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 : Contemporary item #1497062 (stock #MC994)
A silver colored bean shaped bowl by Ogawa Machiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Utsuwa (vessel). It is 14 x 10 x 7.5 cm (5-1/2 x 4 x 3 inches) and is in perfe3ct condition.
Ogawa Machiko was born in Sapporo on the Northern Island of Hokkaido in 1946. She studied under future Living National Treasures Fujimoto Yoshimichi, Tamura Koichi and Kato Hajime at the Tokyo University of Arts, graduating in 1969, then went on to further studies in France and Africa, returning to Japan in 1975. She began garnering attention in the mid eighties, and has since become one of the leading female figures in Japanese pottery. She was awarded the JCS prize in 2001, one of Japans most prestigious awards. Work by her is held in the Brooklyn Art Museum, LACMA, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smith College, MIA, MOMAT and a host of others. For more see “Touch Fire, Contemporary Ceramics by Women Artists” (2009) or Toh, volume 67 (1993). For more information see the current exhibition Radical Clay at the Chicago Art Institute.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Plates : Contemporary item #1497061 (stock #MC996)
An undulating porcelain form by Kawase Shinobu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seiji Rinka O-bachi. It is 37 cm (15 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Kawase Shinobu was born in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1950, heir to a family tradition of potting. His grandfather and father were Kawase Chikushun I and II respectively, masters of Chinese based ceramic styles. He began working with his father, and first came to public attention with his acceptance into the 1969 Nihon Dentō Kōgei Shinsakuten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition for New Works). This was followed by acceptance into the 1974 Nihon Dentō Kogeiten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition), at both of which he exhibited frequently. In 1980 he was selected for the Japan Ceramics Society Exhibition and was awarded there the following year. In 1983 his work was selected for the Japanese Ceramics Today exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. From then his works have been exhibited throughout the globe and he is regarded as Japan’s most outstanding celadon artist working with the traditions of the Tang and Song dynasties. With his exquisite technique, organic forms and pristine glazes, he has developed a unique style that is both traditional and challenging and it is this fusion of contemporary and tradition which draws droves to his art. Work is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Cincinnati Art Museum, Denver Art Museum, Brooklyn, Birmingham Cleveland, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Saint Louis Museums of Art among others. There is a plethora of information available on this innovative artist, including: Japanese Ceramics Today: Masterworks from the Kikuchi Collection, (Tsuji, Tomo, Hayashiya, 1983), Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections (Frederick Baekeland and Robert Moes, 1993), Quiet Clarity “RIN” Beauty in Contemporary Ceramics (1996), Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century (Joe Earle, 2005), The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection: Japanese Ceramics for the Twenty first Century (Mintz, 2014), and or Into the Fold: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection (Harn Museum, 2015)
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Contemporary item #1497023 (stock #1320)
A sculpture of assembled ceramic shards by Yorigami Munemi in mottled moon colors enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Recreations, Maru-Toban (Disc). It is 46 cm (18 inches) diameter, 5.5 cm (2 inches) thick and in fine condition.
