Only a master of aesthetics and a hermit could put his tea bowl together, here an amazing work by Harada Shuroku enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Bizen Chawan. Superb organic form displaying dark and awe inspiring, it shows to dramatic effect the path of flame in the kiln through the streaks of crusted ash and hi-iro on the sides interspersed with Shiso-iro gray-purple clay...

Heavily influenced by Koryo potting styles and techniques, the Tobei lineage has been crafting exceptional tea-ware implements for 13 generations. The piece shown here was made by the 12th generation (Tahara) and, due to its excellent character, was endorsed by the 15th tea master of the Urasenke School of Tea, Hōunsai. Like much of Tahara pottery, the natural ash glaze displays glossy lavenders, light tans, and hues of ivory...

A fantastic sake set in thick pale green , red purple and blue by rising star Ujiie Kodai enclosed in their original signed wooden boxes titled Katakuchi and Guinomi respectively, date to 2020. Full of the world today, contemporary, breathing, alive. It is a wonderful Sake Set by this young artist.
Kodai was born in Sendai in 1990, making him one of the younger artists we have offered...

A fantastic sake sake set by rising star Ujiie Kodai enclosed in their original signed wooden boxes titled Katakuchi and Ki-seto Shikoku Guinomi respectively, date to 2020. Full of the world today, contemporary, breathing, alive. It is a wonderful Sake Set by this young artist.
Kodai was born in Sendai in 1990, making him one of the younger artists we have offered...

A jaw-dropping igneous chawan tea bowl by Inayoshi Osamu like a shimmering mineral deposit found deep inside some calcitic limestone cavern. When I asked him about the effects on the surface, he said that he could not wholly explain them, they were some mystery of the kiln, caused during the firing. The bowl is 13.8 x 13 x 9.5 cm (5-1/2 x 5 x 4 inches) and in excellent condition...

A beautiful example of Shigaraki pottery—the result of techniques perfected over centuries by dedicated artisans residing in the provinces east of Kyoto. This piece, made by master potter Sugimoto Sadamitsu, achieves a kind of asymmetrical balance of both form and color, displaying classic Shigaraki markings of emerald green, red ochre, and pale ash.

Sugimoto (b. 1935) is one of the most important Shigaraki potters alive today and continues to create master works into his old age...

Marbled clay in autumn colors on this large tsubo by Living National Treasure Matsui Kosei enclosed in the original signed wooden box. This is a technique developed by Kosei, and one of the reasons for which he would acquire such fame...

A stone formed bowl covered entirely in platinum by Inayoshi Osamu enclosed in the original signed wooden box accompanied by the shiori and Shifuku. The bowl is carved and torn from a block of clay, then textured with natural stones specially selected for their surface patterns, splashed with glaze and then covered in platinum, creating dry. Matte regions punctuated by glistening liqid spatters...

An iconic work in ivory colored covers this water container which comes enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Zoge-ji Mizusashi and date 2015. This is a great opportunity to acquire a very special piece by this artist.
Size, D 19.2 cm H 18.6 cm
Condition, Excellent
Wakao Kei was born in Gifu in 1967 ,the first son of the legendary artist Wakao Toshisada ...

A bottomless green pool by master of Seihakuji Kato Tsubusa enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Wan. A big telltale tear drop reaches down to grasp the table, exquisite. It is 5-1/2 inches (14 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Kato Tsubusa was born in Tajimi city, the home of Shino, in 1962, graduating the municipal Pottery Design and Technical Center in 1979...

A traditionally crafted Bizen sake cup with a rich mineral glaze giving this guinomi a metallic look. The craftsman who made this piece, Takahiro Ishii, was born in Tokyo in 1977, and, after studying ceramics for a number of years, he moved to Bizen to become a ceramics teacher and later opened his own kiln. He takes a philosophic approach to his work as evidenced by the following quote, “As a ceramicist, I feel that the point is not just to produce pieces...

A fabulous thin walled Bizen basin made for use as a fresh water container for the Japanese Tea Ceremony with black lacquered wooden lid enclosed in the original signed wooden box by Living National Treasure Yamamoto Toshu. This burnished style reminiscent of sangiri techniques is the signature work of this important Bizen artist. Here a plethora of colors vie for dominance on the ordinarily sedate brown clay. It is 22 cm diameter, 13 cm tall and in excellent condition...

A most unusual tea bowl charred black on one side which emenates a golden glow on the raw earth opposite, by Bizen living national Treasure Yamamoto Toshu enclosed in the original signed double wood storage box titled Bizen Yohen Chawan (Kiln Altered Tea bowl) with silk wrapping cloth...

