Kogo. Kogo are used to carry Shaped Incense. It is 2 x 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches (6 x 5 x 6.5 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Akiyama Yo was born in Yamaguchi, home of Hagi pottery) in 1953, but went to Kyoto to study at the Kyoto Municipal University of Arts in 1976. He has an impressive list of exhibitions both domestic and abroad. He was recipient of the prestigious JCS (Japan Ceramics Society) award in 1996 as well as the coveted Tanabe Art Museum Contemporary Forms in Tea Prize in 2006 among many others. Work by him is held in the Victoria Albert Museum, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Minneapolis Institute of Art, National Museum of Modern Art and Municipal Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, Portland Museum, Museum of Modern Art in Shiga, Houston Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Gallery of South Australia among many others..

A very rare early sculpture by Imaizumi Masato (now Living National Treasure Imaizumi Imaemon XIV) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shizen to no Kakawari Kata (In Relation to Nature) Plate III. Paper thin shards are embedded in the un-glazed disc of raw white Kaolin clay, a powerful expression indeed on our relationship with the natural world. It is 11 inches diameter and in excellent condition.
Imaizumi Masato succeeded as Imaemon XIV in 2002, heir to a century’s long tradition of working in porcelain. However he studied initially sculpture at Musashino Art University and trained with Suzuki Osamu of Sodeisha fame, and thus has a firm background in the avant garde. Since inheriting the family name he has concentrated on both traditional techniques of Iro-Nabeshima, while exploring new techniques using ink’s feature of repelling pigment and disappearing after firing. In 2009, he was granted the Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Emperor. In 2014, he received the ultimate distinction as the youngest artist in Japan ever to be designated a Living National Treasure.

The elegance of these works by Fukami has created a stir in the collecting world which has not abated over the last 25 years. Offered here a rare wing (or blade as some describe them) object by world renowned Fukami Sueharu dating circa 2006 enclosed in the original wooden box titled “Tenku”, signed and stamped by the artist. It is mounted on a wooden base, and comes with an artist designed metal stand (all fit in the box). The sculpture is 13 inches (33 cm) long and is in perfect condition.
Fukami Sueharu is synonymous with seihakuji celadon. He has been displayed numerous times at the prestigious Nitten, Nihon Togei Ten (National Japanese Ceramic Exhibition) and Nihon Gendai Kogei Ten (National Japanese Modern Crafts Exhibition) among others. He is held in the Yale University Museum among others. For more information on this artist a quick web-search, or a look at the article highlighting his life in the March 2005 edition of Orientations Magazine will be enlightening. The list of museums holding his work is, in fact, much to long for this page, but includes the National Museums of Modern Art, Tokyo /Kyoto / and Osaka, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Philadelphia St. Louis, Portland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Smithsonian, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Musée national de céramique, Sèvres, Musée des arts décoratifs, Paris, Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf and the National Gallery of Australia among many others

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

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

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

We have stood in line for years to acquire some work by this popular artist! This is a gold lined Natsume tea urn decorated with genuine platinum by Yamamoto Ichiyo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Jun-Platinum-sai Gingawa. The detail is breathtaking、like holding porcelain jewels. It is 3 inches (8 cm) tall and in perfect condition.
Yamamoto Ichiyo was born in Nagasaki in 1944. He began his career at an Arita Porcelain ceramic facility in 1969. In 1974 he would spend a year in Taiwan studying porcelain before returning to Japan, where he would establish his own kiln in Imari the following year. He would begin research into platinum glazing in the mid eighties, garnering awards in Paris three years running (1986, ’87, ’88) after which he would move to Takatsuki on the border between Osaka and Kyoto, where he would immerse himself in cultural studies. In 1993 he would move to Hyogo prefecture, then would begin a period where his fame would grow, while his roots in any one place did not, only returning to Imari nearly a decade later in 2001. Since his work has been exhibited throughout Japan and abroad in such places as Valencia, Los Angeles, New York and San Diego.

Celadon is all about form, and here Yagi Akira has nailed it with this expertly executed architectural silhouette covered in pale blue-green glaze and enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 4-1/2 inches (14 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
This name is a must have in any collection of modern Japanese Pottery. Akira was born in Kyoto in 1955, son of avant garde Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979) one of the founding members of Sodeisha. Akira was voted one of the 20 most important living artists by Honoho, Japans premier printed ceramic forum. Works by the artist are held in the British Museum, Victoria Albert Museum, Cleveland Art Museum, Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian and Tokyo Muesum of Modern Art among many others. He was also the recipient of the Japan Ceramic Society (JCS) award in 1998, one in a long and prestigious list of awards.

