Catalog: Artists: Ceramics: Porcelain (84)

A striking ceramic box scrawled with abstract lines covered in silver on top with silver droplets of mist covering the blue sides by Kondo Takahiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Jigen Jikiro. It is 14.5 x 8.5 x 7 cm (5-3/4 x 3-1/4 x 3 inches) and is in perfect condition.
Kondo Takahiro (b. 1958) was born the grandson of Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo. However, he graduated Hosei University not with a degree in sculpture or crafts, but in Literature. From there he studied at the Kyoto Prefectural Technical Institute of Ceramics, followed by a year at the Kyoto Municipal Institute of Industrial Research. 15 years later he would spend a year in Edinburgh studying glass making, and with this combination of skills, was born the silver mist series for which he is so highly acclaimed. Work by him is held in Museums throughout the world, including the National Museum of Scotland, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Museum of Arts & Design, New York, Spencer Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Art Gallery NSW, Sydney, Hamilton Art Gallery, Australia, Miho Museum. National Gallery of Victoria, Paramita Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Shigaraki, and The São Paulo Museum of Art, Brazil among others. Without a doubt one of the most important contemporary artists in Japan today. For more see Celestial Ceramics: The Art of Kondo Takahiro (2002)

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.

A huge porcelain vase in shattered gold by legendary porcelain artist Ono Hakuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yuri Kinsai Tsubo ‘Kagayaku’ (Shine). It is 37.5 cm (15 inches) tall 25 cm (10 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. From Aichi prefecture, Ono Hakuko was trained by her father initially in the ceramic arts. However, she was most strongly influenced by the great experimentive artist Kato Hajime (1901-1968) and his work with gold. This affected her own style deeply, and it can be said that she carried on his research. She was awarded the JCS award in 1980, one of Japans most prestigious ceramics awards. In 1992 she was named an important cultural asset (Juyo mukei bunkazai) of Saga prefecture. Bucking the traditional image here is another of Japans great cultural assets who fought against a system of prejudice to rise to the top and it is an honor to be able to offer something by her. For more on this important modern artist see Touch Fire, contemporary Japanese Ceramics by Women Artists (2009)

9 faceted sides rise up to the circular rim forming this deep bowl enveloping a jade pool by Yoshikawa Masamichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Wan. The sides have been slabbed away forming 9 facets on 9 facets, resting on a seven sided foot. Defining each flattened surface are blue architectural lines. It is 13 cm (5 inches) diameter, 8 cm tall and in perfect condition.
Yoshikawa Masamichi was born in Kanagawa in 1946, and graduated the Japanese Design Academy in 1968. He first garnered attention in Japan being awarded at the 1971 Asahi Togeiten Ceramics Exhibition, and the following year received honorable mention at the 3rd International Biennale of Ceramic Art Vallorious France(Gold prize there in 2002). He has since received numerous prizes including Grand Prize at the Asahi Togeiten 1981, 1983 as well as the Aichi Prefectural Art and Cultur Award in 2005. Work is held in the Korea World Ceramic Center (Soul), American Craft Museum New York, Keramik Museum Germany, Brooklyn Musuem, Tokoname City Museum, V&A London among many others.

It's Alive! Metal staples hold together this Frankenstein vessel in elegant white with patches of glimmering gold and platinum by Masatomo Toi enclosed in an artist signed wooden box. The rough looking sutures contrast wtih the white porcelain with its transparent skin. The vase is just less than 30 cm (12 inches) tall and in perfect condition, directly from the artist.
Masatomo Toi was born in Aichi Prefecture in 1992, and graduated the Design course at the Tajimi Ceramics Research Facility in 2019. Since he has been developing his series of “Thorny” vessels and objects. At the same time he has been studying the way of tea, and these bowls are his first unadorned venture into the tea world (although we will also offer a few striking horned chawan as well). His works have been featured in a number of group and juried exhibitions. He will soon depart Japan for a year of study and experimentation abroad, and we expect great things in his future.