A petaled vase in snow s\white porcelain with silver blossoming from the rim by Itaya Narumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, from the artist this year. Itaya Narumi was born in Gifu in 1991, and graduated the Toki City Ceramics Research Facility in 2015. She has participated in several exhibitions since, with an emphasis on natural forms and tactile senses.

Pale jade spots dot the incised surface of this unusual vase by Nagae Shigekazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box retaining the Shiori and Shifuku. The vase, if not for its distant, moon-like quality, has a very pop-art-presence, blending both the austerity of Japanese traditional aesthetics with contemporary art. Fun and moving; a haunting pleasure. It is 14 inches (35.5 cm) tall, 5 inches (13 cm) square at the base, 7 inches (19 cm) wide at the rim and in excellent condition.
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Described on the wood box as a tokkuri (sake flask) with kin-kousai (metallic Iris) glaze, the size and form would allow this piece to function just as well as a small flower vase. As the name on the box suggests, the various metallic glazes in purple, bronze, and blueish-green are meant to represent the colors of the Iris that, in Japan, is associated with the expression of heroic deeds and thought to have purifying properties that help ward off evil.

The craftsman who made this pi...

Casually faceted mentori teabowl with my Tetsu-oribe style glaze on a sandy stoneware clay.

Stoneware and glazes

10.5 x 13 cm

Decorative, functional, food safe

Pair of mentori faceted Oribe style guinomi made out of a coarse porcelain clay.

Porcelain and glazes

Maximum size is 7 x 8 cm

Decorative, functional, food safe

One of the best I have ever seen by him. A metallic Shino Chawan by Tsukigata Nahiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Oni Shino Yohen O-Chawan and named inside Rokugo (also read Rikugo) which is something to do with the ancient concept of the tertiary levels of heaven and earth. Rokugo is outside the Human realm, the universe, the heavens. It is 5-1/2 inches (14 cm) diameter, 4 inches (10 cm) tall and in excellent condition complete with silk pouch and double wood black lacque...

JUNRI HAMADA is one of the high-skilled pottery artist in Mino famous pottery production center. Especially focused on KISETO (yellow&green glaze). This piece is created with oribe glaze (green glaze) that was made in 16th century in Japan. It is seemed Japanese tea pot at a glance however the creator has made it as a vase. The handle is made by dried Japanese wild ivy, SIZE:10.0cm(length)17.5cm(width)/19.0cm(height)included handle

Dohei Fujinoki is one of the most popular artist in contemporary KARATSU pottery scene. Initially he aimed a western painter and then,when he met an old KARATSU pottery piece he had been fascinated. He has studied at Karatsu and also MIno. And while, he has studied in tea ceremony. His repertoires are goods for tea ceremony, sake cup, and tableware for Japanese cuisine. This piece is a brand new work created with chosen karatsu glaze (black&white) trditional glaze in Karatsu. It would...

JUNRI HAMADA is one of the high-skilled pottery artist in Mino famous pottery production center. Especially focused on KISETO (yellow&green glaze). This piece is created with kiseto glaze (yellow and green) that was made in 16th century in Japan. It is small size so it would be easy to use at not only for matcha but also for green tea. SIZE:9.7cm(D)/7.0cm(H)

Dohei Fujinoki is one of the most popular artist in contemporary KARATSU pottery scene. Initially he aimed a western painter and then,when he met an old KARATSU pottery piece he had been fascinated. He has studied at Karatsu and also MIno. And while, he has studied in tea ceremony. His repertoires are goods for tea ceremony, sake cup, and tableware for Japanese cuisine. This piece is a brand new work created with madara-karatsu glaze as small bowl. It is also suitable for western cuis...

Dohei Fujinoki is one of the most popular artist in contemporary KARATSU pottery scene. Initially he aimed a western painter and then,when he met an old KARATSU pottery piece he had been fascinated. He has studied at Karatsu and also MIno. And while, he has studied in tea ceremony. His repertoires are goods for tea ceremony, sake cup, and tableware for Japanese cuisine. This piece is a brand new work created with madara-karatsu glaze changed in the kiln as sake cup. His sake cup is ve...

Mint Oni-Hagi masterpiece chawan with notched foot by star potter Seigan Yamane. This extraordinary tea bowl is covered by wonderful different shades of white and light green glaze. In my opinion it is the one of the most aesthetic chawans that he made. The seal of the artist is stamped on the bottom.

