Catalog: Artists: Ceramics (702)

Vivid yellow streaked with glassy Oribe green glaze highlights the sculpted middle of this exquisite covered jar by important artist Hayashi Shotaro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Oribe Mizusashi. It is entirely sculptural, with a refinement of glaze only this artist can create. Spectacular is all that comes to mind when viewing this groundbreaking artists work. The piece is 7 inches (18 cm) diameter, 6 inches (16 cm) tall and in perfect condition.
Hayashi Shotaro (b. 1947) is one of the biggest names in contemporary Mino ceramics. Although initially entering regular employment upon graduating high school, in 1967 he returned to Toki city to help his brother Kotaro. Very quickly within him was born the urge to create. He won the highest award at the Gifu Prefectural Art Exhibition in 1968, and from there his talent blossomed. He established his own kiln in 1974. Since then his list of exhibitions and awards has been amazing, including the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition), Governors Prize and five times winner of Best of Show at the Asahi Togei Ten (Asahi Ceramics Exhibition), and Best of Show at Gifu Prefectural Exhibition. At the Mino Ceramics Exhibition, in addition to the highest award, the Mino Ceramics Award, he has received all three major awards, including the Shoroku Award and the Kobei Award.

An exquisite Tenmoku tea bowl by veteran potter and master of the form Miura Shurei enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tetsu-yu Chawan. It is 12 cm (5 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Miura Shurei was born in 1942, and trained in the ceramic styles of both Arita and Kyoto. At the age of 23 he established a studio at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Yamanashi prefecture creating ceramics from local clay, and established the Shurei kiln in 1971. He has been much lauded in his lifetime, with awards at the Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten International Ceramic Exhibition, Arita Ceramics Exhibition as well as the Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition. His work has been featured in many of Japan’s top galleries, including Takashimaya, Mitsukoshi and Kuroda Toen in the fashionable Ginza district.

A broken open Tsubo By Kim Hono enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Chikyu no Tameiki (The Earth Sighs). It is for the most part, raw earthen colors, with a thick pool of tinted aquamarine glass inside. It is 40 x 34 x 41.5 (16 x 13-1/2 x 16-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition. Upon the box is drawn an image of the Tsubo with a single dried lotus seed pod rising from within.
Kim Hono was born in Seto City Aichi Prefecture in 1958, and graduated the Prefectural Ceramics School in 1977, then taking up apprenticeship at a local kiln before establishing himself as an independent artist in 1982. He held his first solo exhibition in Nagoya in 1985. He has been exhibited at the Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Asahi Togeiten Exhibition, Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten, and his works being shown in some of Japans top galleries including Kuroda Toen in Tokyo’s Ginza ward. Not to be defined, even by himself, famously when asked by Hohnoho Magazine to define his work he cryptically replied only: Kaze wo Kanjiru Koto (Feeling the wind).

A large vase in earthen colors by Kasama legend Wada Morihiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Sounka-mon Utsuwa. It is 15.5 × 9 x 47cm (6 x 3-1/2 x 18-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Wada Morihiro (1944-2008) was born in Hyogo prefecture and apprenticed under Kyotos Tomimoto Kenkichi before moving to Kasama in 1976. He has been displayed at the Nihon Togei Ten (National Ceramics Exhibition), Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition) Gold medal at the Florence International Ceramics Exhibition in 1980 as well as being displayed at the Victoria Albert and Smithsonian as one representative of modern Japanese ceramics in 1983. He subsequently received the Japanese Ceramic Society Award in 1988, one of the highest honors for a Japanese potter.

Crusty black covers this vase by Kumano Kurouemon (also written Kuroemon) enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Echizen Tetsuguro Hanaire. It is 30 cm (12 inches) tall, 15.5 cm (6 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
A ceramic madman, oil painter and recluse, Kuroemon is as eccentric as his pottery predicts. Born in Fukui prefecture in 1955 Kuroemon was a painter from youth, he began his studies under Fujita Jurouemon in 1976, and moved to study also under Toda Soshiro. Invited to the Soviet Union he spent time there and in Sakhalin in the 80s, returning to Japan to build his own kiln in 1987. He was the feature of a major exhibition in Germany in 2004, but aside from a few small exhibitions held in Japan (which quickly sell out) he remains a humble artist holed up in his mountain hermitage and works by him are not easy to acquire.