A bottomless green pool by master of Seihakuji Kato Tsubusa enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Wan. A big telltale tear drop reaches down to grasp the table, exquisite. It is 5-1/2 inches (14 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Kato Tsubusa was born in Tajimi city, the home of Shino, in 1962, graduating the municipal Pottery Design and Technical Center in 1979. However, after working some in pottery, he moved on to white porcelain, a leap from which he has never looked back. He has been displayed at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, The Chunichi Kokusai Togei Ten (Chunichi International Ceramics Exhibition) and The Asahi Togei Ten as well as private exhibitions overseas (New York among others). Work by him is held in the Aichi Ceramics Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, The Brooklyn Museum, The Gifu Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, the Ibaraki Ceramic art Museum, the Musee Tomo in Tokyo, the Victoria & Albert Museum among others For more on this important artist see Toh, Volume 85 (1993), which is entirely dedicated to him. Also Quiet Clarity “RIN” (1996), or Fired with passion: Contemporary Ceramics of Japan (2007).

One of three vibrant sake cups by Nakashima Katsuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hai. Always cheerful, I love sharing a joyous cup with Katsuko. It is 6.5 cm (2-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Nakashima Katsuko graduated the Osaka School of Art and Design and first garnered attention with a silver prize at the Nihon Tojiki Ceramics Design competition in 1984. Her works have been selected for display and awarded at the Asahi Gendai Kogeiten Contemporary Craft Exhibition (awarded 1997), Mino International Ceramics Festival (Bronze award 1998) , Gyeonggi-do International Ceramics Exhibition, Korea, Gold prize in 2003 and Grand Prize at the Kobe International Ceramics Competition among a host of others.

Lightning splits the roiling clouds inside this silver glazed sake cup by Nakashima Katsuko enclosed in the original singed wooden box titled simply Hai. The inside is smooth porcelain decorated in blue and gold, while outside nubs lie under the silver, entertainment for the fingers while drinking. It is 6.5 cm (2-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Nakashima Katsuko graduated the Osaka School of Art and Design and first garnered attention with a silver prize at the Nihon Tojiki Ceramics Design competition in 1984. Her works have been selected for display and awarded at the Asahi Gendai Kogeiten Contemporary Craft Exhibition (awarded 1997), Mino International Ceramics Festival (Bronze award 1998) , Gyeonggi-do International Ceramics Exhibition, Korea, Gold prize in 2003 and Grand Prize at the Kobe International Ceramics Competition among a host of others.

A Tokkuri and two cups with applied gold floral designs on crimson by legendary female artist Ono Hakuko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kinrande Shuki. The Tokkuri is 14 cm (5-1/2 inches) tall, and all are in excellent condition.
From Aichi prefecture, Ono Hakuko was trained by her father initially in the ceramic arts. However she was most strongly influenced by the great experimentive artist Kato Hajime (1901-1968) and his work with gold. This affected her own style deeply, and it can be said that she carried on his research. She was awarded the JCS award in 1980, one of Japans most prestigious ceramics awards. In 1992 she was named an important cultural asset (Juyo mukei bunkazai) of Saga prefecture. Bucking the traditional image here is another of Japans great cultural assets who fought against a system of prejudice to rise to the top and it is an honor to be able to offer something by her. For more on this important modern artist see Touch Fire, contemporary Japanese Ceramics by Women Artists (2009)

A 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.

An intriguing white tower by Kato Kiyoyuki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hakuho 83-4. It is quite large at 54 cm (21-1/4 inches) and is in excellent condition. Although the size would make one expect it to be heavy, it is incredibly light. Deceptive….Intriguing…It feels more like a sculpture than a vase, a hallmark of this artist.
Kato Kiyoyuki was born in 1931, the heir to a long-established tile-making business in Seto, Kato studied ceramics at high school. His main interest lay in painting and sculpture, however, and it was only when he was in his late twenties that he began to work in ceramics. He made his submission to the Nitten exhibition in 1958. Having set out with an interest in producing well-designed utilitarian ceramics in keeping with the principles of the then newly established Japan Craft Design Association, he soon turned his hand to the making of 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. Rather as avant-garde tendencies in the world of flower-arranging led Hayashi Yasuo and other members of the Shikokai to produce so-called "objet" flower vases' in the late 1940s and 1950s, Terashige's experimental interests encouraged Kato to explore his sculptural ambitions in vessel as well as non-vessel formats. He is the recipient of the most prestigious Japan Ceramic Society Gold Prize

