One of the best I have ever seen by him. A metallic Shino Chawan by Tsukigata Nahiko enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Oni Shino Yohen O-Chawan and named inside Rokugo (also read Rikugo) which is something to do with the ancient concept of the tertiary levels of heaven and earth. Rokugo is outside the Human realm, the universe, the heavens...

A beautifully crafted vase from a studio potter in the hills of Iga, a few hours drive east of Kyoto. Iga-ware has quite a long history—by some accounts dating back to the 7th and 8th century—with the major kilns being established some time around the end of the 16th century. Similar in many ways to Shigaraki pottery, the glaze is the result of kiln ash being vitrified and melted on to the surface of the clay body at extremely high temperatures during firing, which can last many days...

What treasure or pleasure awaits inside this silver lined cup by Itaya Narumi, only for the bearer to know. The inside of the cup is lined with smooth silver glaze, while the glistening quite outside has been carved away, every divot and ridge a tactile pleasure. It comes enclosed in a wooden box titled simply: Hai (sake cup). It is 9 cm (3-1/2 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, from the artist this year...

Described on the wood box as a tokkuri (sake flask) with kin-kousai (metallic Iris) glaze, the size and form would allow this piece to function just as well as a small flower vase...

Pale jade spots dot the incised surface of this unusual vase by Nagae Shigekazu enclosed in the original signed wooden box retaining the Shiori and Shifuku. The vase, if not for its distant, moon-like quality, has a very pop-art-presence, blending both the austerity of Japanese traditional aesthetics with contemporary art. Fun and moving; a haunting pleasure. It is 14 inches (35.5 cm) tall, 5 inches (13 cm) square at the base, 7 inches (19 cm) wide at the rim and in excellent condition...

A petaled vase in snow s\white porcelain with silver blossoming from the rim by Itaya Narumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 12.5 cm (5 inches) diameter and in excellent condition, from the artist this year. Itaya Narumi was born in Gifu in 1991, and graduated the Toki City Ceramics Research Facility in 2015. She has participated in several exhibitions since, with an emphasis on natural forms and tactile senses.

A traditionally crafted Bizen sake cup with a rich mineral glaze giving this guinomi a metallic look. The craftsman who made this piece, Takahiro Ishii, was born in Tokyo in 1977, and, after studying ceramics for a number of years, he moved to Bizen to become a ceramics teacher and later opened his own kiln. He takes a philosophic approach to his work as evidenced by the following quote, “As a ceramicist, I feel that the point is not just to produce pieces...

A bottomless green pool by master of Seihakuji Kato Tsubusa enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled simply Wan. A big telltale tear drop reaches down to grasp the table, exquisite. It is 5-1/2 inches (14 cm) diameter and in excellent condition.
Kato Tsubusa was born in Tajimi city, the home of Shino, in 1962, graduating the municipal Pottery Design and Technical Center in 1979...

Japanese Oribe Ceramic Pottery Deep Dish for Tea Ceremony Serving dish with Wave pattern, 6 1/2" square, 1 3/4" high, incised marking with Japanese Kanji on the bottom. The condition is good.

4 Japanese Oribe Ceramic Tea Dishes, Plates, 6 1/2" diameter, 1 1/4" high, maples leaves and other plants over the running stream. The condition is good.

A stone formed bowl covered entirely in platinum by Inayoshi Osamu enclosed in the original signed wooden box accompanied by the shiori and Shifuku. The bowl is carved and torn from a block of clay, then textured with natural stones specially selected for their surface patterns, splashed with glaze and then covered in platinum, creating dry. Matte regions punctuated by glistening liqid spatters...

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 jaw-dropping igneous chawan tea bowl by Inayoshi Osamu like a shimmering mineral deposit found deep inside some calcitic limestone cavern. When I asked him about the effects on the surface, he said that he could not wholly explain them, they were some mystery of the kiln, caused during the firing. The bowl is 13.8 x 13 x 9.5 cm (5-1/2 x 5 x 4 inches) and in excellent condition...

This magnificent Oni Azami chawan is a perfect embodiment of the tradition of Japanese pottery by legendary master and modern avangarde artist Suzuki Goro, mint condition and enclosed in its original signed wood box and a hand painted cloth by the artist himself.

Oni means demon, in Japanese, and azami is the name of a famous flower in Japan (thistle in English) with an explosive charakter. Oni Azami.

Suzuki Goro surely needs no introduction...

Heavily influenced by Koryo potting styles and techniques, the Tobei lineage has been crafting exceptional tea-ware implements for 13 generations. The piece shown here was made by the 12th generation (Tahara) and, due to its excellent character, was endorsed by the 15th tea master of the Urasenke School of Tea, Hōunsai. Like much of Tahara pottery, the natural ash glaze displays glossy lavenders, light tans, and hues of ivory...

This past summer I had occasion to visit Richard Milgrim in his Mountain Studio and asked him to pair some sake cups and Tokkuri for us...

There is something deeply elegant and feminine about the work of the female Maki-e artist Arai Etsuko, clearly evident here in this glass sake set decorated with olives in colored lacquer and precious gold powder enclosed in a compartmentalized and signed wooden box. Inside, the simple black silhouette, outside, various shades of green connected by gold branches from which hang fruit in various stages of ripeness. The Tokkuri is 17 cm (6-3/4 inches) tall, the cups 5 cm (2 inches) diameter. Al...

From a well-known series entitled “Chōtō” (Listening to the Waves) this large contoured vase features a sandy glaze that the sculptor claims is an expression of the features of the landscape where he grew up.

Born in the port city of Shimoda, Sakiyama studied art in Osaka and then later went on to open his own kiln that he named “Hidaka” (High Sun). Appearing to have a natural gift for form and proportion, his pieces soon attracted the attention of galleries and collectors...