Catalog: Artists: Ceramics: Pottery: Vases (274)

A fabulous Shigaraki Tsubo of austere form blasted with natural ash glaze by Otani Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. A classic work it is 20 cm (8 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Otani Shiro was born in Shigaraki in 1936 and graduated the Prefectural School in the ceramics department in 1956, which he followed up with 4 years studying decorating techniques under Morioka Yutaro. He then moved to Kyoto where he studied at the Municipal Ceramics Research Facility, where he trained under Kiyomizu Kyubei, Shofu Eichi and Uchida Kunio before returning to Shigaraki to yet further his studies in design. He garnered his first award at the Shiga Prefectural Art Exhibition in 1962, as well as the Governor’s prize at the National Rodosha Bijutsu-Ten Exhibition. He took a position with an industrial kiln in Shigaraki in 1963, and began potting in his free time, exhibiting and being awarded at the Asahi Togeiten among others. In 1968, he left his position at the kiln, and in 1969 was first accepted into the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogeiten). In 1973 he established his own kilns in Shigaraki, both an Anagama submerged kiln and a climbing kiln, and began learning from future Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi. From there he participated in the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National crafts Exhibition) as well as innumerable private exhibitions both domestic and International, and was named an Intangible Cultural Asset of Shigaraki in 1990. His work is held in The Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Fogg Art Gallery of Harvard as well as the Morikami Museum and Smithsonian among others. For an in depth look at this potter see the article by Rob Barnard in Ceramics Monthly volume 39 (Summer 1991).

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.

Bright green leaves on scratchy black branches decorate this deep vessel by Shigemori Yoko enclosed in a signed wooden box titled simply Utsuwa (Receptacle). This is a lovely piece, expressing the joy of spring colors. It is like all of her works, misshapen, nothing perfect in nature. It is 24 x 20 x 16.5 cm and in excellent condition enclosed in a wooden box annotated by her brother.
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 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. She was one of five artists featured in Toh, volume 76, The first issue dedicated to Kyoto Potters. Toh was at the time the most in depth survey of important contemporary potters published in 1993. Her work is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

A tower of geometric in silver and red by Kawano Eichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The pebble textured surface and straight lines of the side are juxtaposed by the irregular and angular patterns of silver, like the outline of stones leading to a temple cast in shadow across the sides. The vase is 13 inches (33.5 cm) tall, 4 inches (10 cm) square and in fine condition.
Eichi was born in Osaka, 1943, and was raised in the post-war era of huge change. He studied in the plastic arts under Kiyomizu Rokubei VI, and was certainly influenced by the movement towards modernism and sculpture in the 50s and 60s. This influence is evident here in this work, which lies between the modern world of sculpture and the traditional realm of function. From 1973 he began exhibiting with the Nitten National Exhibition, and was first exhibited at the National Modern Crafts Fair the following year. That same year (1974) he was awarded at the Kyoten Exhibition. He would be consistently awarded in years to come at the Kyoten and other Local and National exhibitions.

A large Hidasuki Bizen Table by Shibaoka Nobuyoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Two large circles beyond the burnt-straw remains gives the effect of the moon reflecting off water viewed through a rush of bamboo. The table is 17-1/2 by 9-1/2 by 4 inches (44 x 24.5 x 10 cm) and is in excellent condition. Nobuyoshi was born in 1950, the son of Ikkai. He graduated the Bizen Industrial High School and went on to apprentice at the Bizen Ceramics Research Institute followed by training under his grandfather Kozan II as well as under the tutelage of his father. He has been often prized at the Okayama Prefectural Exhibition, and has displayed with the Issui-kai, Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition), Nihon Togei Ten (National Ceramics Exhibition) as well as the Chunichi Kokusai Kogei Ten.

