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 : Bowls : Pre 1980 item #1429847 (stock #1549)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Pre 2000 item #1411171 (stock #1384)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A slightly more austere work completing this tea set by Kanzaki Shiho enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Chawan and named inside the lid Amidha-Do (Hall of Amitabha). Here the artist has refrained from over-decoration, allowing the natural color and texture of the terracotta clay to dominate. It is 5-1/4 inches (13.3 cm) diameter, 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) tall and in excellent condition, dating circa 1990.
Kanzaki Shiho (1942-2018) preferred firing his kiln for ten days, resulting in the rich textures and heavy ash deposits apparent on his work. He was born in Shigaraki, and was fast tracked into the Kansai University Law Department, but rather the life of a lawyer, after graduation he went with his heart to take up the precarious life of a potter, apprenticing under Mino artist Matsuyama Suketoshi. Later he returned to Shigaraki working there at the research center while developing his own style and methods with the Anagama. He consistently stayed with the personal world of private exhibitions, developing a large following both at home and abroad and his list of exhibitions is impressive. He has been the subject of several documentaries and Television interviews, and is widely published. For more information see, The Fire Artist, a documentary by Canadian Director Claude Gagnon. He unfortunately passed away last year and these may be the last pieces we have by him.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1406948 (stock #1351)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A very unusual work by the challenging artist Nakata Atsushi covered in red lacquer with modern designs enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled URUSHI TEA BOWL. It is 11.5 x 13.5 x 9.5 cm (4-1/2 x 5-1/4 x 3-3/4 inches) and is in New condition.
Nakata Atsushi was born in Toyama in 1968, and studied in the blossoming field of videography at Osaka University of Art however chose the path of potter after working at a friends kiln while at school. He graduated in 1992, then apprenticed under Imai Yasuhito famed for his tea ware. In 1996 Atsushi set out on his own in Ueno City, Mie prefecture (the center of Iga ware). He uses lacquer in most of his works, which requires typically three firings, and his work is characterized by its contemporary design and utilitarian forms.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1381011 (stock #1232)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A Yuteki Tenmoku chawan in sumtous colors, dark blues within, midnight drizzling to sunrise pinks and sunset oranges on the side by Kimura Moriyasu enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 4-1/2 inches (11.5 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Kimura Moriyasu (b. 1935) studied pottery initially at the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility (which turned out such masters as Hamada Shoji and Kawai Kanjiro) and then under his brother Kimura Morikazu. He is well known for his use of crawling and oil spot glazes. He exhibits with the Gendai Nihon Togeiten and Nihon Dento Kogeiten among others. He has been awarded the Kyoto Prefectural Order of Cultural Merit (2004). Work by him is held in the Britush Museum, Boston Museum, Dallas Museum and Ise Shrine among others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1369211 (stock #1169)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Five completely unique bowls by important contemporary artist Yamada Kazu showing five unique aspects of Mino-ware enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Meshiwan, Shino, Hikidashi guro, Oribe, Kiseto, Kakuyu Oribe and dating circa 2000. Each is roughly 5 inches (12.5 cm) diameter and all are in excellent condition.
