270. MATSUMOTO Haruyuki, 1983- , porcelain bowl with kiln effects

270. MATSUMOTO Haruyuki 松本治幸, 1983- , Hakuji yōhen wan 白磁窯変碗  (porcelain bowl with kiln effects)

 

Matsumoto was born in Tottori in 1983 and now lives in Shiga Prefecture. He graduated from the design course of the Seoul National University of Science and Technology in 2006 and received an MA from Kyoto Seika University in 2010  His works are made of white or black porcelain, which he produces himself by mixing iron into white porcelain.  The walls of many of his pieces are, like this one, so thin that they are translucent.  Matsumoto values the way his delicate pieces feel when held and revels in the uncertainty of firing a thin piece‒in the heat, the thin walls may move or warp, adding to the character of the piece. For other examples of his work, see his Instagram account @haruyukima. 

Weight: 100g (3.6 oz). White porcelain clay. Fired unglazed with ash deposits in black and gray, and hi-iro effects in shades of red. The white porcelain clay is visible on much of the surface. Weight: 100 g (3.6 oz). Height: 8.7 cm (3-1/2 in). Width: rim, 10.3 cm (4-1/8 in); base, 3.5 cm 1-3/8 in). 

The base is a flat disk, a perfect circle about 0.5 cm (3/16 in) high. A small paper label, with the artist’s full name written on it, is attached to the center of the base. The body of  the bowl is shaped much like the bowl of many red wine glasses. Any given cross-section is a rough circle. The walls rise in a convex arc to the rim. The gradient is much steeper toward the bottom. The maximum width of 10.7 cm (4-1/4 in) is roughly 3.8 cm (1-1/2 in) above the base; from there the walls slope slowly inward to the rim. The interior follows the shape of the exterior. The surface of this is rough in the areas of the ash deposits and smooth elsewhere. 

The outstanding physical feature of this piece is the thinness of the walls. At the rim, the walls are barely a millimeter thick (somewhat less than a sixteenth of an inch). Nearer the base, the walls appear to be a bit thicker, but nowhere near as substantial as the walls of most teabowls. Comparison of the weight of this bowl with item 269 reveals how much lighter this piece is than similar items. 

This was fired unglazed, and all surface colors and effects result from kiln effects. The front of the bowl (arbitrarily the side with the most kiln effects) received a heavy blasting of ash, as did much of the interior, which left them either covered with deposits of gray and black ash or colored gray. The margins of these areas, especially on the exterior, were colored pink and vermillion (hi-iro). The back side and the base, as well as large spot on the interior, were unaffected by kiln effects or only lightly spotted by fly ash. In these areas, the white porcelain clay appears. 

Robert Mangold, the owner of the Kura Monzen Gallery, characterized the piece as “terrifyingly delicate,”  which it is. 

This came in a wooden box, inscribed by the artist on the lid, in two lines: 白磁窯変碗 / 治 hakuji yōhen wan / Haru  (porcelain bowl with kiln effects / Haru). The final character is inscribed over the artist’s seal stamped in red. Included in the box are an orange wrapping cloth and a short printed biography. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery, Kyoto, Japan, in January 2025 (invoice, shipping and customs documents, jointly with item 269).

 

269. KIMURA Moriyasu , 1935- , Teabowl with Tenmoku glaze

 269. KIMURA Moriyasu 木村盛康, 1935- , Tenmokuyū chawan 天目釉茶盌  (Teabowl with Tenmoku glaze)

 

Kimura was born into the Kimura family of potters in Kyoto, the youngest of four children. After learning the basics of ceramics at the Kyoto Municipal Industrial High School, he studied under his eldest brother, Morikazu (1921-2015), and learned decorating techniques from his father, Shigeji (1895-1971) . Soon after graduating high school, he saw the National Treasure “yuteki 油滴 (oilspot)  tenmoku teabowl” (see below) in the Atake collection of the Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka and decided to devote himself to Tenmoku glazes, for which he is now famous. 