Seigan Yamane was born in 1952, and started making Hagi ware in 1987. And then, he started his own pottery in 1992 and has ever been awarded a lot of prizes for his great work.

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Mukoyama Fumiya enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Zogan Yusai Fusha-mon Tsubo (Color Inlayed Wind Mill Pattern Tsubo). It is 25 cm (10 inches) diameter, 22 cm (8-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Mukoyama Fumiya was born in Tokyo in 1960, graduating the Kyoto Ceramic Research institute before apprenticing in Hagi under 15th generation Sakakura Shinbei in 1984. He spent time in Shiga before settling in Mashiko in 1990, establishing his own kiln in 1993. The followi...

A signature work by Kiyomizu Rokubei VI enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Golden light shines through the silhouette of iron colored trees on the tapering cylinder. It was a design technique developed by this generation. The original rosewood stand is included. The vase is 31 cm (12 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
The Kiyomizu family potters managed one of the most productive workshops in Kyoto’s Gojozaka district throughout the second half of the Edo period. From ...

A wonderful tea bowl by Wakao Kei enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Seij Chawan. A darkly crackled rich blue-gray with lavender color Yohen kiln effects. Up from the base drive five fingers of dark gray clay, the blanks left by the artists fingers when he dipped the bowl in glaze. This adds a strong sense of connection between the artist and user.
Size, D 12.4 cm H 9.4 cm
Condition, Excellent
Wakao Kei was born in Gifu in 1967 ,the first son of the ...

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. Working with rope p...

A profusion of color descends the granulated surface of the melted form by Maruta Munehiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Chosen Karatsu Tsubo. The grandiose embellishment of color creates a sublime sense of tension between the dark glazed and color infusion. The shape is hammered and beaten by the flame from the extreme heat . Although very much in the Chosen Karatsu tradition, the execution is unequivocally contemporary.
Size, D 24.1 cm H 19.6 cm
Condit...

An iconic work in pale white by Living National Treasure Tsukamoto Kaiji enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Hakuji Karakusa Hachi (white porcelain bowl with Chinese Grass Design). The execution is breathtaking, so perfectly formed it demonstrates clearly the talent for which he was named a Living National Treasure. It is 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.
Tsukamoto Kaiji (1912-1990) was fascinated with Song period Hakuji and Se...

Red drips slide down the dark Tenmoku glaze on this small Tsutsu-chawan tea bowl by Living National Treasure Ishiguro Munemaro enclosed in a wooden box signed by his student and future Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi titled Ishiguro Munemaro Saku Tenmoku-yu Samon Chawan. It is 10 cm (4 inches) diameter, 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition. Ishiguro Munemaro (1893-1968) was born into a wealthy family in Toyama, and spent his childhood surrounded by precious Chinese cerami...

Simple arcs of bent-grass in iron decorate this large bowl by living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tetsu-e Chawan. It is 14.8 cm (6 inches) diameter, 8 cm (3 inches) tall and in excellent condition. It comes with a clipping from a newspaper announcing the naming of Uichi as Living National Treasure in 1985.
Shimizu Uichi (1926-2004) was born in Kyoto the son of a ceramic dealer. Discarding the family business he apprenticed in plastic ...

Thick white vitrifies over bottomless black, creating a stark sense of drama on this outstaniding work by world renowned potter Udagawa Hosei enclosed in the original signed wooden box complete with an exhibition pamphlet from Isetan Department Store advertising a similar work .
. The white glaze crawls and plays over the slightly blue tinged glaze, which covers the rough Hagi clay. The raw red clay is visible beneath where the glaze has crawled away to allow a peek inside. A simply stu...

A highly original work by Iga potter Nakata Atsushi. The description on the box reads “Mentori Chawan” in this case “men” meaning side, or edge, and “tori” meaning to shear off, or to remove. The name describes how various surfaces of the tea bowl have been shaved off at angles to create this compelling form. As can be seen in the images above, the shaved edges are highlighted by alternating dark and light surfaces with different glazing techniques.

Born in Toyama Prefec...

A spectacular large Chawan tea bowl by Udagawa Hosei enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled understatedly Hagi Chawan. The title is the only thing simple about this complex combination of contemporary clay, glaze, tradition, form, function, past and future. The white glazing has altered to soft blue and pink in the firing process, creating a feeling of opulence over the organic vessel. The kiln color change effect (yohen) is temperature dependent and also has to occur during just the ...