Yorigami Munemi was born in Kyoto in 1944, but went to Tokyo to study gardening at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, graduating in 1967. Two years later he apprenticed in ceramics under Yagi Kazuo, founding member of the avant-garde Sodeisha group, which Yorigami then joined. He has also exhibited domestically at the Asahi Togeiten Ceramics and Asahi Craft Exhibition among many others. In 1991 he was awarded gold at the Faenza International Ceramics Exhibition, and the following year exhibited in Cairo Egypt and Melbourne Australia (awarded) as well as being awarded at the Modern Ceramics Grand Prix Exhibition held at the National Museum of History in Taipei, Taiwan. The next year he was accepted into the exhibition “Ceramics Today” held at the Aichi Prefectural Museum. In 2001 His work was part of the exhibition “Kyoto Crafts 1945-2000” which was held at the Tokyo and Kyoto National Museums of Modern Art.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1497021 (stock #MC985)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
$850.00
Sale Pending
A traditional Kinuta (fulling block) shaped vase by Kaneta Masanao enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hagi Hai-yu Kurinuki Hana-ire. It is 13.5 cm (5-1/2 inches) diameter, 22.5 cm (9 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Kaneta Masanao is certainly one of Hagi’s most well-known and easily identifiable names. Born the first son of Kaneta Sanzaemon, the 7th generation of a family of traditional Hagi potters in 1953, he graduated the Tokyo University of Education Sculptural Art department in 1977. For the following 3 years he exhibited sculptures with the Kokuga-ten Exhibition while attending advanced education at Tsukuba University before returning to work under his father in Hagi in 1979. Although an eighth-generation potter inheriting an overtly conservative tradition, he has transcended limitation, and was one of the first to begin carrying Hagi into the 21st century. His work evokes a distinct tension between both function and form, technique and tradition. He began exhibition with the National Ceramics Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten) and National Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogei ten) in 1981, and has been much awarded at both venues. His first international exhibition was held in New York in 1995. He was awarded the Yamaguchi Prefectural Order of Cultural Merit in 2004, and succeeded as head of the family kiln the following year. His pieces are in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Modern Ceramics in Gifu, Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum and Museum of Modern Art, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Museum of Art in Philadelphia among others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1497020 (stock #MC590)
A unique, experimental work covered in thick pin-holed white glaze dripping with dark iron by Murakoshi Takuma enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tetsu-yu Chawan. This is the only bowl in this pattern he has ever made, entirely one of a kind. It is 13 cm (5-1/4 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3-1/4 inches) tall and is in perfect condition, directly from the artist.
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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Contemporary item #1497019 (stock #MC194)
A wall of hope mounted on a wooden base by seihakuji legend Fukami Sueharu titled Renbo-no Kei in pure celadon green, a quintessential piece by this artist. The sculpture itself is 43.5 cm (17 inches excluding the base) long and in excellent condition.
Fukami Sueharu is synonymous with seihakuji celadon. He has been displayed numerous times at the prestigious Nitten, Nihon Togei Ten (National Japanese Ceramic Exhibition) and Nihon Gendai Kogei Ten (National Japanese Modern Crafts Exhibition) among others. He is held in the Yale University Museum among 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. The list of museums holding his work is, in fact, much to long for this page, but includes the National Museums of Modern Art, Tokyo /Kyoto / and Osaka, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Philadelphia St. Louis, Portland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Smithsonian, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Musée national de céramique, Sèvres, Musée des arts décoratifs, Paris, Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf and the National Gallery of Australia among many others
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1497018 (stock #MC884)
A steep sided tea bowl by Fujimoto Hide spattered with natural flying ash enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Tsutsu Chawan. It is 11 cm (4-1/2 inches) diameter, just less than 10 cm (4 inches) tall and is in excellent condition, directly from the artist.
Fujimoto is inspired by the natural world around him, and the return to nature of the discarded and redundant remains of our civilization. Fujimoto Hide was born in the heart of Shigaraki in 1954, and was fascinated with the medium from a very young age. He worked in several potteries and industrial positions for a decade from 1973, always furthering his understanding of firing technique and glazes, followed by a decade of firing and sculpting, culminating in establishing his own kiln in the forests of Shigaraki in 1995. His work has been picked up by many of Japan’s preeminent galleries including several private exhibitions with Kuroda Toen in Ginza, the Togei no Mori Museum in Shiga, and just recently an exhibition in Taiwan.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1497017 (stock #MC877)
Absolutely WOW! This is a bowl which truly expresses the mastery of Ohmae Satoru enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kuro Chawan Shigure. Shigure is a late autumn to winter weather condition when light rain falls and lifts repeatedly over a period of time. The bowl is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter, 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition, directly from the artist this summer.
