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 : Plates : Contemporary item #1499061 (stock #MC1137)
Two small dishes in striking crisp colors by celebrated female artist Tokuda Yasokichi IV, one enclosed in the original signed wooden box, the other in an artist mouinted signed frame. The unmounted dish is 15 cm (6 inches) diameter, the framed dish 11.5 cm (4-1/2 inches) diameter and both are in excellent condition.
Tokuda Junko (Yasokichi IV) was born the first child of future Living National Treasure Tokuda Masahiko in 1961. While on a trip to the United States in her mid-20s, the young Tokuda came across a pot from Jingdezhen, China and drew her back to the fold of the family tradition. She graduated from the Institute for Kutani in 1990 and embarked on her path as an artist. Succeeding the family name in 2010 upon the passing of her father, Junko is one of very few female heads of traditional potting family.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1499015 (stock #MC1069)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
sold, thank you
An exquisite pottery form by Kawase Takeshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hakuji Rinka-bachi. The fluted edge rises around a central garden filled with scrolling florals. It is 28 cm (11 inches) diameter, 11 cm (just over 4 inches) tall and in fine condition.
Kawase Takeshi (1953-2007) was born the second son of Kawase Chikushun II in Kanagawa prefecture. He began in the family kiln, eventually breaking off to establish his own kiln in 1986. He was the subject of a television show in 1999, and was ascending to greatness when he died suddenly at the age of 54. He is remembered for Hakuji, Aka-e and Kinsai styles.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1498905 (stock #MC799)
A bold modern form in abstract Picaso gray patterns by Yanagihara Mutsuo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Saimon Unkimon Kabin. It is 20 cm diameter 29.5 cm (just under 12 inches) tall and in excellent 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.”
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1498877 (stock #MC759)
Pink and yellow like worms of colorful lightning play across the crackled gradation of blue on this vessel by Yanagihara Mutsuo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Saimon Kabin (Colorful Vase). It is 25.5 cm (10 inches) tall, 23.5 cm (9 inches) diameter at the base and is in excellent 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.”
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Contemporary item #1498846 (stock #MC863)
A fabulous russet tinged Shino Chawan by Kishimoto Kennin enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is large and delightfully hefty, 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter, 10 cm (4 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Kishimoto Kennin has been working with clay since the 1950s, devouring styles along the way. Shino, Seto, Oribe, Iga and Celadon, all very different approaches which he masters one at a time, extending his unique view of the arts to new realms, and moving on to the next challenge when his appetite and personal genius has been satiated. He was exhibited and prized at the National Japanese Crafts Exhibition (Nihon Dento Kogei Ten), National Ceramics Exhibition (Nihon Togei Ten), Chunichi International Ceramics Exhibition (Chunichi Kokusai Togei Ten) and Asahi Togei Ten among others, and is held in several important international collections.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1498799 (stock #MC1039)
A voluminous tea bowl of red-tinged clay covered in pin-holed white shino glaze with a dramatic pattern in iron by Mino legend Suzuki Goro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Shino Chawan. It is 15 cm (6 inches) diameter, 9 cm (3-1/2 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 : Vases : Contemporary item #1498761 (stock #MC1138)
Thick green ash glaze clings to this classical Iga Mimitsuki Vase by legend of Anagama-firing Furutani Michio enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Iga Hanaire. It is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter, 26 cm (10-1/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Furutani Michio is one of the Gods of Shigaraki, an artist who wrote the book on Anagama kilns, and one of the more influential artists of the second half of the 20th century. He was born in Shigaraki; graduating the Konan High School of industrial Arts, he moved to further his studies (like so many great artist before him, Kanjiro, Hamada…) at the Kyoto Institute of Industrial Arts in 1964. After breaking out on his own, he started by building an Anagama in Shigaraki in 1970, the first since the middle ages. He was a true pioneer, reviving the tradition and going on to build over thirty kilns over the next thirty years. No other artist has shown such singular dedication to a firing technique. He has been featured in the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition), Nihon Togei Ten (Japanese Ceramic Exhibition) and the Chunichi Kokusai Togei Ten among others. He passed away at the peak of his career. For more on this artists contributions see his book Anagama – Building Kilns and Firing.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Porcelain : Contemporary item #1498728 (stock #MC1059)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
$435.00
Sale Pending
The last sencha Tea Pot we have by the young Kyoto University graduate Usami Kensuke enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Dobin. It is 10.5 x 13 x 16.5 cm (4 x 5 x 6-1/2 inches) and in perfect condition, directly from the artist.
