Mottled clay in lively matt colors blends on this square bottle by Living National Treasure Matsui Kosei enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Fuhakuji Henko. It is 12 x 15 x 13 cm (4-3/4 x 6 x 5-1/4 inches) and in excellent condition.

Signature Shunju colorful glaze decorates this expressive vessel by Murakoshi Takuma enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tobe! (Fly!). The wide piece is like a bird, wings spread wide as it sets to leap for the sky. He says that he made this shape specifically in memory of his wife, who loved flowers. It is 53 cm (21 inches) wide and in perfect condition, directly from the artist.
Murakoshi Takuma is one of those enigmas who simply lives to work with clay...

Wow! This is quite a tsubo by revivalist Takahashi Shunsai enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shigaraki Kama Hana Tsubo. A wack of ash blasts the shoulder over raw shiseki studded terracotta clay scorched the color of bricks. Fired on its side, opposite is charred and covered in molten ash where it had been buried in the embers. This is truly a classic Shigaraki work down to the belt of cross hatches at the shoulder and two stage mouth...

Robust Oribe hakeme (hakame) vase with an exceedingly rich and traditional glaze with wonderful luster and depth

Stoneware, slip and Oribe glaze

8.25" X 5.75"

A sizeable seihakuji vase by celadon master Fukami Sueharu (b. 1947) enclosed in the original signed wooden box dating circa 1985. Graceful lines drape from 8 points evenly distributed about the rim, creating a sense of geometry on the simple orb. The vase is roughly 8-1/2 inches tall, 9-3/4 inches diameter and in excellent condition. The name of Kyotos Sueharu is synonymous with seihakuji celadon...

Lines of burnt straw scar the surface of this voluminous work by Yamamoto Yuichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 17-1/2 inches (45 cm) tall, 9 x 10 inches (23 x 25.5 cm) at the base and in excellent condition.
Born the son of Living National Treasure Yamamoto Toshu, Yuichi was raised among the clay and kilns of Bizen, at a vital time when Bizen was devastated by the war economy, and the dramatic years of growth and research following...

Rich and Charred, the Ochre glaze has a texture which delights the bearer on this Sake Set by Hori Ichiro enclosed in their original signed wooden boxes titled Kiseto Tokkuri and Guinomi respectively and date to 2021. Unlike the more monotonous works typical of Ki-seto, It has been darkened by ash and fire, testament to the storms in the kiln, and reminiscent of that rugged strip from which Mino-ware is born sandwiched between the violent coast and volcanic interior of central Japan...

An incredible piece by legendary Abe Anjin in the artists most sought after style of saishoku colors enclosed in the original signed wooden box. We see the gamut of this artists career here, red, blue, black, gold, green, Ash glaze, and raw clay. The bottle form is dimpled to make it easy to grasp, even if imbibed. Being a maker of tea ware, it is this subtle attention to shape and texure which elevates the work of Anjin...

This piece is almost identical to the work submitted by the artist to the 7th Nihon Dento Kogei Ten in 1983 (featured as item number 116 in the catalog for that year) and indeed, shares the title Hi-iro In-mon Tsubo (Flame-Colored Stamp-Patterned Tsubo). It measures 34 cm (13-1/2 inches) diameter, 29.5 cm (12 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.
Kanzaki Muneaki (b 1949) is the fourth generation head of the traditional Mokusen Kiln in Koga, Shigaraki...

Swirling white brush strokes decorated with dabs of iron like leaves blowing in wind on this square form by Living National Treasure Shimaoka Tatsuzo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hakeme Take Moyo Hoko (Bamboo Pattern on Brush Stroke Square Bottle). It is 10-1/2 inches (27 cm ) tall and in excellent condition.
After serving in World War II, Tatsuzo apprenticed under world famous Mashiko Mingei potter Hamada Shoji, establishing his own kiln in 1954...

A rare and expressive example by the highly sought Tanaka Sajiro enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Chossen Karatsu Hana-ire.  Every aspect of this work is unique, the slightest change in viewing point gives new insight into the work and the artist who created it.  Rich green spreads like wet moss on one side, rust and dark iron pin-holed and distraught, form a base.  Above drapes pale Chossen Karatsu colors and an unusual pair of handles cling to the side.  If you get tired o...

A large primitive robotic form by Morino Taimei in his iconic blue and gold dating from his experimental days in the early 1970 enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Soji Shiho Kabin. It is 12 inches (30 cm) tall, 6 inches (15 cm) square and in excellent condition...

A trumpeting vessel, the closed top split open dripping with thick Oribe copper glaze and iron patterns by Tanahashi Jun enclosed in the original signed wooden box. it is 18.5 cm (7-1/4 inches) diameter, 16.5 (6-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Tanahashi Jun was born in Gifu prefecture in 1959. He established his kiln in Seto in 1990, and has exhibited with the Nitten, and awarded at the Nihon Shin Kogei Ten (New Crafts Exhibition) as well as the Asahi Togeiten Ceramics Exhib...

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 p...

Mountains rise majestically over meandering inlets on this vase by Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Yama Sometsuke Kabin (Vase with Mountain Design in Blue). It is 19 cm (7-3/4 inches) tall, 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter and in perfect condition. It comes with the original custom made cloth pouch and shiori. For more on this important artist see the recent edition of Arts of Asia Magazine (Spring 2021), A Seeing Eye: Modern Ceramics in Ja...

A massive sculptural vase by Kyotos Inoue Yoshihisa (b. 1947) in the form of a crowing cock. This piece was featured in the Nitten in 1973 and is visible in the catalog for that year. Yoshihisa studied ceramics under Kiyomizu Rokube VI, certainly one reason for his emphasis on sculptural concerns. His work has often been accepted to the Nitten National Exhibition, as well as the All Japan New Crafts Exhibition where he received the Members prize, and the Kofukai-ten. An excellent example of ...

A spectacular work by Ohi Toshio enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Ohi Hakuyu Saiki.  The feeling is like Raku, with a very thin glaze over rough clay affecting hi-iro colors within the glazing.  This is a wonderful piece for showing this master-potters control of glazing and firing technique.  He is a potter who embraces both traditional characteristics of Ohi while asserting his own unique character. Each piece is distinctly his own, and easily identifiable by the nuanced co...

Red and Blue Rivulets drip down over green melding into the ashen gray textured glaze on this Tea Jar by Sakuchi Ensen enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 25.5 cm (10 inches) diameter, 28.5 cm (11-1/4 inches) tall and in excellent condition. The box top is lightly stained.
Sakuchi Ensen (B. 1922) began on the path of the potter in 1946, searching to create something unusual in the hills of Okayama. His research led him to create this highly decorative yet wildly natural gl...