The edges burn dark brown on this large Bizen vase by Kawabata Fumio enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Green ash clings to the upper surface, peeling away from the superheated corners, the bottom rich dark raw clay. The vase is (‘29 x 21 x 36 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Fumio was born in Yokohama city in 1948, far from the traditional kilns of Bizen hundreds of kilometers to the west in Okayama. After studying graphic design he was captivated by the natural landscapes presented by Bizen wares, and in 1974 moved to study pottery at the Ibu-no Kamamoto. His talent was spotted quickly and he was taken in by Kaneshige Riuemon where he was schooled in the gamut of traditional forms and styles. By 1984 he was considered a master potter, and moved to establish his own kiln. Concentrating largely on the personal world of private exhibitions, in 1989 he was given top prize at the Tanabe Museum Cha no Yu Zokei Ten (Sculptural Forms in Tea exhibition), and again was awarded there in 1994 as well as receiving the Okayama Prefectural Governors prize and has been prized at the National Ceramics Biennnale.

An unusual form by Mori Toshiaki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Te-bachi (handled basin). The basin has been paired off at the top, the ribbons of clay looping over each other to form the winding handle. A most unusual design. A blast of ash decorates the exposed upper surfaces, the basin itself rust colored raw clay. It is 20 cm (8 inches) diameter, 14.5 cm (5-3/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition, directly from the artist this summer.
Mori Toshiaki was born the first son of traditional Bizen potter Mori Yasushi in 1982.　Growing up in the family kiln, he entered the Bizen ceramic center in 2005, and after a year of study there continued in the family tradition. He has exhibited with the Okayama Ken-Ten art exhibition, Nihon Dento Kogeiten Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Gendai Chato Ten Modern Tea Ceramics Exhibition and the Chanoyu Zokei Ten (New forms in Tea Exhibition in addition to being exhibited in New York, Taiwan, and London.

Flying goma ash dusts the ribbon scalloped sides of this large Bizen vase by Matsumoto Katsuya enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The piece is 12 inches (31 cm) tall, 11 inches (28 cm) wide and in excellent condition. Born in neighboring Hyogo prefecture in 1942, at the age of 29 Katsuya apprenticed under Fujiwara Yu. He opened his own kiln in 1976. In 1982 he debuted at the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition) and has consistently been exhibited there since, followed by both the Chunichi International Ceramics Exhibition and the Asahi Ceramics Exhibition, as well as the National Japanese Ceramics Exhibition.

An intriguing handled cylinder vase by Mori Toshiaki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Te-tsuki Hana-ire (Handled Vase). This small vase has been cut spirally down, the resulting ribbon wrapped over the top and affixed to the opposite side forming the handle. It is 18.5 cm (7-1/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition, directly from the artist this summer.
Mori Toshiaki was born the first son of traditional Bizen potter Mori Yasushi in 1982.　Growing up in the family kiln, he entered the Bizen ceramic center in 2005, and after a year of study there continued in the family tradition. He has exhibited with the Okayama Ken-Ten art exhibition, Nihon Dento Kogeiten Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Gendai Chato Ten Modern Tea Ceramics Exhibition and the Chanoyu Zokei Ten (New forms in Tea Exhibition in addition to being exhibited in New York, Taiwan, and London.

Charred glaze runs in rivulets, blasted around the sides of this Kamahen Bizen vase by Yamamoto Izuru enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The vessel is 10 inches (25.5 cm) tall, roughly 5 inches (13 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Yamamoto Izuru was born into the family of famous potter Yamamoto Toshu in 1944. He graduated the sculpture division of Musashino University, then went on to Paris for another two years of sculpting before returning to Bizen to apprentice under his father in plastic arts in 1970. He set out on his own path in 1975, establishing his own kiln. In 1980 he was prized at the Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition. His recognition grew in the eighties, being prized at both the Chunichi Kokusai Ceramics Exhibition and having a piece displayed at the Smithsonian and V&A in 1983, then garnering the Kaneshige Toyo prize in 1985, and subsequently acquired by the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1987. In 1995 he built a kiln in Bourgogne France, working with clays from both regions, and this piece is from that period, dating circa 2,000. He has also been the winner of the 19th grand prize at the Tanabe Museum Modern Tea Forms Exhibition and was given the Cultural Award by Okayama Prefecture in 1997. He was named an intangible cultural property of Okayama Prefecture in 2012.

