Catalog: Artists (707)

An elegant sake set in silver and celadon green over raw clay consisting of a set of guinomi and Tokkuri, perfect or sharing sake, by Masafumi Doi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tessaiji Senmon Shuki (Metal Glazed Porcelain Sake Vessels with lines). The cups are 5.5 cm diameter (2-1/4 inches), the same height. The Tokkuri is 11.5 cm (4-1/2 inches) tall and all are in excellent condition. We picked these up earlier this year when we visited him in Nara, but are just bringing them out now as we open the new gallery space.
Doi Masafumi was born in Nara prefecture in 1972, and graduated the Aichi prefectural ceramic research facility in 2000. For the next seven years he would work at a kiln in Kyoto, absorbing the many styles and techniques associated with Kyo-yaki before establishing his won kiln back in Nara. He held is first solo exhibition in Kyoto in 2009, and in 2011 was awarded at the Nihon Togeiten National Ceramics Exhibition, where he has been featured many times.

A superb example of the work of Kimura Morinobu enclosed in the original sgned wooden box. The cream colored crackle glaze is speckeld with flecks of iron an ishihaze with five Zen circles around the circumference, subtly calling to mind the Book of Five Rings (Miyamoto Musashi). The deep crevaces in the glaze and heafty load of the bowl are a pleasure to behold. It is 5 inches (13 cm) diameter, 3-1/2 inches (9 cm) tall and in fine condition. Morinobu (b. 1932) was one of the 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 bothhis brother, Morikazu, and Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi, he established his own kiln in 1967. Although 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.

Matte colors in olive and silver coat the fiddle head fronds sprouting from this clump of clay studded with mysterious orbs by Masatomo Toi from his germination series of ceramic sculptures. The treatment of the rising horns is unusual in this piece, ordinarily more direct and threatening, these appear to be shy. The sculpture is 39 cm (15-1/2 inches) tall, 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition.
(The price includes professional packaging and shipping by private air freight to Western Europe, North America and Oceania. For other regions please inquire.)
The germination series is a true window into this artists soul. They are his representation of the power of the life cycle paired with our human frailties and strengths. He begins by forming the thorns, orbs and sabers which stud the work. These are bisk fired, then glazed and fired again. They are then embedded into the clod, and bisk fired again after drying. Glazed, they are once again fired at high temperature. Despite efforts and calculations, weight and temperature and oxidation cause unexpected changes, the tendrils bend and move with the heat waves, the clay clod can crack or disintegrate. The survivors are cooled, and then aged. When he is ready, he applies the gold and silver and Platinum and other metals, and they are once again fired, and again some fall to the wayside, unable to withstand the temperatures. Sometimes unexpected alterations occur, and other pieces do not make it through or break. Some of these can be repaired and fired again. According to Toi the sculptures are like us humans: Like our lives, we get damaged, scarred, and sometimes we can be mended. We bend with time and weight, and my works are the same. And yet we survive, altered by the experiences. There is no shame in it.
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 other traditional arts such as flower arrangement, and his use of negative space is masterful. 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 breathtaking sculpture by Hashimoto Tomonari enclosed in the original signed wooden box. The inverted cone is dark gray with rust red and blue patterns waving across the surface like gas clouds on some distant moon. It is 46 cm (18 inches) tall, 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, directly from the artist this winter. The wooden box is titled: Untitled. In fact he does not title any of his work now, preferring to leave interpretation up to the viewer. After hand forming and sculpting the shapes, they are bisque fired, then glazed and fired again at a relatively low temperature (Between 1000 and 1100 degrees, like Raku ware). Then he builds a brick oven around each piece and brings the temperature up to 500 degrees, and adds millet or rice husk, which carbonizes the surface, creating incredible colors and random patterns leaving the viewer with a feeling like rusted or heated metal. 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.

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.”