A seminal Karatsu fresh water container by master of that style Nakagawa Jinenbo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Chossen Karatsu Mizusashi. Raw earth is supplanted with rich iron into which flows curtains of black into which flows rivulets of blue. Two lug handles drape from the sides and it retains the original ceramic lid. It is 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter, 17.5 cm 7 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Nakagawa Jinenbo (1953-2011) was always fascinated with Karatsu ware, and studied under the great Inoue Toya from the age of 24. Several years later he returned to his hometown to establish a climbing kiln of his own, which he put to great use. From there, not satisfied with his own skills, he went to Tanaka Sajiro for an additional apprenticeship. Afterwards, as many Chajin artists, he concentrated on private exhibitions as an outlet for his work, shunning the world of mass competition and retail. His life and career were cut short far too early, making his work both highly valued and hard to find.

This past summer I had occasion to visit Richard Milgrim in his Mountain Studio and asked him to pair some sake cups and Tokkuri for us. It is a rare opportunity to have an artist personally select pieces which he feels work together. This set is making use of his signature Concord glaze (Konko-yu) from America, with clay from Japan, while the cup is also using a variant of that glaze Black Concord (Konko-guro). The Tokkuri is 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter, 12 cm (5 inches) tall. The rim of the cup wavers between 6 and 6.5 cm diameter (roughly 2 inches) and both are new from the artist in perfect condition.
Richard Milgrim (b. 1955) of White Plains New York graduated Antioch College in 1979 following a year travelling in Japan and internship at the Fogg Museum of Harvard. That same year he began down a path, following a “way” as it is called in Japan, Sado or Chanoyu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony. That same year he returned to Japan, apprenticing initially under Iwabuchi Shigeya while studying at the Midorikai of Urasenke. His first solo exhibition was held in 1981, one of many, and he subsequently began to move about Japan, gobbling up styles under various masters such as Living National Treasure Fujiwara Yu, Kato Koemon and Tahara Tobei. He established his own kiln in Hiyoshi, North of Kyoto in 1984. He is probably the only foreign potter to be truly accepted into the brand conscious world of Japanese tea, and his shows frequently sell out early. From 2000 to 2014 he spit his time between Hiyoshi and a kiln he established in Concord Massachusetts, where he developed some innovative techniques and glazes now firmly a part of his repertoire in Japan. He is adept therefore with Shino, Oribe, Bizen, Seto, Karatsu and Yakishime styles. According to Richard “Since 1977 on my first arrival in Kyoto, I have been blessed with an unending flow of "deai" (encounters) that have almost been like stepping stones on the garden path, leading me into the innermost depths of the field of "Chatou" (tea ceramics).Undoubtedly the most significant "deai" was meeting Dr. Sen Genshitsu (the former 15th generation Grand Master of the Urasenke Tea Tradition), in 1979. With his guidance and endorsement over the years, including the naming of my 2 studios in both Japan-RICHADO-GAMA, and America- KONKO-GAMA, Dr. Sen has been the primary catalyst in the development of my career over the past 40 years.”

A playful Oribe style basin for Bonsai trees by Sugitani Keizo refecting the shapes of his Silent Shadows Series in the design. It is 19 x 19 x 6.5 cm (just less than 8 inches square) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist. A signed wooden box will be ordered from Keizo upon sale.
Sugitani Keizo was born in Osaka in 1959. In 1982 he graduated the Ceramic Art Institute of the Tekisui Museum of Art. He has selected for a number of group exhibitions including the International Ceramics Competition Mino and the Asahi Art exhibition, where he has been awarded. He has been exhibited at some of Japns top galleries as well as London, Art Miami, Maastricht, New York, Taipei and Shanghai among others.