Kazu was born in Tokoname city, one of Japans ancient kiln areas, into a line of potters. He would have been influenced early on by his father, Yamada Kenkichi and uncle living National Treasure Yamada Jozan. He graduated the Osaka Art University before moving to Echizen to establish his first kiln. He was propelled to international fame after building an Anagama kiln in Germany in 1988. He has been displayed domestically at the Asahi Togeiten, Nipon Togeiten and Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten as well as a host of private exhibitions in prominent galleries and department stores.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1368524 (stock #1154)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A deep black glazed bowl perfect for winter tea by Tsukigata Nahiko enclosed in a wooden box annotated by his student and titled Seto Guro Chawan. The subtleties difficult to discern, there are two distinct colors of black, with shiny, and one matte. It is 4-1/2 inches (11.5 cm) diameter, 3-3/4 inches (9 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Tsukigata Nahiko (1923-2006) was not only an accomplished ceramic artist, but also a painter, calligrapher, sculptor and musician. Born in Niigata prefecture, he was at Waseda University in 1941 when he was summarily drafted into the Army. After the war he attended the Arts course of Nippon Daigaku University and was struck by the works of Living National Treasure Arakawa Toyozo, to whom he apprenticed in the arts of Shino and took his mentors work to a new level. Like all art, his was alive and always evolving. Starting with the replication and research of Momoyama techniques to the culmination of his efforts in Oni-shino, Nahiko has taken Shino beyond all others. It was not an easy road, for the first 15 years he worked for a ballet school, spent time as a recluse priest at Myoanji temple, and wandered the country playing the shakuhachi. It was a time of great change in Japan, starvation was rampant immediately after the war and supporting oneself through the little known art of Shino-yaki was difficult. However he persevered, along with Toyozo, Kato Juuemon, Kato Kohei and others, to bring Shino to the forefront of ceramic arts. Heavily prized domestically and abroad in his lifetime, his low output and unique quality make his work a must have for collectors. Ayukai Kogetsu was a female artist from Miyagi prefecture who became a student and follower of Tsukigata in 1979. She currently takes part in calligraphy and ceramic exhibitions throughout Japan.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Pre 2000 item #1367812 (stock #1144)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A delightful small tea bowl by one of the greatest potters of the 20th century, Kamoda Shoji, enclosed in a wooden box signed by his wife. Brown glaze is draped quietly across the rough dark clay, the contrast between simplicity and texture a pleasure to hold. It is 4 inches (10 cm) Diameter, 2-1/2 inches (6.5 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
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).
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Pre 2000 item #1367434 (stock #1138)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Five for silver… Six for gold… Seven for the secret….Suzuki Goro is counting crows surrounding the epitaph in the center of this Kuro-Shino Kataguchi bowl enclosed in the original signed wooden box. In the center we hear the words of Noguchi Ujo’s 1921 hit song “Karasu naze naku no? Karasu ha yama ni kawai nanatsu no ko ga aru kara yo…” (Why does the crow call? It calls for seven lovely children in the mountains…). As with everything there are many allusions in the lyrics, and much is either implied or left unsaid. ‘Seven children is a simple euphemism for many. The relaxed form is very much a product of this vivacious artist, whose lust for life is apparent in all he creates. The subject manner is yet quite unusual and striking for its audacity. The bowl is 13 inches (33 cm) diameter, 10 cm (4 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Suzuki Goro has a list of shows and prizes too lengthy to go through, but the highlights are, Nitten National Art Exhibition, Nihon Shin Kogei Ten (New National Crafts Exhibition), Nihon Gendai Kogei Ten (National Modern Crafts Exhibition), Asahi Togei Ten-(First of Show and governors prize), as well as the Kofukai Ten among many others. He has a strong and devout following both domestic and international.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1361557 (stock #1123)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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An incredible bowl of spotted ink supplanted by a midnight blue rim by Kimura Moriyasu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled humbly Tenmoku-yu Chawan. It is 5 inches (12.5 cm) diameter, 3-1/2 inches (8.5 cm) tall with a perfectly formed foot and slightly in-curving bowl form perfect for winter tea. The colors are reminiscent of the Kujaku-yu developed by Matsuyama Gae, yet the application is very different.
