Tatsuzo Shimaoka (1919-2007) Square Bottle Vase with iconic Aka-e Designs

With tall rectangular sides, decorated with impressed rope patterns inlaid in slip and with Aka-e designs.
It is rare to see Shimaoka bottle with such design which he mainly applied for tea ware.

Tatsuzo Shimaoka was a Japanese mingei potter who studied under Shōji Hamada and later became the second Living National Treasure of Mashiko, Japan.
He was best known for his unique Jōmon zogan ...

Blue, yellow, white, red and gold decorated the green "reptilian skin" Oribe glazed body of this Contemporary sake set by Ujiie Kodai , enclosed in their original signed wooden boxes, dating to 2022.This is a handful, great tactile qualities and entrancing to look at.
Size, Tokkuri D 11.4 cm H 21.1 cm
Size, Guinomi D 8.1 cm H 7.1 cm
Condition, Excellent
Ujiie Kodai, a rising star in the word of pottery, was born in Sendai in 1990...

Delicate pink and blue fan-shapes like the scales on some iridescent tropical fish or feathers on an exotic bird rise in an overlapping pattern to form this open flower receptacle by Kusaba Yuji enclosed in the original signed wooden box. Neriage is well known in Northern Japan thanks to living National Teasure Matsui Kosei who worked in colored clay, however it is unheard of in Southern Japan, and in this case, made of colored porcelain...

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...

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...

This odd squat bottle, with the sake cup resting on top, reminds me of images of the itinerant Buddhist Monk Taneda Santoka who wandered Japan in the pre-war era, his black robes flowing down around his bundled form, fueled by drink and composing poems. Here he is found, bamboo Kasa hat pulled down over his eyes, dozing off along the trailside. This Tokkuri and Guinomi are by Murakoshi Takuma, a cherubic poet in clay also fueled by his love for wine and given to wandering...

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...

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)...

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...

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 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 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...

Perhaps because of its proximity (or lack thereof) to central Japan, the beautiful lacquer wares of Akita may be lesser known than other regions. Here is an exquisite sake cup and katakuchi serer of turned wood covered in multiple layers of soft, black lacquer by Sato Fumiyuki of the Kawatsura lacquer tradition. A belt of gilded binding wrapping the body is the only decoration...

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...

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. He has been widely exhibited both domestically and abroad and like his mentor Kozo was named a Living National Treasure in 2010, a tribute to a ...

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. He would have been influenced early on by his father, Yamada Kenkichi and uncle living National Treasure Yamada J...

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 . He first exhibited at the Asahi Ceramics Exhibition in 1997, and was award...

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. He stayed working with Yoshimichi for 16 years, before establishing his own kiln in 1989, and moving...