Brilliant colors are blended into the layeres of clay forming this fabulous vessel by Matsui Koyo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ryohai-yu Neriage Saihamon Tsubo. It is roughly 29 cm (just less than 12 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
Matsui Koyo was born in the pottery village of Kasama, son of future Living National Treasure Matsui Kosei, in 1962. He graduated in sculpture from the University of Tsukuba in 1985, then began potting under his father at his Gessouji Studio. Work by Koyo has been selected for show and or awarded at the Nihon Dento Kogeiten National Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Nihon Dento Shin Kogeiten National Traditional New Crafts Exhibition and Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition.

Tarnished beaded silver is draped in gold over which runs a deep forest green on this apple shaped chawan by innovative artist Ichikawa Toru enclosed in the original signed wooden box. A thick gold tinged bead dangles from one side, and bubbly dark glaze pools within. It is 11.5 cm (4-1/2 inches9 diameter and in excellent condition. He really takes things to the extreme, challenging and yet incorporating something of the idea of Wabi into his outlandish works.
Ichikawa Toru was born in Tokyo in 1973. In 2015 he established his current studio in Bizen after 4 years of apprenticeship under another Bizen Outsider, Kakurezaki Ryuichi. He has since developed quite a following, with his shows selling out often within hours.

A stone formed bowl covered entirely in platinum by Inayoshi Osamu enclosed in the original signed wooden box accompanied by the shiori and Shifuku. The bowl is carved and torn from a block of clay, then textured with natural stones specially selected for their surface patterns, splashed with glaze and then covered in platinum, creating dry. Matte regions punctuated by glistening liqid spatters. It is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter, 7.5 cm (3 inches) tall and in excellent condition from the artist this summer.
Inayoshi Osamu was born in Aichi prefecture, the heart of Mino country, in 1976. He completed his initial training in the plastic arts at the Seto Pottery School in 2002, garnering an award that same year at the 56th Seto City Art Exhibition. In 2007 he established his own kiln in Toyohashi, and was awarded at the 19th Heart of Oribe Pottery exhibition (again the following year). In 2008 he began to focus on the Atsumi pottery of the Heian and Kamakura periods, building up a unique repertoire. After several more domestic shows and prizes, he had his overseas debut in 2010, and has since received a great deal of attention both at home and abroad.

An organic form of striated growth by Yamaguchi Mio enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is created by forming hundreds of small petals and slowly building up the form, in the same way that nature would grow barnacles on a rock, one at a time, expanding slowly, over eons. Many of her works are quite large, this is manageable in size at 21 x 17 x 27 cm tall (8 x 7 x 10-3/4 inches) and is in excellent condition, from the artist this year.
Yamaguchi Mio was born in Aichi prefecture in 1992, and graduated advanced studies at the Aichi University of Education in 2017. While still at University, her works were selected for show at the Joryu Togei Ten Female Ceramic Artist Association Exhibition (2014). In 2016 she was awarded at the 3rd Kogei in Kanazawa Competition, Grand Prize at the Ceramic Art in the Present Tense Exhibition at the Hagi Uragami Museum as well received the governors prize at the 5oth Female Ceramic Artist Association Exhibition. In 2017 she was selected for the 11 International Ceramics Competition in Mino. She took a job as a teacher, but could not fight the need to create, so enrolled in the Tajimi City Ceramics research facility, graduating in 2020. I feel that my fascination towards the natural world’s use of repetition, in beehives and on the surface of corals, appears in my work as I consume and absorb the world around me. I like to believe that these works are natural forms made by my own hands. When I mold clay, I have a sensation that my body and consciousness blends and binds with the material and the natural world. The process of building upon each coil and applying each fold one by one with my hands is a form of meditation. Through this repetitive process I want to be able to convey my thoughts at the time in the texture, such as my struggle of swaying between the desires to live freely and falling under the pressure from societal expectations. It calms me down to observe the fingerprints left in the surface and see the traces of my existence in the clay. These works are products of what I have absorbed around me.

A spectacular work in the shape of a curved wall covered in a galaxy of color by Hashimoto Tomonari enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 51 x 16 x 29 cm (20 x 6 x 11-1/2 inches) and is in perfect condition, directly from the artist. 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 making international waves around the world. Work by him is held in the V&A in London, LACMA and a large sculpture has recently been installed in his home prefecture of Wakayama.