Kimura Moriyasu (b. 1935) studied pottery initially at the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility (which turned out such masters as Hamada Shoji and Kawai Kanjiro) and then under his brother Kimura Morikazu. He is well known for his use of crawling and oil spot glazes. He exhibits with the Gendai Nihon Togeiten and Nihon Dento Kogeiten among others. He has been awarded the Kyoto Prefectural Order of Cultural Merit (2004). Work by him is held in the Britush Museum, Boston Museum, Dallas Museum and Ise Shrine among others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1357443 (stock #1115)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Stripes of vivid color define this very large pottery bowl by Watanabe Kunio enclosed in the original wooden box titled Iro-e Kin/Gin-Sai Sen Mon Hachi. It is 43 cm (17 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
The first time I saw this artists work I was blown away by the precision, skill and beauty inherent. Kunio was born in Yamanashi Prefecture in 1967, graduating the top Art school in Japan, The Tokyo University of Art Ceramics division in 1994. Very unusual for a young potter, his first private exhibition at the Urawa Isetan Department store the following year, while still attending advanced studies at his alma mater. In 1996 he was accepted into the Dento Kogei Shinsaku-Ten Exhibition as well as the Tokai Dento Togei-Ten and established himself in Seto city. 1997 saw his first acceptance into the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition. In 2000 he was awarded at the Tokai Dento Togei-Ten and has since received numerous awards.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1354798 (stock #1043)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A spectacular work by Maeda Masahiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Iro-e Kin-gin-sai Mentori Hachi (Faceted Bowl with Gold, Silver and Colored Decoration). It is roughly 6-1/2 inches (16.5 cm) diameter, 5-1/4 inches (14 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Maeda Masahiro (b. 1948) graduated the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts in 1975where he received instruction from Living National Treasure Fujimoto Yoshimichi and Tamura Koichi as well as Asano Akira. He has exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogeiten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition), The National Ceramics Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten), and taken part innumerable museum and traveling exhibitions both within Japan and abroad. Hi works have been collected by the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Musée Tomo, Tokyo, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Asian Art Museum, San Francisco among many others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Pre 2000 item #1350891 (stock #1073)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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Orange peel textured black Chawan by Samukawa Seiho I (Yoshikazu 1899-1975) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kishu Yaki Nacchi-guro Chawan. It is 5-1/4 inches (13.5 cm) diameter, 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Born in Osaka in 1900 and raised in Kyoto, Samukawa Seiho I began his apprenticeship in tea ware under Sawada Muneyama in 1919. With a letter of introduction he entered the Aichi Prefectural Ceramics Research Facility in 1927. In 1935 he moved to the Buddhist enclave of Koyasan in Wakayama where he established his first kiln. He succeeded with the development of this Nacchi-guro glaze in 1956, and it became one of the signature features of his work. In 1962, his tea bowl was presented to the Emperor. Five years later he would move, re-establishing his kiln in Shirahama-cho. He was awarded the Bunka Rodosho Cultural Prize in 1970, and in 1972 the Wakayama Order of Cultural Merit.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1265860 (stock #758)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A beautiful example of Oni Shino by world famous Tsukigata Nahiko enclosed in a wooden box signed by his student Ayukai Kogetsu. Wild glazing and a dark burn on one side define the work, showing reason for this artists great demand. Signed on the base it is 4-1/2 inches (11.5 cm) diameter, 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Tsukigata Nahiko (1923-2006) was not only an accomplished ceramic artist, but also a painter, calligrapher, sculptor and musician. Born in Niigata prefecture, he was at Waseda University in 1941 when he was summarily drafted into the Army. After the war he attended the Arts course of Nippon Daigaku University and was struck by the works of Living National Treasure Arakawa Toyozo, to whom he apprenticed in the arts of Shino and took his mentors work to a new level. Like all art, his was alive and always evolving. Starting with the replication and research of Momoyama techniques to the culmination of his efforts in Oni-shino, Nahiko has taken Shino beyond all others. It was not an eas road, for the first 15 years he worked for a ballet school, spent time as a recluse priest at Myoanji temple, and wandered the country playing the shakuhachi. It was a time of great change in Japan, starvation was rampant immediately after the war and supporting oneself through the little known art of Shino-yaki was difficult. However he persevered, along with Toyozo, Kato Juuemon, Kato Kohei and others, to bring Shino to the forefront of ceramic arts. Heavily prized domestically and abroad in his lifetime, his low output and unique quality make his work a must have for collectors. Ayukai Kogetsu was a female artist from Miyagi prefecture who became a student and follower of Tsukigata in 1979. She currently takes part in calligraphy and ceramic exhibitions throughout Japan.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1181381 (stock #572)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A dramatic basin brutalized by the elements by Shigaraki Master Tsujimura Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Representative of this artists work, the lip has split with heat, one edge blasted off, and the entire charred and buried in ash. The dish measures 7.5 cm (3 inches) deep, 29 cm (12 inches) diameter and is in excellent condition.