Usami Kensuke was born in Saitama prefecture in 1995, and graduated the elite Kyoto University Faculty of Comprehensive Human Studies in 2020, before making the life-altering choice to march down the path of a potter. He enrolled in the Tajimi Municipal Ceramics Research Facility where he initially drew our attention with his absolute perfection and sublime forms. He has since been chosen for several important contemporary exhibitions, being prized at the Ceramic Synergy exhibition held the Kyoto-City Kyocera Museum in 2023 as well as the Judges award at the 13th Mino International Ceramics Exhibition in 2024.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Jars : Contemporary item #1498644 (stock #MC1024)
A spectacular Mizusashi in Natural Ash glaze by Tsujimura Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shizen-yu Mimi-tsuki Mizusashi. It is 19.5 x 22.5 x 18.5 cm (8 x 9 x 7-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition, complete with two matching ceramic lids.
Tsujimura Shiro was born in Nara in 1947, and began his steps into the art world as an oil painter in 1965. While living at a Buddhist temple he experienced a profound connection with a Korean Tea Bowl, and began potting. He established his kiln and residence in 1970, with his first solo exhibition held in 1977. By the 1990s he had become an international star, with works exhibited in the US, UK, Germany, France and many other nations. He is highly acclaimed and somewhat reclusive, avoiding the public spectacles often needed to make one in Japan. A must have in any contemporary collection of Japanese ceramic art, work by him is held in museums throughout the globe, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at Smithsonian Institution, The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, The Spencer Museum, Ackland Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, The British Museum, Stockholm Museum of Art and the Miho Museum among many others
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1498612 (stock #MC1054)
A fabulous flower shaped basin by young female artist Goshima Honami enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled moment II and decorated by the artist with a floral image of the bowl. It is 27.5 cm (11 inches) diameter, 7.5 cm (3 inches) tall and in perfect condition, directly from the artist this summer. Her pottery has a light, faint and complex world inspired by nature. She is constantly testing and researching glaze and soil combiations to attain the earthy feel her works exude.
Goshima Honami was born in Gifu in 1996, and graduated the International Christian University in Tokyo in 2019 before entering the ceramics lab of the Tajimi city pottery design institute. She lives and works now in Gifu.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Cups : Contemporary item #1498582 (stock #MC1057)
Modern Japanese Ceramics
$795.00
Sale Pending
A serene boxed sencha tea set in sudued celadon glaze by perfectionist Usami Kensuke enclosed in the original signed and compartmentalized wooden box. It consists of five cups with a teapot and lid. Each cup is 8 cm (just over 3 inches) diameter, 5.5 cm (just over 2 inches) tall. The tea pot is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter, 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) tall and all are in perfect condition, directly from the artist this summer.
Usami Kensuke was born in Saitama prefecture in 1995, and graduated the elite Kyoto University Faculty of Comprehensive Human Studies in 2020, before making the life-altering choice to march down the path of a potter. He enrolled in the Tajimi Municipal Ceramics Research Facility where he initially drew our attention with his absolute perfection and sublime forms. He has since been chosen for several important contemporary exhibitions, being prized at the Ceramic Synergy exhibition held the Kyoto-City Kyocera Museum in 2023 as well as the Judges award at the 13th Mino International Ceramics Exhibition in 2024.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Pre 1990 item #1498581 (stock #MC1070)
A tall bottle form in black and white with impressed flower designs from the Funka series by Kondo Yutaka enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Funka-Tsubo. It is 32.5 cm (13 inches) tall, 14.5 cm (just under 6 inches) diameter, and in excellent condition.
Kondo Yutaka (1932-1983) was born into a traditional pottery family in Kyoto. He studied under Living National Treasures Kondo Yuzo and Tomimoto Kenkichi at the Kyoto Municipal University of Art, graduating in 1957. That same year his work was accepted into the New Masters of Crafts Exhibition (Shin-takumi Kogeikai Ten). From 1962-63 he traveled in the US and lectured at Indiana University with Karl Martz. Returning to Japan he was granted a position at his Alma Matter, where he would continue to teach for the rest of his life, while making frequent research trips abroad to South and Central Asia, where he would master the T’zu Chou techniques. He twice received the Mayors prize at the Kyoten Exhibition, was awarded at the Asahi Togeiten, and is recipient of the coveted JCS award in 1967. The following year would see his work displayed at the New Generation of Ceramics Exhibition held at the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art. In 1985 a posthumous exhibition was held honoring his life's work at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art. Work by the artist is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Musée Tomo, Tokyo, Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London among others. For more on this important artist see the book Kondo Yutaka: The Transformation of a Traditional Kyoto Family (2010).