An unusual tall bottle form vase by Tokuda Masahiko (Tokkuda Yasokichi III) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 31.5 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition, the spiraling neck in blue fading through yellow to deep aubergine. It is signed on the base Kutani Masahiko.
Tokuda Masahiko (Yasokichi III) was designated Living National Treasure in 1997 for his supremacy in the use of Kutani glazes, Yasokichi, born Masahiko, has gone a step further than many National Treasures by broadening his spectrum with a new style of Kutani ware. Masahiko graduated from the Kanazawa school of arts, and took up apprenticeship under his father Yasokichi II. His works are held by many private collections, as well as the Polk museum and Kanazawa Contemporary Museum of Art.

A very unusual covered urn made to hold fresh water for the tea ceremony of pristine white clay splashed with rivulets of emerald Seihakuji glaze by Tokuda Junko (Yasokichi IV) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seihakuji-yu Mizusashi dating from 2003. More commonly we see the pieces made in the vein of her father’s style, and I am proud to be able to offer this piece which is both feminine and quite unique to her. It is 8 inches (20 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Tokuda Junko (Yasokichi IV) was born the first child of future Living National Treasure Tokuda Masahiko in 1961. While on a trip to the United States in her mid-20s, the young Tokuda came across a pot from Jingdezhen, China and drew her back to the fold of the family tradition. She graduated from the Institute for Kutani in 1990 and embarked on her path as an artist. Succeeding the family name in 2010 upon the passing of her father, Junko is one of very few female heads of traditional potting family.

An elegant form in rich color by Living National Treasure Tokuda Masahiko (Yasokichi III) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 26 cm (10-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Tokuda Masahiko (1933- 2009, Yasokichi III) was designated Living National Treasure in 1997 for his supremacy in the use of Sai-yu Kutani glazes. Yasokichi, born Masahiko, went a step further than many National Treasures by broadening his spectrum with a new style of Kutani ware. Masahiko graduated from the Kanazawa school of arts, and took up apprenticeship under his father Yasokichi II. His works are held by many private collections, as well as the Polk museum and Kanazawa Contemporary Museum of Art. The family name is now carried by his daughter, Junko, who now bears the title Tokuda Yasokichi IV.

A deep oblong bowl decorated in abstract underglaze blue imagery with flashes of red by Shibata Ryozo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Sometsuke Aka-e Hachi dating circa 1995. It is 17 x 19.5 x 6.5 cm (6-1/2 x 7-1/2 x 3 inches) an is in excellent condition.
Shibata Ryozo (b. 1952) completed advanced studies at the Kyoto Municipal University of Arts in 1978 (his work was purchased by the university the previous year for its permanent collection). In 1993 he first exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten National Traditional Crafts Association, and in 94 was awarded at the Izushi Porcelain Trienial in Hyogo. After that he concentrated more on the Kansai area, and has been awarded at the Kyoto Bijutsu Kogeiten (97), Kyoto Kogei Bijutsu Sakka Kyokai Ten (98), Seto Sometsuke Exhibition (99) and Osaka Crafts Exhibition on multiple occasions. He has been a guest speaker at the University of Michigan in 2005, and artist in residence in Campbell Australia in 2006. Just this year his work was selected for exhibition in Boston at the Society of Arts and Crafts. In 2014 his work was collected by the Imperial household agency, and he is held in the collections of Kyoto City and Toyooka City Museums among others.

A fabulous porcelain sake set by Minami Ayako from her legendary Yukifusuma (Blanket of Snow) series featuring a brilliant flower peering out from a drift of white, each enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Here both a sake cup and Kataguchi pouring vessel, the cup is 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter. The Kataguchi is 15 x 11 x 9.5 cm (6 inches long) and both are in new condition.
Minami Ayako was born the daughter of Kutani artist Minami Shigmasa in Ishikawa prefecture, 1984. While working at the family kiln, she studied, graduating from the Kutani Prefectural Ceramic Research Facility in 2007. The following year her work was awarded at the Kyoto Kogei Crafts Biennale and was selected for exhibition at the Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition. Her work has since been exhibited there, as well as the Ishikawa Traditional Crafts Exhibition (awarded), Kanazawa Crafts Exhibition and Traditional Kutani Ware Crafts Exhibition (collected by the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art). She received honorable mention at the 73rd Issuikai Exhibition in 2011. Her series Yukifusuma (Blanket of snow) has achieved