Hamada Shoji is modern Japan’s most renowned potter. After studying painting and ceramics and traveling abroad, he settled in the town of Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, where he lived and worked for over fifty years. As the foremost proponent of the folk art movement, he embodied its values and believed that pots should be functional, utilitarian and traditional. Mashiko potters did not pursue artistry apart from everyday life, but tried instead to create practical beauty as a part of the items crafted to be used in daily living. Folk-craft products or “mingei,” of which this pitcher is representative, are objects used by common people. These commonplace, functional artifacts are endowed with a beauty directly connected with their utility – a beauty that is simple, humble and unassuming.

CONDITION is excellent, with only a small firing glaze crack on the foot.

DIMENSIONS: 7 ¼” (18.5 cm) high, 4 ½” (11.5 cm) diameter.