Vibrant red glaze is dribbled randomly across the scored and scarred light glazed body of this magnificent Chawan by Yamada Kazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kaku-yu Oribe Chawan. The form is slightly belted, to allow the bowl to settle comfortably into the palm. The very traditional silhouette however has been paddled and graffiti structures scratched into the surface. Over this has been applied an overall white glaze, with black and red ladled out on top of that. It is 12 x 13 x 8.5 cm (4-3/4 x 5 x 3-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition. This is a prime example of the artist’s most popular style, and a great opportunity for the collector.
Yamada Kazu was born in Tokoname city in 1954, 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, Nihon Togeiten and Chunichi Kokusai Togeiten as well as a host of private exhibitions in prominent galleries and department stores , and his innovative forms and designs are in high demand.

The purity and perfection of this takes your breath away. It is a gorgeous piece by Hattori Tatsuya and comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ginsai Wan. The bowl is 12 x 13.5 x 8 cm (4-1/2 x 5-1/4 x 3 inches) and is in perfect condition, from the artist late 2020. He is a master of silver/platinum/titanium glazes, and his forms, especially his tea pots, are very popular and generally sell out quickly.
Hattori Tatsuya was born in Tajimi, home of Shino and Oribe wares, in 1978 and was raised in the vibrant pottery scene of that region. However, he had no interest in pottery until after graduating with a degree in business from university. Taking a hiatus from studies and work, he stumbled onto the path of the potter by accident (or was it fate). He entered the Tajimi Ceramics Research Facility, graduating in 2004. His work was selected for display at the Mashiko Ceramic Art Exhibition and Asahi Togeiten Ceramics Exhibition that year. He took a position as a ceramic designer at a local company, working nights and weekends on his own art and promoting himself in the off hours until he felt he could afford to devote himself completely to the wheel. At first he concentrated on making decorative works, but soon began moving steadily toward functional vessels, enjoying the dialog between the work and the user.

A fabulous Kutsugata Chawan by Matsuo Takaaki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigarai Shizen-yu Yohen Chawan. Rising from a round base to an elongated rim, it has been blasted by the inferno on one side, the molten ash circling about to form a Zen circle where it had been supported on its side in the kiln. At the narrowest part of the rim it has adhered to something else in the kiln, causing a break which has been filled with gold by the artist. In addition gold completes the Zen circle on the side, and glimmers like morning dew on the foot. A true masterpiece by this veteran artist. It is 14.5 x10.5 cm (5-1/2 x 4-1/8 inches) at the rim, 8.5cm(3-1/2 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.

An elongated bowl playfully decorated in vivid color by Matsuda Yuriko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Zukini Nagabachi. It is 49 x 16 x 7.5 cm (19-1/2 x 6 x 3 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Matsuda Yuriko is an avid exhibitor; it is a wonder she has time to do any work at all. Both within Japan (Nihon Togei Ten, Gendai Togei Ten etc.) and without she has an impressive list of exhibitions in a host of countries. She received the Yagi Kazuo prize in 1986 among many others. For more information on this artist and examples of her work see the books Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, Fired with Passion by Beatrice Chang and Samuel Lurie. Also see Contemporary Clay, Japanese Ceramics for the New Century based on the Museum of Fine Arts Boston exhibition or Soaring Voices, Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists (2010).

A set of five small dishes in the shape of an upturned roof tile covered in tri-colored glaze by Murakoshi Takuma enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shunju Kawara-zara. Each is roughly 14 x 12 x 5 cm (5-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2 inches) and all are in excellent condition.
Murakoshi Takuma is one of those enigmas who simply lives to work with clay. He does not seek to make a living through pottery, but through his primal approach has earned a following which keeps his work in high demand. He was born in Aichi prefecture in 1954 and began his stroll down the pottery path in 1980 under the tutelage of Kyoto potter Umehara Takehira. Favoring very rough Shigaraki glaze, he established his own kiln in 1997 in the Kiyomizu pottery district of Kyoto, then moved to Nagaoka in 2002. Although eschewing the world of competitive exhibitions, he has been picked up by many of Japan’s preeminent galleries, including private exhibitions at the prestigious Kuroda Toen of Tokyo’s Ginza District.