Tsujimura Shiro was born in Nara in 1947, and began his steps into the art world as an oil painter. While living at a Buddhist temple he experienced a profound connection with a Korean Tea Bowl, and began potting. He is highly acclaimed and somewhat reclusive, avoiding the public spectacles often needed to make one in Japan.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1170402 (stock #554)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A striking large and deep basin by Yamamoto Noriyuki decorated with rich gold and iron designs enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The pattern is reminiscent of Ainu texties from the indigenous Northern Peoples of Japan. The dish is 13-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches (34 x 27 x 9 cm) and in fine condition.
Born in Tottori Northern Japan in 1948, Noriyuki came under the influence of Mingei adherent Yoshida Shoya (1898-1972) at the age of 16, and this formed the basic principles of his philosophy of ceramic art. That it is something used daily, and becomes so much a part of us we do not even think about it, yet it is so dear. After meeting Bernard leach in Tokyo in 1967, he apprenticed at the age of 18 in Tottori, establishing his own kiln in 1971. That first ten years he spent searching for himself through the ceramic medium, and according to himself it was 7 turns and 8 stumbles before his first major solo exhibition. His Kiln was once destroyed in the Typhoon of 1990, but he rebuilt and was able to hold an exhibition that same year. Overall he has eschewed the world of competitive exhibition in favor of the private confines of the one-man show.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Pre 1990 item #1163529 (stock #536)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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An exquisite Nerikomi basin by Shiobara Yoshio enclosed in the original signed wooden box exhibited at the 9th Nihon Togeiten National Exhibition. Nerikomi is the technique of working with layers of variously colored clays. This basin measures 17 inches (43 cm) diameter, 6 inches (16 cm) tall and is in fine condition. The original exhibition tag remains on the base with a note stating it was purchased for 400,000 yen (currently about 5,000 dollars) at that time. The original exhibition catalog is also included.
Due to size the cost of shipping will be assessed separately from the list price.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1147571 (stock #286)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A striking Bizen Chawan of mixed clay by young artist Yokoyama Naoki enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The mixed earth is pulled and twisted out of shape; one can sense the plasticity with your eyes. The stretched earth is burnt red where it has been licked by flame, yet remains pale from the shadows of the kiln. The bowl is just less than 5 inches (12 cm) diameter, 3-1/2 inches (8.5 cm) tall and in fine condition.
Naoki has been displayed at the Chanoyu Zokei Ten at the Tanabe Museum as well as the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogei Ten) and National Ceramics Exhibition (Nihon Togei Ten) among others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1114860 (stock #469)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
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A very cool Ginsai covered dish by Banura Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Bright silver swirls to the center alternated by wrinkled lead colored glaze. It is 8 inches (20.5 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Shiro was born the fourth son of Living National Treasure for Lacquerware. His sensitivity to textures may stem from that exacting influence. Although his older brother succeeded the family tradition (another branching into paper arts), Shiro, after graduating the Kyoto University of Fine Art, apprenticed in the plastic arts under Kawamura Kitaro (1899-1966). He has an impressive list of exhibitions, including a private exhibition at the Umeda Kindai Bijutsu-Ten as well as the Niponbashi Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya, and Ikebukuro Tobu, the equivalent of being displayed on New Yorks Fifth Avenue or other cities most Trendy streets, as well as many international exhibitions. Like most Iga-area artists, his output is low, but quality and originality high, making his work very much in demand.