In 1959, at the age of 24, Moriyasu gained national attention when he was selected as a participant in the Modern Ceramics of Japan exhibition at the National Museum of Art. In the 1960s he began exhibiting at the Nihon Dentō Kōgeiten (National Traditional Crafts Exhibition). His works are held in several important public collections, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas and Houston museums, Peabody Essex Museum, National Palace Museum in Taiwan, and the collection of the Ise Shrine. In 2019-2020, his works were featured in the Iridescent Sparkles of Tenmoku – Works by Kimura Moriyasu exhibition at the Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka. 

Light tan clay. “Oilspot Tenmoku” glaze; oilspots black; area between oilspots, ranging from cream through coral to a dark chocolate colors; foot ring and surrounding area unglazed. Weight: 325 g (11.6 oz). Height: 7.5 cm (3 in). Widths: rim (the widest point), 12 cm (4-3/4 in); of foot ring, 3.3 cm (1-1/4in). 

This sits on the base of the foot ring, which is quite bumpy and irregular and roughly a centimeter wide (3/8 in). On the outside the foot ring measures about one centimeter high; the interior of the ring, which is 3.3 cm (1-1/4 in) in diameter, was only slightly hollowed out. In the unglazed area of the wall beside the foot ring, the artist impressed a rectangular seal into the clay, leaving the seal character version of his given name stamped into the clay (see the third photo from the end). The body of the bowl is a rough circle in cross-section. Above the foot ring, the walls proper extend outward and upward in a very shallow convex arc to a height of around 3.3 cm (1-1/4 in). At this point, the bowl is about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. Above this the walls extend upward vertically. There is a shallow horizontal groove extending around the bowl about halfway up. Above the groove the walls move outward gradually to the rim, the widest point of the piece. As can be seen in the unglazed portion, the clay body is rather pitted. The surface of the glazed portion is bumpy from the indentations of the oilspots but otherwise smooth to the touch. 

The Tenmoku glaze combines feldspar, limestone, and iron oxide.  The more quickly a piece is cooled, the blacker the glaze becomes. A long firing process and a clay body heavily colored with iron increase the opportunity for iron from the clay to be drawn into the glaze. While the glaze is molten, iron can migrate within the glaze to form surface crystals, as in the “oilspot” glaze, or remain in solution deeper within the glaze for a rich glossy color. Oilspots are more common in an oxidation firing. A longer cooling time allows for maximum surface crystals. For more on this glaze, see Wikipedia, s.v. “Tenmoku.” 

Covered with a Tenmoku glaze except for the foot ring and the area surrounding it.  The surface is densely covered with black “oilspots.” These form circular dimples within the glaze (see the fourth photo). The center of each oilspot reflects light, making the surface appear spotted with glowing dots. The glaze between the oilspots is raised, forming elevated rivulets variously colored cream, coral, and shades of brown. 

This came in a wooden box inscribed by the artist on the topside of the lid in two lines: 天目釉 / 茶盌 tenmokuyū / chawan (Tenmoku glaze / teabowl); the underside of the lid is inscribed 盛康作  Moriyasu saku (made by Moriyasu). The third character is written over the artist’s seal in red ink. showing his given name in seal script.  The same seal was stamped in red on a blue wrapping cloth included in the box. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery, Kyoto, Japan, in January 2025 (invoice, shipping and customs documents, jointly with item 270)

268. KUMAKURA Junkichi ,1920-1985, Irabo tsubo (pot with Irabo glaze)

 268.  KUMAKURA Junkichi 熊倉順吉, 1920-1985, Irabo tsubo  伊羅保壺  (pot with Irabo glaze)

Kumakura was a major figure in the world of Japanese sculptural ceramics. He was born in 1920 in Kyoto and graduated in 1942 from the Kyoto Institute of Technology as a design major. From 1946 to 1947, Kumakura was an assistant to Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963) at the Shōsai Tōen kiln, where he was greatly influenced by Tomimoto’s techniques and his concept of the role of ceramist-artist. Throughout his career, Kumakura was attracted to and inspired by the improvisational character of jazz and its then-marginalized position in the world of music. Equally unusually for the period, much of his work is boldly and explicitly focused on sexuality and eroticism.  