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Plates : Contemporary item #1498559 (stock #MC1136)
A broad rippling pattern covers this raw earthen plate by Bizen veteran Konishi Tozo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Fumon Chjokkaku Bachi (Wind Pattern Rectangular Dish). It is 48 x 30.5 x 6.5 cm (19 12 x 2-1/2 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Konishi Tozo was born in 1947 in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecure. He was first selected for the 18th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition (Dento Kogei-ten) in 1971. In 1975 he received the 3rd Chu-nichi International Ceramic Art Exhibition Award. The first of many including the Kaneshige Toyo Award in 1988. He has been exhibited in the National Ceramic Museum, France “Bizen ware, A Thousand Years of Traditional Beauty" in 1997. Work by him is held in the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia) as well as the Brooklyn Art Museum (USA) among others.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1498558 (stock #MC1075)
A black or bridges the rim of this exquisite bowl by Fujihira Yasushi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Under the moon). It is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter, 9.5 cm just less than 4 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Fujihira Yasushi was born the son of avant-garde potter Fujihira Shin in Kyoto in 1963. He graduated Kansai University in 1987 before spending a year at the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility. In 1988 he was first accepted into the Nitten National Art Exhibition, and the following year was awarded at the Kyoten and received Nyusen status at the 10th National Ceramics Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten). In 1990 he was awarded the Mayors prize at the Kyoten, and was first accepted into the Asahi Modern Crafts Fair. 1992 saw his work accepted into the Asahi Togeiten Ceramics Exhibition, and his first Solo exhibition, a game-changer for him. From 1995 he has concentrated on private exhibitions.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Contemporary item #1498535 (stock #MC1135)
Thick green ash glaze clings to this simple form reminiscent of a lacquer sap collectors bucket by legend of Anagama-firing Furutani Michio enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Iga Hanaire. It is 13 cm (5-1/2 inches) diameter, 18 cm (7-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Furutani Michio is one of the Gods of Shigaraki, an artist who wrote the book on Anagama kilns, and one of the more influential artists of the second half of the 20th century. He was born in Shigaraki; graduating the Konan High School of industrial Arts, he moved to further his studies (like so many great artist before him, Kanjiro, Hamada…) at the Kyoto Institute of Industrial Arts in 1964. After breaking out on his own, he started by building an Anagama in Shigaraki in 1970, the first since the middle ages. He was a true pioneer, reviving the tradition and going on to build over thirty kilns over the next thirty years. No other artist has shown such singular dedication to a firing technique. He has been featured in the Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition), Nihon Togei Ten (Japanese Ceramic Exhibition) and the Chunichi Kokusai Togei Ten among others. He passed away at the peak of his career. For more on this artists contributions see his book Anagama – Building Kilns and Firing.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Vases : Pre 1990 item #1498534 (stock #MC1047)
An ichirin-sashi vase rising to a narrow neck from a wide oblong base covered in Ocher-tinged Irabo glaze by Avant-garde Kumakura Juinkichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titeld simply Irabo Tsubo. It is 20 x 12.5 x 17 cm (8 x 5 x 7 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Kumakura Junkichi (1920-1985) began working in ceramics in the 1940s, his works submitted to innumerable National and International Exhibitions including the Japan Art Festival, New York and the international Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Florence Italy. He also submitted to the Brussels World Exposition and helped design murals for the World Exposition Osaka. At the International Ceramics Exhibition, Prague in 1962 he took a silver prize. He was also often exhibited and is in the permanent collection of the Japanese National Museum of Modern Art as well as the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. Along with Suzuki Osamu, Hikaru Yamada and Yagi Kazuo, Junkichi was one of the founding members of the influential Sodeisha (Crawling Through Mud Association), a group of revolutionary post war ceramic artists whose influence remains strong today.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Bowls : Contemporary item #1498471 (stock #MC1073)
A spectacular bowl by Ajiki Jun enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shio-yu Wan. It is 13 cm (over 5 inches) diameter, 10.5 cm (4 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Ajiki Jun was born the son of Bizen master Ajiki Hiro in Shimane in 1982, graduating the ceramics course of the Okayama Prefectural Technical School in 2001 before apprenticing initially in Shino under Kumagai Tadao before returning to work under his illustrious father from 2004. He was accepted at the Tanabe Museum of Art Modern Tea Forms exhibition in 2006 where he has exhibited consistently in addition to the Modern Tea Ceramics Chatoten as well as many private or solo exhibitions at some of Japans premier galleries.
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Plates : Contemporary item #1498470 (stock #MC1053)
Silver waves form wind whipped peaks on the rich iron red surface of this large serving platter by Banura Shiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ha no Mon Morisara. It is 58.5 x 30 x 7 cm (23 x 12 x 3 inches) and is in perfect condition.
Banura Shiro (1941-2001) was born the fourth son of influential Lacquer Artist Banura Shogo. 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) who was a student of Kitaoji Rosanjin. Rosanjin, a restaurateur, artist, and overall renaissance man believed the dish was there to support and bring out the beauty of food served. Shiro took this as his raison d’etre; his lifetime pursuit to create dishes which complimented the seasonality, texture, color and flavor. He had 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 was low, but quality and originality high, making his work very much in demand.