Ohmae Satoru was born in Osaka in 1972. He began decorating Kenzan style pottery in Kobe in 1991 with his brother. It was in 1994 he began making Nanban style unglazed pottery. His first solo exhibition was held in Osaka in 1999, and he moved to Shigaraki in 2001 where he began working on Iga and Shigaraki style wood-fired pottery and at the same time began holding solo exhibitions nationwide. He built a fully underground anagama kiln in 2003 but became interested in glazed pottery in 2005 and began creating white porcelain and Karatsu ware. In 2007, he was attracted to Korean pottery from the Joseon Dynasty and started experimenting with Ido tea bowls and persimmon calyx tea bowls using anagama kiln firing techniques. After absorbing many styles, he reached a turning point in 2010, when he moved to Awaji Island and built a semi-underground anagama kiln and a raku kiln. He started making black raku ware. In 2016, he began using clay from Awaji Island to make white raku ware.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Contemporary item #1497016 (stock #Azukari)
A perilous crag in matte gray by Sugitani Keizo reminiscent of a scholar stone enclosed. This was the first of a new series he has started in this style. It is 48 cm (19 inches) tall and in perfect condition, directly from the artist in May.The title, "240425Ⅱ," is written at the bottom of the work.
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 Japans top galleries as well as London, Art Miami, Maastricht, New York, Taipei and Shanghai among others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Contemporary item #1497015 (stock #MC570)
Yamamoto Ichiyo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Jun Purachina Aai Kogo (Pure Platinum Glazed Kogo). It is 8 cm (3-1/4 inches) diameter and in perfect condition.
Yamamoto Ichiyo was born in Nagasaki in 1944. He began his career at an Arita Porcelain ceramic facility in 1969. In 1974 he would spend a year in Taiwan studying porcelain before returning to Japan, where he would establish his own kiln in Imari the following year. He would begin research into platinum glazing in the mid eighties, garnering awards in Paris three years running (1986, ’87, ’88) after which he would move to Takatsuki on the border between Osaka and Kyoto, where he would immerse himself in cultural studies. In 1993 he would move to Hyogo prefecture, then would begin a period where his fame would grow, while his roots in any one place did not, only returning to Imari nearly a decade later in 2001. Since his work has been exhibited throughout Japan and abroad in such places as Valencia, Los Angeles, New York and San Diego.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Plates : Contemporary item #1497014 (stock #MC929)
Dramatic Rorschach blots of blue splash on the white porcelain surface of this large platter by Kato Tsubusa enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is roughly 39 cm (15-1/2 inches) diameter, 7.5 cm (3 inches) tall and is in perfect condition, directly from the artist this summer.
Kato Tsubusa was born in Tajimi city, the home of Shino, in 1962, graduating the municipal Pottery Design and Technical Center in 1979. From then to 1983 he worked as a decorator at the Otai Kiln moving out on his own in 1984. In 2007 he was selected for the Paramita Museum Ceramic Exhibition, and established his current ki;n in 2009. 2013 was an auspicious year, with him being awarded the 7th Enku Taishoten and the Japan Ceramic Society Award. 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).
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1497013 (stock #MC821)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
$3,960.00
Sale Pending
Awash in color, here is a brilliant vessel of crispy glazed clay by Hayashi Shotaro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Manyosai Henko. It is 27 x 32 x 36.5 cm (11 x 13 x 14 inches) and in excellent 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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Contemporary item #1496982 (stock #MC881)
Twenty-seven identical cubes, each placed in a different part of the kiln, each born with its own singular experience within the flames resulting in each being completely unique from the others with different colors, textures and scars akin to humans, who, despite having disparate backgrounds, differing races, creeds and genders, coexist together. The 27 pieces (individuals) harmoniously support each other, stack up, and together form a large but fragile world of 27 'Peaces' (peace). Perhaps this very interdependence is what peace truly is. Assembled as a cube it is collectively 6 x 6 x 6 cm (2-1/2 inches) and is in perfect condition directly from the artist.
Fujimoto is inspired by the natural world around him, and the return to nature of the discarded and redundant remains of our civilization. Fujimoto Hide was born in the heart of Shigaraki in 1954, and was fascinated with the medium from a very young age. He worked in several potteries and industrial positions for a decade from 1973, always furthering his understanding of firing technique and glazes, followed by a decade of firing and sculpting, culminating in establishing his own kiln in the forests of Shigaraki in 1995. His work has been picked up by many of Japan’s preeminent galleries including several private exhibitions with Kuroda Toen in Ginza, the Togei no Mori Museum in Shiga, and just recently an exhibition in Taiwan.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Contemporary item #1496981 (stock #MC850)
A beautiful sculpture made up of variously colored pieces by Yorigami Munemi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Re-Creations, Tamago (Egg). It is 17.5 x 13 x 15 cm (7 x 5 x 6 inches) and in fine condition. A hand written letter by the artist is included.