He was awarded the first Japan Ceramic Society Prize in 1954 and soon thereafter he was invited to submit works to innumerable national and international exhibitions including the Brussels World Exposition in 1958, where he took the grand prize, and the International Ceramics Exhibition in Prague in 1962, where he took the silver prize. In 1989 a major retrospective exhibition, Kumakura Junkichi: Organs That Provoke, was held at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Japanese National Museum of Modern Art and the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. 

In the late 1940s, Kumakura became a core member of the avant-garde Sōdeisha 走泥社 (Crawling Through Mud Association; for more on this group of ceramicists, see the Wikipedia article, s.v. Sodeisha). Core to his practice were the aesthetic tenets of Sōdeisha that sought to elevate the status of the nonfunctional clay object. The beginnings of this philosophical exploration are manifested in his frequent use of two-dimensional geometric compositions on the flat surfaces of his functional wares. Early in his career, he used molds, a practice learned from Hamada Shōji and the folk arts movement. Later, his work became boldly sculptural. Kumakura was a pioneer of sculptural and avant-garde ceramics, which became a formal category in Japanese ceramics during the mid-twentieth century. His interest in sculptural, figurative, and organic forms bled into his functional wares, with their geometric and abstract shapes. 

White clay. Irabo glaze in muddy yellow and brown shades on all sides; bottom left unglazed. Weight: 840 g (1.9 lb). Height: 18.3 cm (7-1/4 in). Diameter of mouth: 2.5 cm (1 in). Dimensions of base: 20 x 11.7 cm (7-7/8 x 4-5/8 in). 

This is classed as an ichirin-sashi  一輪挿 , a vase for one flower. The piece rests on the flat margins of the base. The base is an oblong with pointed ends, slightly concave in the middle. Next to one of the pointed ends, Kumakura stamped a small square version of his seal, consisting of the first character of his given name, 順 jun. The edges of the base are slightly beveled upward. Above the base the walls form a shallow convex arc, moving upward and inward to the neck, which begins about 14.5 cm (5-3/4 in) above the base. The long neck is about 3.3 cm (1-1/4 in) wide at the bottom and slants inward slightly as it rises to the mouth, which is 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter. There are pronounced seams where the front and back are joined, beginning at the pointed ends of the base and continuing to the mouth.  The surface of the piece is bumpy. The main body of the work is quite symmetrical; the neck less so. 

The sides of this were glazed using the Irabo glaze, resulting in colors in the brownish yellow to dark brown range. Irabo is one of the traditional ash glazes of Japan. According to one source, the glaze is made by combining equal parts of wood ash and an iron-rich clay such as ochre. Other sources say it made by combining equal parts of washed wood ash and feldspar. In an oxidizing firing using the second formula, this produces a yellow-brown glaze; in a reduction firing, the colors range from olive to a deep blue-green. The base, including the beveled edges, was left unglazed. The unglazed beveled edges present as a visible line of white at the bottom of the piece. 

For Kumakura, this is a relatively staid composition. For other examples of his work, see Figs. 49-53 in Samuel J. Lurie and Beatrice L. Chang, Contemporary Japanese Ceramics: Fired with Passion (New York, 2006). 

This came in a wooden box, inscribed by Kumakura in three lines: 伊羅保  / 壺  / 熊倉順  Irabo / tsubo / Kumakura Jun  (Irabo[-glazed] / pot / Kumakura Jun), followed by the artist’s seal stamped in red (a larger version of the same seal stamped on the base of the pot). A small paper label with the handwritten number 117 is affixed to one side of the box. Included in the box was a short biography; the last year noted is 1970, which dates this piece between 1970 and 1985. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery, Kyoto, Japan, in January 2025 (invoice, shipping and customs documents)

267. MURAKOSHI Takuma, 1954- , chawan (teabowl)

267. MURAKOSHI Takuma  村越琢磨, 1954- ,  chawan  茶碗  (teabowl)

For Murakoshi, see item no. 234.