A flagrant barrage of color gets in your face with this futuristic vessel by Yanagihara Mutsuo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Saimon Kabin (Colored Vase). Over the crackled sunshine yellow gleams platinum on lightning strikes of red, completely juxtaposed to the cool blue of the interior. Very much an iconic work by this eclectic artist. It is 17.5 cm (7 inches) diameter, 15 cm (6 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Yanigahara Mutsuo (b.1934) was raised in Seto, and studied in Kyoto along with contemporary Morino Taimei with whom he maintained a lifelong friendship. His work is largely sculptural, and his choice of colors is his reflection on the decadence of Japanese society. A list of exhibitions and awards would be much too long but includes the Japan Ceramics Society Gold prize in 2002. Listed as one of the most influential potters of the 20th century in the Japanese ceramics magazine Honoho Geijutsu, he is held in the Museum of Modern Art, both Tokyo and Kyoto (MOMAT, MOMAK), The National Museum of Art, Osaka, V&A, Great Victoria Art Gallery, Portland and any number of other prominent public and private collections throughout the world. For more see Japanese Studio Crafts, Tradition and the Avant Garde by Rupert Faulkner. According to the V&A his “work is striking for its blend of dynamism, colour and wit. A leading figure among Kyoto artists, Yanagihara has taught at Osaka University of Arts since 1968. Yanagihara's application of brightly coloured abstract motifs to vessel forms with anatomical, sometime sexually explicit features - a combination with which he first experimented in the late 1960s and early 1970s - has been a characteristic of his work for the past fifteen years. As in the case of Morino Taimei, a close friend and exact contemporary at Kyoto City University of Arts in the late 1950s, Yanagihara has been considerably influenced by the experiences he gained during two periods of teaching in the United States in 1966-8 and 1972-4. His use of gold and silver - a wry comment, he has explained, on the decaying values of contemporary society and the corruption of Japan's political system - echoes the extravagant style of certain North American artists.”

A proud form of a fulling block inscribed with a wave pattern in the raw clay of the base and covered in ame-yu glaze by Inoue Toya enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 9-1/2 inches (24 cm) tall, 6 inches (15 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Inoue Toya (1942-2013), graduated the prestigious Nihon Daigaku in 1966, having spent his student years excavating ancient Karatsu shards and researching their techniques. He apprenticed under the multifaceted potter Nushi Ensai. In 1969 he opened his own kiln. He served as head of the Karatsu Ceramic Cooperative from 1983-2010 while focusing on private exhibitions held at Department stores and galleries throughout Japan. In 2008 his lifetime achievements were recognized with a private exhibition in Los Angeles.

Waves of color belt this unusual form by Usui Kazunari enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 20 inches (50 cm) tall, roughly 8 inches (20 cm) diameter and in fine condition.
Usui Kazunari was born in Seto city, Aichi in 1954, and graduated the Nagoya University of Art, sculpture division in 1977. He immediately apprenticed under Kato Shuntei, where he remained until establishing his own kiln in 1983. He has been often displayed at the Nihon Dento Kogeiten and Nihon Togeiten. In 1996 one of his works was chosen to travel overseas with the Contemporary KŌGEI Styles in Japan Exhibition (Gendai Nihon no Kogei Ten). He has received many awards, including top prize at the Tokai Dento Kogeiten (twice).