Yorigami Munemi was born in Kyoto in 1944, but went to Tokyo to study gardening at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, graduating in 1967. Two years later he apprenticed in ceramics under Yagi Kazuo, founding member of the avant-garde Sodeisha group, which Yorigami then joined. He has also exhibited domestically at the Asahi Togeiten Ceramics and Asahi Craft Exhibition among many others. In 1991 he was awarded gold at the Faenza International Ceramics Exhibition, and the following year exhibited in Cairo Egypt and Melbourne Australia (awarded) as well as being awarded at the Modern Ceramics Grand Prix Exhibition held at the National Museum of History in Taipei, Taiwan. The next year he was accepted into the exhibition “Ceramics Today” held at the Aichi Prefectural Museum. In 2001 His work was part of the exhibition “Kyoto Crafts 1945-2000” which was held at the Tokyo and Kyoto National Museums of Modern Art.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Plates : Contemporary item #1496980 (stock #MC939)
A small shard slab decorated with indigo by Kato Tsubusa enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is perfect for serving Wagashi Japanese sweets before tea. The dish measures 16 x 12 x 3cm (6 x 5 x 1 inches) and is in perfect condition, directly from the artist.
Kato Tsubusa was born in Tajimi city, the home of Shino, in 1962, graduating the municipal Pottery Design and Technical Center in 1979. From then to 1983 he worked as a decorator at the Otai Kiln moving out on his own in 1984. In 2007 he was selected for the Paramita Museum Ceramic Exhibition, and established his current ki;n in 2009. 2013 was an auspicious year, with him being awarded the 7th Enku Taishoten and the Japan Ceramic Society Award. 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).
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1496979 (stock #MC834)
Wow! A powerful large Tsubo by Murakoshi Takuma covered in his signature Shunju glaze combination of iron, feldspar an Kunugi-ash enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shunju Otsubo. It is 36.5 cm (14-1/2 inches) diameter, 40 cm (16 inches) tall and in perfect condition, directly from the artist for this show.
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.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1496949 (stock #MC949)
A torn and elongated sculpture of sheer porcelain covered in crystalline glaze by Kato Tsubusa enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Freeze Flame. It is 42.5 x 21 x 17 cm (17 x 8-1/2 x 7 inches) and in is perfect condition.
Kato Tsubusa was born in Tajimi city, the home of Shino, in 1962, graduating the municipal Pottery Design and Technical Center in 1979. From then to 1983 he worked as a decorator at the Otai Kiln moving out on his own in 1984. In 2007 he was selected for the Paramita Museum Ceramic Exhibition, and established his current ki;n in 2009. 2013 was an auspicious year, with him being awarded the 7th Enku Taishoten and the Japan Ceramic Society Award. 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).
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Contemporary item #1496948 (stock #MC992)
A sculptural pair of exquisite celadon lidded bottles by Yagi Akira enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seihakuji Kaien Koro. The striated rings are mobile, and can be spun to change the appearance of the Koro. A nearly identical work is held in the collection of Yakushiji temple. It is 20 cm (8 inches) diameter, 21 cm (8-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition, directly from the artist.
Yagi Akira was born in Kyoto in 1955, son of avant-garde Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979) one of the founding members of Sodeisha. Akira was voted one of the 20 most important living artists by Honoho, Japans premier printed ceramic forum. Works by the artist are held in the British Museum, Victoria Albert Museum, Cleveland Art Museum, Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian and Tokyo Museum of Modern Art among many others. He was also the recipient of the Japan Ceramic Society (JCS) award in 1998, one in a long and prestigious list of awards. For more see “Quiet Clarity, Rin” (1996) or the aforementioned “Contemporary Clay, Japanese Ceramics for the New Century “(2005) by Joe Earle.
Yakushiji Emperor Tenmu to pray for the recovery of his consort (who would later become Empress Jito) from illness and is one of the seven great temples of Nara and head temple of the Hosso school, Japan’s oldest Buddhist order.