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...

There is nothing superfluous in the work of Saito Hiroyuki, often described as “Muda no nai utsuwa” (Vessel without waste). Here is an exquisite tea bowl in muted silver and black with a texture which will make your hands want to dance. Like the creator, it is chic, with a simplicity of form which is timeless, and yet very much rooted in the world we live in today...

Endorsed by the recent Head Tea Master of Urasenke as an exceptional work, this black Raku tea bowl was granted the poetic name “Kokon” Ko, meaning “the distant past” and Kon meaning “the here and now.” This name carries with it the connotation that tradition and accumulated generational knowledge can, in a sense, connect us with the people, places, and situations of times gone by; helping us better understand our present day roles in the ongoing play of form and energy.

...

There is an understated elegance in the work of Saito Hiroyuki which is very difficult to describe, but blatantly apparent the moment one holds his work. This guinomi is expertly crafted, rough textured outside with a smooth rim leading to the dark inner “Ma” (emptiness), ready to be filled. It is 6.5 cm (2-1/2 inches) diameter, 5 cm (2 inches) tall and in excellent condition, directly from the artist...

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...

A cluster of succulent flowers blossom among the vibrant leaves of the loquat tree on this unusually shaped vessel by Sueoka Nobuhiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 28 cm wide, 36 cm tall and in excellent condition.
Sueoka Nobuhiko was born in Fukuoka on Japans Main Sothern Island in 1948, and apprenticed under future Living National Treasure Fujimoto Yoshimichi in 1973...

Marbled clay in lively blends colors on those beautiful sake cups by Wakao Kei enclosed in their original signed wooden boxes, dating to 2022.
Size,(Left) D 6.7 cm H 6.5 cm (inches)
Size,(Middle) D 6.9 cm H 6.6 cm (inches)
Size,(Right) D 6.8 cm H 6.7 cm (inches)
Condition, Excellent
Wakao Kei was born in Gifu in 1967 ,the first son of the legendary artist Wakao Toshisada ...

A black cloak is draped from the shoulders of this mysterious character lurking in the shadows of the tea room by legendary potter Yamada Kazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seto-guro Hanaire.
Size, D 10.2 cm H 25.8 cm
Condition, Excellent
Kazu was born in Tokoname cityin 1954, one of Japans ancient kiln areas, into a line of potters...

Thick white feldspathic glaze tinged with flickers of color covers this sake flask by Kato Kozo enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Shino Tokkuri. It is 13.3 cm (just over 5 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Kato Kozo was born in 1935, and studied under the Mino Legend and Designated Living National Treasure Arakawa Toyozo...

Beware, in this artists world the walls have ears and your sake cup is staring back at you. A striking work by Mizumoto Kayoko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kujira Guinomi. As if the unblinking green eye were not enough, a silver thorn bursts from the surface on one side (or is it a devils horn, or Vikings come to call?). Sure to inspire conversation during a round of sake, the playful cup is 5.5 cm tall and in excellent condition...

A quintessential work showing the decorative aesthetic of Ichino Masahiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Senmon Tokkuri. It is 13.3 cm (just over 5 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
The youngest winner ever at the 13th National Ceramic Exhibition (Nihon Togeiten), Ichino Hiroyuki is a powerhouse in Tamba, bringing that long forgotten corner of Japan’s ceramic realm back into the limelight...

A spectacular tea bowl by Kato Yasukage XIV enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Oribe Chawan and signed 14th Yasukage. The smoothly undulating rim floats above the faceted sides, like acloud over the precipitous crags of Gifu prefecture, home of Oribe-ware. To accentuate the random vein which carries the lifeblood of Japanese pottery, fortuitous flashes of yellow and blue with rich irons flare on the surface like acts of nature...

A morphic vessel of rough outer form like a fossilized egg or bowl of coral covered from the rim within by slick blue, a quintessential work by Tanoue Shinya enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Kara-wan Ao (Empty Shell, Blue). It has a wide, rounded form which is surprisisngly pleasant to hold, and the smooth blue decorating the rim is pleasing to the lips. The shape allows for a very stable silhouette, which seems to anchor itself to whatever surface it rests upon...

A beautiful pure white porcelain tea bowl by Niisato Akio enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hikari Wan . The technique called Hikari ( Light),through small “windows” like a fireflies, the expression of the vessel changes under lights at each moment and it is wonderful. Perfect for use in the Japanese Tea Ceremony in the summer.
Size, D 12.9 cm H 8.6 cm
Condition, Excellent
Akio was born in Chiba in 1977, and has been active as a ceramic artist since finishin...

A beautiful hanging vase covered with translucent green by Yamaguchi Makoto enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Oribe Kake-hanaire.
Size, D 8.9 cm H 19.9 cm
Condition, Excellent
A rising star in the pottery world, Yamaguchi Makoto was born in Seto, Aichi prefecture in 1978. In 2000 he was apprenticed to Hiroshige Kato (Kasen Toen). In 2004 began exhibiting his wares and has held many solo exhibitions at Department Stores and top galleries throughout...

Faint crackling permeates the vibrant green glaze on this sake flask by Living National Treasure Nakajima Hiroshi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Tokkuri. It is 12.5 cm tall, and in excellent condition.
Nakajima Hiroshi (1941-2018) was born in Hiroshima, and established himself as an independent potter Yano, Saga Prefecture in 1969, choosing to specialize in the challenging field of Celadon ware. That same year he was first accepted into the Nihon Dento Kogeiten ...

An example of some of the finest porcelain modern Japan has to offer. According to the Wakao Kei, the artist who crafted this piece, it took him years of trial and error to perfect these stunning translucent glazes and associated techniques such as getting the right flowing consistency and pooling effect around the base. The unglazed portions at the base seen here in pictures was created by the artists fingers as he plunged the vessel into the glaze while holding firmly to the porcelain body—a...

Enigmatic natural forms seem fossilized on the white surface of this rare guinomi by female pottery star Hattori Makiko enclosed in a black lidded wooden box signed and dated inside Heisei 27 (2015) and titled simply Shuki. It is 7.5 cm (3 inches) diameter and in excellent condition. This was from way back when we could acquire works by her. Those days are long gone, and this is the last of its kind.
Hattori Makiko was born in Aichi prefecture in 1984. She graduated the Aichi Prefectur...