A breathtaking new look at Shigaraki Anagama ware by Furutani Taketoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen-yu Yohen Shinogi Tsubo (Natural Ash Glazed Blade Style Shigaraki Tsubo). The artist has coil formed the vessel, with thick walls, then incised a waving pattern leaving a saw-tooth surface dusted in ash with brilliant hi-iro and dark charring. It is 31 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Directly from the artist this summer.
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 studying wheel technique, graduating the following year. He then did a year apprenticeship at a pottery before re-entering for a second course at the Research Facility, graduating in 1995. From that year he returned to the family kiln, receiving the family tradition from both his grandfather Furutani Churoku and father Furutani Hirofumi. Subverting the self, he makes simple, organic pots which have a timeless quality, very much rooted in the now, but paying homage to the traditions past down through the ages. He was named a Designated Traditional Craftsman (Dento Kogeishi) in 2013. He has exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogeiten among others, and still works closely with his father at the family kiln.

Amazing Glaze on this unusual three sided vase by Iga artist Atarashi Kanji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Shell shapes are impressed into the thick green fromwhere it was supported in the kiln. Able to be used either standing or on its back, this is a superb work. It is 15 inches (39 cm) long 4-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches (11.5 x 14 cm) and is in excellent condition.
Kanji was born in Osaka in 1944, and graduated the Osaka College of Craft design. After 3 years in Kobe, and 4 in Kishiwada (Wakayama) he came to settle in Iga, where he was one of the driving forces behind the resurrection and preservation of the Iga tradition. Although displayed at the National Craft Exhibition, he prefers the intimacy of the private exhibition, of which he holds several every year. And if ones visit to japan is not timed right for an exhibition, he can otherwise be found at his kiln working along with his son and daughter.

A large Shinshoku Ware-tsubo eroded through natural processes during firing with a shattered rim attached to the body at the shoulder. This piece is a virtual textbook on Yohen firing effects. Tamadare, Shinshoku, koge and other effects are supplanted by a large white kutsuki on the front, all under the shadow of the shattered rim fused to the shoulder. It is roughly 10 inches (25 cm) tall, the same diameter enclosed in a fine kiri-wood box. To quote from Japanese Wood fired Ceramics, Ceramic pieces exposed to prolonged high temperatures and heavy ash deposit will begin to erode…as the erosion progresses, holes may appear in the ceramic pieces. This usually occurs just before major collapse. Here we see heavy erosion on the fire side of the piece, heavily coated in ash and deeply pitted. The Japanese aesthetic emphasizes asymmetry and an appreciation of the Natural forces. This aesthetic is best expressed with the respect shown towards accidents of firing, often highly appreciated for their unique qualities. Connoisseurs spend years searching for that one unpredictable piece, and it can become the focal point of a collection, most appropriate in the dark humble confines of a tea room.
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 191 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 perservered, 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.

A ghostly pale tsubo with jagged grooves cut into the shoulder by Kimura Morinobu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaede-yu O-Tsubo (Large Tsubo with Maple-Ash Glaze). It is 36 cm (14 inches) diameter, 42 cm (16-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Due to size the cost of shipping will be accrued separately.
Kimura Morinobu (b. 1932) was one of three born into a pottery family in Kyotos Higashiyama pottery district. He attended the Kyoto Municipal School of Art graduating from the sculpture division, and entered the Kyoto Ceramic Research Facility, the stomping grounds of so many of the brightest talents in modern Japanese Pottery. After apprenticing under both his brother, Morikazu, and Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi, he established his own kiln in 1967. His list of exhibitions is much too long to put down here, he was named an intangible Cultural Property (Mukei Bunkazai) of Kyoto Prefecture in 1992. Works by the artist are held in the Kyoto National Museum among others.

Burnt yellow glaze streaks down the body to form encrustations of glazz on the base of this organic looking vessel by Hori Ichiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 10 inches (25.5 cm) tall and in excellent condition.
Hori Ichiro (b. 1952) graduated the Tajimi School of Industrial Design and apprenticed under Kato Kozo. He has been awarded the Governors prize at the Asahi Ceramics Exhibtion, and has been displayed at the Chunichi Kokusai Togei Ten as well as Nihon Dento Kogei Ten. He says, “I believe in making pottery which is born of nature…”