 Light gray clay from Shigaraki, with some small white stone flecks mixed into the clay. Partially glazed in light gray, brown, and black, with kiln effects: ­hi-iro colors in the red coral range on the unglazed sections and light green bidoro and white shiseki deposits. Weight: 404 g (14 oz). Height: 7.3 cm (2-7/8 in). Width: of rim (widest): 15.8 x 10.8 cm (6-1/4 x 4-3/8 in); foot ring: 6.3 x 5.8 cm (2-1/2 x 2-1/4 in). 

Like items 235 and 265, this was hand-built using flat ribbons of clay. It sits on the flat foot ring, a rough oval, with the interior hollowed out. The ring is about a centimeter (3/8 in) broad, and the hollowed-out portion is about 0.6 cm (1/4 in) deep in the middle. Any given cross-section of the piece is a rough oval, but with many dents and protrusions. The walls rise outward from the foot ring to the rim; overall the walls rise outward in a straightish line to about half the vertical distance and then flare outward slightly before rising, again in a straightish line, to the rim. This creates a ledge about halfway up the sides, a convenient place for the fingers when holding the cup. On the long sides of the cup, the walls are rolled inward somewhat. On the short ends, the walls slope outward more. The rim is beveled. Along the long front and back sides, it slopes inward toward the interior; along the ends, it slopes outward. Because of this, it would be better to drink from one of the ends rather than a side. The shape of the interior mirrors that of the exterior. The joins between the ribbons of clay are pronounced on the exterior but were flattened and smoothed on the interior. The surface of this is quite pitted, with many small bumps. Because the entire surface of the interior was glazed, its surface is smoother than that of the exterior, but it is still quite bumpy and rough. 

The artist’s sigil, a long line with a short bar at the top with two tear-drop indents near the bottom end was incised into the side of the cup. 

This was glazed first with a thin gray ash glaze covering all of the interior and the top two-three centimeters (inch) of the exterior walls. Some of this glaze dripped down on the exterior to form thicker beads. At places where this glaze is thin, the clay took on a reddish hi-iro hue, visible through the glaze. A heavy, iron-rich glaze was used on one of the long sides of the interior and both long sides of the exterior. In all these cases, this glaze was applied at the top and allowed to run down the sides to form a rough triangle of darker color. The edges of these triangles and the area at the bottom of the interior where this glaze pooled are black in color. On the interior, a drip of glaze ran along the beveled edge of the rim and then spilled down one of the short ends of the interior. Those portions of the exterior not covered by glazes exhibit hi-iro  colors in the red-coral range. The few horizontal surfaces have melted ash deposits that vitrified to form the green glass-like deposits known as bidoro. The foot ring and the area within have heavy deposits of a very glossy, thick black glazing.  The embedded stone chips show up as white spots; there are also many small, white ash deposits (shiseki) on both the interior and the exterior. A complex mixture of applied glazes and kiln effects. 

This came in a wooden box, inscribed by Murakoshi in his distinctive calligraphy, in two lines:  茶碗 / たくま chawan / takuma  (teabowl / Takuma). As is his habit, the inscription begins on the lid and continues on the front side, with the final stroke of the character 碗 extending onto the right-hand side of the box. The top is stamped in red with a seal with Murakoshi’s studio name: へうげも屋  (Hyōgemono-ya, “Jocular Fellow Studio”); interestingly he uses the kyūkanazukai, or old kana usage, to write hyō. Hyōgemono is also the name of a popular manga character. On the side of the box is another seal stamped in red, giving Takuma in characters, 琢磨. Included in the box were a brown wrapping cloth and a printed leaflet from Murakoshi. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery in Kyoto in October 2024, who received it directly from the potter in summer 2024. This was part of an exhibit entitled Shōka 昇華  (“sublime”), or Modern Masters in English, a show of fifteen currently active potters (invoice and shipping and customs documents).

 

266. FUJIMOTO Hide, 1954- , 27 Peaces

266. FUJIMOTO Hide  藤本秀,  1954- , 27 Peaces 

For Fujimoto, see item no. 250. 

This consists of twenty-seven cubes, each fired in a different part of the kiln resulting in a variety of kiln effects. Each is unique, with a different surface color and texture, yet they fit together to form a precarious cube. The twenty-seven pieces support each other in a fragile peace, contributing to a infinitely variable structure depending on the order in which they are stacked and which side faces outward—a statement on the many ways humans can meld peacefully together. (The pun pieces/peaces is intentional. Fujimoto knows that “peaces” is unidiomatic English.) 

