One of a kind !!! Shigaraki Tsubo by Koyama Kiyoko

No words to describe this incredible large vase by Koyama Kiyoko,signed on the base and enclosed in the original signed and stamped wooden box.

Kiyoko b.1936 started as a painter who drew designs on pottery. Today, she is considered one of the leading Shigaraki potters both nationally and internationally. Kiyoko was the subject of the feature film Days of Fire (Hibi) - please watch a video on the homepage of Momoyama Gallery - and is the pioneering female wood firing artist in Japan, the potter’s dramatic life and the trajectory of her artistic career.

Kiyoko has a list of shows and prizes too lengthy to go through,but the highlights are, Nihon Dento Kogei Ten (Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition), Nihon Togei Ten (Japanese Ceramic Exhibition),as well as being prized at the Asahi Togei Ten (Asahi Ceramics Exhibition),and many international exhibitions.

In her own words - Kiyoko Koyama

'I dig my clay out of the mountains of Shigaraki and dry the raw clay in the open air for quite a few day. Then I remove the many stones in the clay. knead it , and leave it to mature for a number of years. Although I like to maintain a flavour of Kamakura and Muromachi-period pottery, my forms are always new and original. Firing is carried out in the traditional way, leaving the pieces in the Kiln for about two weeks. For fuel I use large quantities of various woods including pine ,chestnut and oak. I do not add a single drop of glaze. The pots are fired until the last possible moment when they are about to crumble in the heat; this long confrontation with the flames is a battle of strength and willpower.'

( From ’My Natural Glazes ’by Kiyoko Koyama 1. Reference:’ I Love Pottery ’ Kiyoko Koyama ,Kokoku to Bunka(The Lake Country and its Culture)vol.40(1987). Natural glaze :the natural effects of wood-ash settling on the pots during firing )

Material Pottery, Width 11.1( the rim ) x 21.2cm, Height 24.6cm, Condition used no chips or cracks, Weight 2900gr

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