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 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)

A very rare set of 5 sencha tea cups by porcelain legend Fukami Sueharu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kiji Kumidashi Wan (yellow Celadon Tea Cups). Each cup is 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter, 6 cm (2-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. There is a stain in the box between the title and signature.
Fukami Sueharu is synonymous with seihakuji celadon. Born in Kyoto in 1947, he graduated the Kyoto Ceramics Research School in 1965. It was in 1981 that he was first recognized followed by grand prize at the Chunichi International Ceramics Exhibition the following year. In ’84 he would be awarded at the Nitten National Art Exhibition, and in ’85 received grand prize at the Faenza International Ceramic Exhibition, Italy. He would receive the prestigious JCS award in 1992 and the Order of Cultural Merit for Kyoto soon thereafter. He has been displayed at the Nitten, Nihon Togei Ten (National Japanese Ceramic Exhibition) Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten, and Nihon Gendai Kogei Ten (National Japanese Modern Crafts Exhibition) among many others. In 2011 he was exhibited in the Clark Center, California, and was one of a very few potters to receive the important JCS Gold Award in 2012. His work is held in the National Museums of Modern Art in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, an astounding fact for a living artist. Also Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Musée Tomo, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art in Gifu, Shiga Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art among other in Japan, and overseas The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Freer/Galleries at the Smithsonian, Yale University Art Gallery, Harvard Art Museum, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Art Institute of Chicago, Ackland Art Museum, Portland Art Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, Everson Museum of Art, Spencer Museum of Art, National Gallery of Australia, The British Museum, The V&A, Sevres Musée national de céramique, Faenze Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Museum of contemporary Art, Belgrade and Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires among many 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.

A small Tsubo by Living National Treasure Tokuda Masahiko (Yasokichi III) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 13.2cm (5-1/4 inches) diameter 13.5cm tall and in excellent condition.
Tokuda Yasokichi III (Masahiko, 1933-2009) was born the first son of Tokuda Yasokichi II who had been adopted as a teenager into the Tokuda family. Masahiko graduated from the Kanazawa school of arts, and took up apprenticeship under his grandfather and father Yasokichi I & II. Well versed in orthodox Kutani design, he broke with tradition developing his own unique style titled Saiyu in the 1970s. By broadening his spectrum with this new style of Kutani ware he garnered considerable attention. In 1986, he was named a Bearer of Important Intangible Cultural Assets by Ishikawa Prefecture (local version of Living National Treasure) and a decade later was designated Living National Treasure in 1997 for his supremacy in the use of Kutani glazes. Yasokichi III, His works are held by the Polk Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, The British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Smithsonian, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Kanazawa Contemporary Museum of Art among many others.

A set of five deep plates by Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo decorated with pomegranates in blue on snow white porcelain. The are 20.5 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, each signed on back. They come in a custom made contemporary box. 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.

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.

An unusual brilliantly colored fresh water jar for the tea ceremony by Living National Treasure Tokuda Masahiko (Yasokichi III) enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It ocmes with the original black lacquered lid. It is 14cm (5-1/2 inches) diameter 20.5cm(8 inches) tall and in perfect condition. There are chips to the lacquer on the handle of the lid, which are currently being professionally repaired.
Tokuda Yasokichi III (Masahiko, 1933-2009) was born the first son of Tokuda Yasokichi II who had been adopted as a teenager into the Tokuda family. Masahiko graduated from the Kanazawa school of arts, and took up apprenticeship under his grandfather and father Yasokichi I & II. Well versed in orthodox Kutani design, he broke with tradition developing his own unique style titled Saiyu in the 1970s. By broadening his spectrum with this new style of Kutani ware he garnered considerable attention. In 1986, he was named a Bearer of Important Intangible Cultural Assets by Ishikawa Prefecture (local version of Living National Treasure) and a decade later was designated Living National Treasure in 1997 for his supremacy in the use of Kutani glazes. Yasokichi III, His works are held by the Polk Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, The British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Smithsonian, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Kanazawa Contemporary Museum of Art among many others.