I have long been searching for the right item by this artist to offer on the site, and here it is: blossoms and black decorate this fine cloth-textured pottery box by Ito Motohiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 10-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 4 inches (27 x 27 x 9.5 cm) and in excellent condition.
A similar workk by this artist was sold at Bonnhams in 209 for US$ 3,965 inc. premium
The artist is a famous Kasama potter, best known for his nunome pattern and exceptional designs. Motohiko was born in Fukuoka prefecture, 1939, and graduated the Tokyo University of Art in 1964, then moved on to advanced courses there, finishing in 1966. While at University he studied under Kato Hajime and Fujimoto Yoshimichi. It was in 1967 his first piece was accepted into the 6th Modern National Crafts Exhibition, and the next year would be spent working under to-be-Living National Treasure Matsui Kosei. His list of prizes and exhibitions is much too long to reproduce, but since 1967, he has Exhibited with the Nihon Dento Kogeiten, Nihon Dento Kogei Shinsaku Ten, Dento Kogei Musashino Ten, Tanabe Museum Modern Tea Forms Exhibition, been the subject of an NHK Television documentary, and participated in a ridiculous number of private exhibits at many of Japans top venues, and has been purchased by the current Emperor in person as well as receiving the Shijuho-sho prize from his majesty.

A large Kokuto scalloping sculpture on three adjoined pedestal feet by Yamaguchi Mio titled Taiji no Yume (Fetal Dream)dating from late 2023. Here the young artist has ventured into black clay, eschewing altogether glaze of any kind. What you have is simply the direct, dark clay and the earthen texture, with no frills or decoration. It is 40 x 43 x 60 cm (16 x 17 x 24 inches) and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist. It comes with a signed wooden placard.
Due to size and weight this will require special shipping consideration.
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 JoryuTogei 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 11th 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 in2020. Her work is currently on view in the Chicago Institute of Arts, and was featured on the cover of the catalog for that exhibition, Radical Clay.
According to Mio: I feel that my fascination towards the natural world’s use of repetition, in bee hives 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.

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.

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.

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.

Elegant curves arc across the slightly flattened form of this Bizen Vase by veteran potter Isezaki So enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Henko. It is 22 x 24 x 28 cm (9 x 10 x 11 inches) and is in excellent condition. This was acquired directly from the artist on our recent trip to Bizen this summer.
Isezaki So was born the third son of important potter Isezaki Mitsuru in 1968, and was raised alongside the family kiln. At 18 he apprenticed under Bizen master Yamashita Joji, and was first exhibited the following year. After his 20th birthday he went to America for study, returning to Japan, where he would be awarded the first of many times at the Okayama Kenten (Prefectural Art Exhibition). Again, he would spend a year in America for study, and the influences of design are apparent is his non-traditional approach to this day. He has been exhibited and awarded at the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (Traditional Crafts Exhibition), Tobiten of the Japan Ceramic Art Society and Tanabe Museum Modern Forms in Tea Exhibition, among others.

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.

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 bulbous Guinomi and Tokkuri by Mori Toshiaki enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Shuki. Both are well balanced, standing perfectly on their own, despite the fact there is no foot, just a round bottom. The Guinomi is 7 cm (3 inches) diameter, 5 cm (2 inches) tall. The Tokkuri is 11.5 (4-1/2 inches) tall and both are 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.

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.

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.

A fabulous cubist form with charred surfaces and natural ash which can be used both flat on a surface or with all sides rising by Furutani Taketoshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Shizen Yu Kaku Hanaire. The texture appears to have been chiseled away, leaving deep clefts in which the flowing ash and coals have hidden and cooled. It is 18 x 18.5 x 18 cm (7 x 7-1/4 x 7 inches) and in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
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 where he learned first Small Rokuro wheel technique, graduating the following year. In 1993 he would find himself under the tutelage of Suzuki Iwau before re-entering for a second course at the Research Facility, graduating in 1995. From then he returned to the family kiln where he learned in the time-honored tradition from both his grandfather Churoku I and father Hirofumi (Churokuk II). In 2013 he was named a Dento Kogeishi Traditional Craftsman. Since he has exhibited consistently at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. Subverting the self, he makes simple, organic pots which have a timeless quality. As well he dares new forms and challenges the clay with innovative techniques, coercing from the pliable earth challenging incarnations very much rooted in the now, yet still paying homage to the traditions passed down through the ages.

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.