Light gray clay. Fired unglazed. The undecorated clay is visible on a few faces. The surface effects range from red and coral hi-iro colors to ash deposits resulting in gray and black colors, with some vitrification and shiseki deposits. Combined weight: 328 g (12 oz); with an average weight of 12 g (slightly less than half an ounce). Each cube is roughly 1.8 cm (3/4 in) on a side. They collectively form a cube of about 5.5 cm (2-1/4 in) on a side. 

These are rough cubes, with less than straight sides. They do not fit together smoothly. The surface texture varies from smooth to rough. 

Fired unglazed. About half of the cubes have ash deposits and are gray to black in color. The other half show hi-iro colors in reds and corals. A few sides were unaffected by the kiln and the natural clay color is evident. A few sides have vitrified natural ash glazing, and there are some spots of white shiseki deposits. 

This came in a wooden box inscribed on the front by Fujimoto in two lines: 27 / 藤本秀  (Fujimoto Hide), followed by his seal stamped in red.  Included in the box were an orange wrapping cloth, a short printed biography, and Fujimoto’s name card (meishi). 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery in Kyoto in October 2024, who received it directly from the potter in summer 2024. This was part of an exhibit entitled Shōka 昇華  (“sublime”), or Modern Masters in English, a show of fifteen currently active potters. The piece is discussed on the inside back cover of the exhibition catalog (invoice and shipping and customs documents).

 

265. MURAKOSHI Takuma, 1954- , guinomi

265. MURAKOSHI Takuma  村越琢磨, 1954- , Sake-nomi  酒呑 (sake cup)

For Murakoshi, see item no. 234. 

Light gray clay from Shigaraki. A few splashes of dark brown glaze on the exterior and interior; otherwise fired unglazed, with kiln effects: hi-iro in coral colors; natural ash glazing in white spots and green glass-like bidoro deposits. Weight:  156 g (5.6 oz). Height: 5.4 cm (2-1/8 in). Widths: rim, 9.2 x 7.9 cm (3-5/8 x 3-1/8 in); base, 3.7 x 3.4 cm (1-1/2 x 1-3/8 in). Capacity: 82 ml (3.7 fl oz). 

This is similar in shape to item no. 234, but slightly smaller. Like item no. 235, it was hand-built using overlapping flat ribbons of clay. Any given cross-section is an oval, although there are many bimps and dents. It sits on a flat base, an irregular oval. The interior of the base is indented, perhaps by the tip of the artist’s thumb (mine fits comfortably in the dent). The walls flare outward from the base to the rim, with many ridges where the edges of the ribbons were joined. On one side of the piece is the artist’s sigil (see item no. 235 for a description), a long curved line with a short bar at the top and two lines off to the right side at the lower end of the long line. The shape of the interior mirrors that of the exterior, but the joins between the ribbons of clay are smoother and less pronounced. Given the rough modeling of the piece, the surface is quite smooth. 

Except for a few splashes of a dark brown glaze on the interior and exterior walls, this was fired unglazed. The exterior and the upper parts of the interior are dotted with the white beads sometimes referred to as shiseki 歯石 (tartar), the results of natural ash glazing. The interior has several patches of green glass-like bidoro drips. The portions of the walls not covered with brown glaze or affected by the natural ash glazing show hi-iro colors in the coral range. The natural clay color shows through only on the flat, oval base. 

This came in a wooden box inscribed by the artist in two lines: 酒呑 / たくま sake-nomi / takuma (sake cup / Takuma), followed by a seal bearing the characters for his given name stamped in red. As is his wont, Murakoshi began the inscription on the top of the box (actually on the back edge of the lid) and continued down the front of the box. Included in the box are a small printed leaflet (in Japanese and English) and a brown wrapping cloth. 

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery in Kyoto in October 2024, who received it directly from the potter in summer 2024. This was part of an exhibit entitled Shōka 昇華  (“sublime”), or Modern Masters in English, a show of fifteen currently active potters (invoice and shipping and customs documents).

