Catalog (431)

This elegant work of Karatsu pottery has an unglazed foot, showing the rich ferrous clay, and displays a beautiful ashen glaze with hues of blue, grey, green, and a dark glossy ring encircling the top.

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. ...

With short neck and ovoid body, this beautiful Japanese copper ‘do-chu' vase is marked 'Hisayoshi' on the side. The brilliant rich color of this type of ware is achieved by adding smoked straw during firing and often deepens over time. This stained metal canvas makes the perfect backdrop for the decorative cherry blossoms and single dazzling chrysanthemum depicted in fine detail on the front of the vase.

Produced in Hiroshima by Ito Hisayoshi, this type of do-chu (metal craft—li...

Light brown clay underlying rich earthy tones, this Irabo chawan has an attractive shape and slender textured pedestal. Rough yet elegant, it feels comfortable in the hand.

Introduced to Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries from the Korean Joseon dynasty (1392-1897), Irabo bowls are admired largely for their use in tea ceremony. Made of coarse, unrefined clay with a high content of iron oxide, such bowls display remarkable contrast and depth. The clay which forms the bowls will someti...

Attractive design, refined form, sensational glazing—this yuteki chawan by Morikazu Kimura would make a fine addition to any collection of Japanese contemporary ceramics.

Born in Kyoto in 1921, Morikazu Kimura took up the family tradition of potting from a very young age and spent much of his time researching and perfecting the Tenmoku style. In 1947 at the age of 26 he set up his own kiln in the exclusive potting district of Gojo-zaka and achieved much success. Later, in 1976, h...

A beautifully formed bowl in the typical Gohon style, produced in Korea for the Japanese market during the 17th century. The light-grey ash glaze makes a tasteful backdrop for the pinkish speckles decorating the surface. These patterns are formed through a reaction of the iron in the clay and the ash glaze and are very typical of this type of pottery. One edge of the bowl is furnished with a dimple, making it comfortable in the hand while the gold repairs give it an added beauty and depth.

A wonderful translucent blue celadon dish decorated with a low-relief floral motif. This piece was made by one of the few great female Japanese potters of the 20th 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 forward, he divided his time mainly...

The Choraku line of potters began when a student of Kichizaemon XI (Keinyu) and Kichizaemon XII (Konyu) opened an independent kiln in Kyoto in 1904. The line was officially given the name Choraku in 1906 by Choyuken, the head of a very influential tea ceremony association. Red Raku chawan are a favorite of tea enthusiasts and seem to have a face for every mood. In the right light they may appear like an amber sunset on the horizon. In another light, like lanterns moving through a misty field. Ak...

This experimental work by young artist Hiramatsu Ryoma demonstrates his creative imagination and challenges the traditional boundaries of what defines a tea bowl. Described on the box as a “Kiretsu-mon” (ki = turtle, retsu = cracked, mon = design/ crest), according to Hiramatsu, his inspiration for this piece, and a number of others came from an ancient form of sea life known as an Ammonite—a large spiraled mollusk who’s shells are often found fossilized today. The inside of the bowl is ...

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 few small portions of the foot of the tea bowl exposed, displaying the somewhat 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...

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 milky translucent glaze somewhat resembling coral, with a few small portions 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. Hag...

A wonderful translucent blue celadon vase done in the classic style of Song Dynasty 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 forwa...

Intricately carved clay adorned with a complex and multi-layer Oribe glaze, this piece is one of the best I have encountered by this talented and multifaceted artist. Though Oribe dates back to the 15th century, Tsukamoto has managed to keep it fresh and engaging for his many fans.

A native of the city of Toki in Gifu Prefecture, from 1977 he studied under Harukiyo Nonaka and was trained in the techniques of Shino ware. A year later he graduated from Aichi Prefectural Se...

Written on the box in Japanese script are the words “Awai Sakura Yu” translating to English as “Pale Cherry Blossom Glaze”—amply describing the appearance of this unique and frankly stunning work of Kutani pottery by artist Nakata Kazuo. Reminiscent of pieces by well-known artist Ōno Hakuko, there are striated lines of silver leaf running vertical below the surface of the glaze, interrupted in places, allowing the eye to wander across the entire surface. Soft and inviting,...

With a slender balanced foot firmly grounded, the skillful lacquer repairs on this bowl highlight the age and importance of this work which likely dates from the Edo period. 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 history of the object and are thus celebrated as such. Practitioners of tea in particular are fond of reminding us that works repaired in this way become more resilient and more be...

Oribe is a visual style named after the late-16th-century tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). Kuro Oribe (as pictured here) with their jet-black glazes and feldspar ornamentation tend toward the minimalistic, abstract; and, some would say, Zen-like aesthetic.

Typical of Mino pieces of the time, this Oribe chawan is made of coarse, unrefined clay and covered in a dark iron-glaze which turns a lustrous black color when removed from the kiln (still glowing red) and allowed to cool sl...

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 the bodies of these works and light-colored windows are created using feldspar. These high-contrast areas then acts as a canvas upon which abstract, minimalistic, and often naturalistic themes are painted.

Typical of Mino pieces of the time, this Oribe chawan is made of coarse, unrefined clay. The brilliant green color is the result of copper...

A pottery tradition that harkens from the Mino region of Japan, Shino-yaki dates from the Azuchi Momoyama period. It came into fashion when first commissioned by renowned Muromachi cha-jin (tea masters) Shino Soushin. This is thought to be the first type of pottery in Japan to feature drawn paintings on the ceramic surface.

This attractive e-Shino bowl (“e” meaning picture) bears an abstract motif on a background of white feldspar. The exquisite shape, glaze, and painting of the...

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...