Catalog (431)

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....

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...

Being based in Kyoto we occasionally come across fine Chinese and Korean tea-ware to mix in with our Japanese offerings. Here we have an example of a ceremonial tea bowl by a Korean potter Ji Sun Tak who dedicated his life to reviving ancient techniques of the past by excavating and documentation of a number of historic kiln sites on the Korean Peninsula. Surprisingly light in the hand this piece has a look refined through the centuries, the work of a master artist and winner of one of Koreas hi...

This magnificent Shino-yaki chawan, done in a rediscovered Momoyama period style, came from the kilns of one of Japan’s most celebrated and talented potters.

Arakawa Toyozo (1894 - 1985), designated in 1955 as one of but a handful of National Living Treasures, is best known for rediscovering lost techniques of pottery from the Momoyama and early Edo periods. In 1930 he discovered shards at the site of the ruins of an ogama style kiln at Mutabora proving that that Shino and Oribe g...

This large, finely crafted tsutsu chawan was done by renowned Meiji/ Taisho ceramic artist Suwa Sozan I.

Suwa Sozan (1852—1922) was born in an area of what is known today as Ishikawa prefecture. After a short stint in the military he took up pottery design and painting under Touda Tokuji in 1873. From this point forward, he divided his time mainly between Kanazawa and Tokyo working at a number of kilns and research institutes. While in Tokyo, he made the acquaintance of famed cons...

Signifying strength and resilience, bamboo—together with pine and plum (sho chiku bai)—is an auspicious symbols running through the heart of Japanese art and culture. The young bamboo depicted here—sprouting from a patch of rocks—were composed by one of the most renowned and loved waka poets of the 19th century, Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875).

Rengetsu was born into a Samurai family but was soon after adopted by the Ōtagaki family. From the age of seven to sixteen s...

This lovely Ido-gata shaped chawan has very nice asymmetrical balance highlighted by extensive and skillfully applied kintsugi gold repairs. The inside bottom of the bowl is covered in a green glaze resembling a carpet of fine moss which stands out nicely agains the backdrop of the ashen-colored crackled glazing of the walls of the bowl.

Stemming from the philosophy of wabi-sabi or, beauty in the imperfect, cracks and repairs in a work of pottery are often seen as highlighting the h...

A lovely Shino tea bowl fashioned from coarse Mino clay and covered in a crackled feldspar glazing. The front of the bowl is decorated with paintings of abstract foliage—possibly the lilting leaves of a willow tree—and the base of the bowl is unglazed, displaying rough clay. The paintings, which are applied using a ferrous glaze, along with the han-zutsu shape (half cylinder) are very typical of this type of Shino-ware. This particular piece appears to date from early to mid-Edo, has an inte...

This lovely Shino tea bowl fashioned from coarse Mino clay and covered in a crackled feldspar glazing shows nice age and comes with what appears to be its original box.

Shino-ware dates to the Momoyama period when potters were attempting to recreate white porcelain-wares that were being imported from China at the time. Originally they were made in a single-chamber anagama style kilns set into the hillsides. Later, with the advent of large-batch noborigama, shino production fell out ...

Considered auspicious symbols of wealth, status, and good fortune; foo dogs—commonly referred to as shishi or koma-inu in Japan—are often seen in pairs guarding shrines, straddling the doorways of shops, and protecting public buildings. This fierce guardian appears to be made from bronze, has very detailed and skillful etching, and a wonderful patina that would place it sometime before the turn of the last century.

Guardian lions are commonly seen in pairs. The male is almost al...

One of the more innovative and international minded ceramicists on the Japanese pottery scene, Ryoji Koie’s interests and expertise cannot be confined to one narrow 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 bec...

During the Meiji period there were only five potters ever to be awarded the prestigious designation of Imperial Court Artist: Ito Tozan, Seifu Yohei III, Miyagawa Kozan, Itaya Hazan, and the artist whose work is featured here, Suwa Sozan. This mizusashi for tea ceremony is made of the finest “kinuta” celadon that Sozan was well known for—having recreated and perfected the technique used by the Chinese Song Dynasty potters. Being one of the main objects of importance in the tea ceremony rit...

This impressive Shino summer tea bowl was crafted using red clay from the hills near Izumo Taisha (one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan). The creator of this work, Ajiki Hiro, gains his inspiration not only from classic Japanese potters, but also from forms he encountered on his travels abroad and from Western artists such as Picasso—who he admired greatly for his free style of expression and vibrant use of color.

Born in 1948, Ajiki is rather unique among...

This remarkable tea bowl is from the kilns of Yoshida Shuen (1940-1987)—an apprentice of Miwa Kyusetsu (1910-2012) who was awarded the status of Living National Treasure in 1983. It features a warm crackled glazing with a portion of the foot of the tea bowl exposed, displaying the reddish coarse clay that this piece is fashioned from.

Hagi-yaki has a tradition stretching back over 400 years and is a high-fired stoneware type of pottery. Hagi-ware is prized for its subdued colors a...

An excellent example of Japanese minimalist aesthetic that transcends its humble origins, this mizusashi, or fresh water pot used in tea ceremony, displays a classic Hagi glaze contrasting nicely with a lacquered wood cover. It separates itself from most pieces of this type by the addition of a pouring spout, which is quite unusual for this type of tea-ware implement.

Hagi-yaki has a tradition stretching back over 400 years and is a high-fired stoneware type of pottery. Hagi is priz...

A wonderful translucent blue celadon Tobi vase done in the classic style of Longquan Chinese pottery. This piece was made by one of the few great female Japanese potters of the previous century—Suwa Sozan II, daughter of Meiji Imperial Court Artist Sozan I.

Suwa Sozan I (1852—1922) was born in an area of what is known today as Ishikawa prefecture. After a short stint in the military he took up pottery design and painting under Touda Tokuji in 1873. From this point for...

This exceptionally well-formed tea bowl displays highlights of flaxen and scarlet visible through a classic black glaze. Raku tea bowls such as this are made by hand, without the use of a potter's wheel. In the process of shaping the bowls, potters handle the tea bowls in much the same manner that users will hold them as they drink from them. In this manner, a connection is formed between the creator of the tea bowl and the participants in the tea ceremony. For this and other reasons, Raku bowls...

This lovely Shino tea bowl from the Edo period is fashioned from coarse Mino clay and is covered in feldspar glazing. As with many pieces of this period and style, it has classic abstract painting across the sides created using ferrous pigment—contrasting nicely with the ivory background. Not only does this piece have a lovely wabi feel to it bestowed by age; it also has several exquisite gold repairs that contrast nicely with the soft patina and the crackled glazing.

Shino-ware d...