 

264. ŌMAE Satoru, 1972- , Devils’ Island sake cup in the Korean style)

264. ŌMAE Satoru 大前悟, 1972-  , Onigashima gosho-maru hai  鬼ヶ島御所丸盃  (Devils’ Island sake cup in the Korean style)

Ōmae was born in Osaka in 1972. He began decorating Kenzan-style pottery in Kobe in 1991 with his brother. In 1994 he began making Nanban-style unglazed pottery. His first solo exhibition was held in Osaka in 1999, and he moved to Shigaraki in 2001, where he began working on Iga- and Shigaraki-style wood-fired pottery and at the same time began holding solo exhibitions nationwide. He built a fully underground anagama kiln in 2003. In 2005, he became interested in glazed pottery and began creating white porcelain and Karatsu ware. In 2007, he was attracted to Korean pottery from the Joseon Dynasty and started experimenting with Ido tea bowls and persimmon calyx tea bowls using anagama kiln firing techniques. After absorbing many styles, he reached a turning point in 2010, when he moved to Awaji Island and built a semi-underground anagama kiln and a raku kiln. He started making black raku ware. In 2016, he began using clay from Awaji Island to make white raku ware. 

Light tan clay. Glazed in cream and a dark, almost black, brown; the foot ring and surrounding area of the base left unglazed. Weight: 74 g (2.6 oz). Height 3.8 cm (1-1/2 in). Widths: rim, 5.8 x 5 cm (2-1/4 x 2 in); widest, 6.3 x 6 cm (2-1/2 x 2-3/8 in). 

This mimics the shape of many straight-sided teabowls. It sits on a six-sided foot ring, about 2 mm (1/16 in) high and 3.2 x 2.8 cm (1-1/4 x 1-1/8 in) wide. Two small, transparent paper labels are affixed to the foot ring; with the numbers “40” and “40-5” written in black ink. The bottom extends outward and upward at a slight angle to the maximum width, 1.2 cm (1/2 in) above the base. The walls then rise vertically to the rim. There are two horizontal grooves running around the bowl, the first just below the midpoint and the other just under the rim. The walls bulge outward slightly above and below these grooves.The shape of the interior mirrors that of the exterior. The surface is smooth on the glazed portions. The unglazed portions feel like fine-grained sandpaper. 

This was glazed in a slightly smoky cream and a dark brown. The brown shades into tan where the glaze is thin and into black where it is thicker. This combination of colors is apparently what qualifies the piece as “Korean.” 

This came in a wooden box inscribed on the side by the artist in three lines: 鬼ヶ島 / 御所丸盃 / 悟 Onigashima / gosho-maru hai / Satoru (Devils’ Island / Gosho-maru cup / Satoru). Onigashima is the name of a mythical island. “Gosho-maru” was a name given to ships used in the trade with Korea. The artist’s name is followed by his seal stamped in black (as are other of his boxes). Included in the box were a short printed biography and a brown wrapping cloth, also stamped in black with the artist’s seal. 

From an Instagram posting from the Kura Monzen Gallery, 4 November 2024: "Ohmae Satoru recently visited us, coming all the way from Awaji island, a place that attracts archaeologists because of its many diverse layers of earth. His works are made using local wood-fired materials, and hand-dug stones and soil, crushed and transformed into these beautiful glazes.

"When wood-firing, a unique phenomenon occurs: the internal temperature of the kiln will naturally vary, by about 150 degrees Celsius, depending on location. This does not occur with gas kilns. As a result, even the same batch of works will produce drastically different looks and finishes, an effect which can only be achieved by embracing the randomness and variation of nature.

"Works made from the soil and natural materials of Awaji Island, dug and formed by Ohmae Satoru himself, are titled 'Onigashima'. Legend has it that Awaji Island was thrown into the sea from Otsu, and is related to that famous island from the fable of Momotaro."

Purchased from the Kura Monzen Gallery in Kyoto in October 2024, who received it directly from the potter in summer 2024. This was part of an exhibit entitled Shōka 昇華  (“sublime”), or Modern Masters in English, a show of fifteen currently active potters (invoice and shipping and customs documents).