Catalog (431)

A very interesting chawan (tea bowl) dating from the Korean Joseon period (Richo in Japanese; 1392-1897). This particular piece appears to date from the 16th/ 17th century and comes with a very old box which appears to have been furnished sometime in Edo. The light creamy crackled glaze is smooth in the hand and fine hairline fractures radiate along the sides of the bowl contrasting nicely with the gold repairs. Such pieces have long been favored by learned cha-jin (tea people) and are quite pri...

Rough stones can be seen protruding from the unrefined ferrous clay—darkening near the base and graduating to a lighter shade as it approaches the feldspar laden lip. The inside—also covered in a smooth and viscous feldspar glaze—creates a magnificent contrast with the rough exterior. This piece represents one of Handeishi’s finer works from his later period; and, taken on its own merits, is an exceptionally fine example of Iga-ware—traditionally produced in the famed potting region so...

The lower half of a blackened enso dips from the rim on a backdrop of gray crackled glazing interspersed with auburn highlights. Rising up from below into the enso, frothy waves crash on rocks giving the impression of movement, power, and the indomitable forces of nature.

Born in Gifu Prefecture in the region known for Mino pottery, Wakao is the quintessential example of a self-taught potter who cultivated a unique style and achieved wide recognition despite no formal training. Afte...

Considered an auspicious symbols of wealth, status, and good fortune, foo dogs—commonly referred to as shishi or komainu in Japan—are often seen in pairs guarding shrines, straddling the doorways of shops, and protecting public buildings. The yellow Seto-ware shishi featured here is an antique from the Momoyama period that displays a soft patina developed over many decades of use.

Seto-ware is a pottery tradition established in the 12th century with the aim of reproducing fine ...

This playful image of a Japanese raccoon dog (tanuki) enjoying a flask of saké was done by one of the most renowned and loved waka poets of the 19th century, Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875).

Born into a Samurai family but soon after adopted by the Ōtagaki family, from the age of seven to sixteen Rengetsu was a lady in waiting at Kameoka castle where she was trained in the arts and courtly graces. Due to her rumored great beauty, she soon married but after the death of her hu...

A beautiful Hagi-yaki chawan done by well-known artist Kaneda Keien (1949-). Keien is an 8th generation potter who has been producing works for over 40 years and is the winner of several awards for excellence. A distinctive feature of his works is that they utilize an iron-rich soil collected on the island of Mishima in the Sea of Japan. Pieces made using this soil tend to display a soft cherry petal hue which gives these bowls an excellent “keshiki” or what might be referred to as a “cera...

This Hirado-yaki brush-rest—fashioned for the scholars desk of a bygone era—features meticulously sculpted plum blossoms set in a porcelain reproduction of a knotted plum branch. Hirado wares—alternately known as Mikawachi wares in some contexts—are known throughout Japan and also abroad for their high quality and fine craftsmanship and date back at least as far as the mid-18th century when they were produced exclusively for powerful lords and their families. In the 19th century, Hirado ...

Over 100 years old, this exquisite lacquered box set was crafted in the fourth year of Taisho (1915). On the underside of the lid are painted butterflies and the sides and top of the box set feature Chrysanthemum flowers in gold, sumi, and mother-of-pearl. Long considered an auspicious symbol of longevity and rejuvenation in Japan, when first introduced to the island nation during the Nara period (710 – 793 AC), the Japanese Royal Family was fascinated with the Chrysanthemum. Over time, it bec...

This finely crafted Japanese yakkan (copper teapot) shows the kind of beautiful patina that can only be achieved with time and careful used and looks to date from the Meiji period of the late 1800s.

The brilliant rich auburn color of this type of metalwork is achieved by adding smoked straw during the firing process and often deepens in character over time. The resulting stained metal canvas makes the perfect backdrop for the decorative autumn grasses, flowers, maple trees, and drif...

Oribe is a visual style named after the late-16th-century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). Typically, black or green glazes are applied to asymmetrical clay bodies and light-colored windows are created using feldspar. These high-contrast areas then act as a canvases upon which abstract, minimalistic, and often naturalistic themes are painted.

Unmistakably modern, this unique water jug used for tea ceremony (mizusashi) pushes the bounds of traditional Oribe into new territory by...

This brilliant Tenmoku chawan displays gold and flaxen hues interspersed with dark ash glaze. The piece rests upon an unglazed clay pedestal showing the iron-rich clay the bowl is formed from.

Shodai-ware has a long and storied history stretching back as far as the Nara (710 - 794) and Heian (794 - 1192 ) periods. Pieces made in this pottery tradition have a very distinctive look that comes from the iron-rich clay of Kumamoto and the distinctive ash glazes that are used that give t...

This peach-shaped kogo (incense box) is made of fine kinuta celadon from one of the great masters of the Meiji era—Suwa Sozan. A classic design, the peach is said to represent long-life for mortals and immortality for the gods in asian folklore. According to legend, the moon goddess—a powerful alchemist—can make an elixir from peaches that grow in the garden of the western paradise with miraculous revitalizing properties.

Suwa Sozan the first (1852—1922) was born in an area...

Looking something akin to dragon skin with gilded beads glistening between the scales, this recent creation by young artist Hiramatsu Ryoma demonstrates his creative imagination and challenges the traditional boundaries of what defines a tea bowl. Described as a “Kiretsu-mon” (ki = turtle, retsu = cracked, mon = design/ crest), according to Hiramatsu, his inspiration for this piece came from an ancient form of sea life known as an Ammonite—a large spiraled mollusk who’s shells are often ...

Reminiscent of the wildly popular avant-garde works of Suzuki Goro, this striking modern interpretation of the classic tokkuri (sake flask) was done by budding artist Ikeda Shogo.

Born in 1976 in the southern port city of Kagoshima on the island of Kyushu, from a young age Ikeda would have been exposed to a great variety of ceramic-wares from the numerous historical kilns native to the region including Satsuma, Arita, Imari, and Karatsu. Equally influential were ceramics from neighb...

Like many pottery traditions in Japan, Karatsu takes its name from the city where it originated. As early as the 15th century, Korean potters heavily influenced the development of this form—helping to endow it with the earthy, simple, and natural qualities it is so appreciated for. This small dish fashioned from coarse clay and covered in a silky ash glaze. Slightly oblong with one edge gracefully arching upwards, both sides of the dish have been traditionally repaired using lacquer and gold. ...

The image of the brush-drawn circle, known most commonly as the “enso” of Japanese Buddhism, has long been a symbol of strength, elegance, and the simultaneous being and nonbeing (mu) of the universe. A closed enso is associated with the idea of perfection while an open enso represents movement, fluidity, and attainment in the corporeal world. In this composition by veteran Mino potter Takuzo Mizuno, we can see an open enso done in thick feldsparic glaze on a classic background of nezumi Shi...

Graceful, sensitive, and with a distinctively feminine aura—this subtle work of ceramic art has an air of quiet days spent in the garden or of spending an afternoon brightening up an interior space. Using a technique known as 灰釉 (kai-yu) Terai uses the natural ash of various hardwoods to achieve a subtle textured matte glow which is unique to each piece.

Yoko Terai (b. 1972) graduated from the Kyoto University of Art and later studied under Nobuo Nojima who—upon recognizing...

One of the more innovative and international minded ceramicists on the Japanese pottery scene, Ryoji Koie’s interests and expertise are barely confined by this genre—as he often integrates non-traditional methods and materials. Born in the town of Tokonmae in 1938, from a young age he studied potting—a staple of the local economy—and later went on to do independent research, open his own kiln, travel widely participating in international conferences and workshops, and finally to become a...