Luminous Glaze, Carved Clay, and Living Metal: Looking Closely at Japanese Craft

Oct 27

5 min read

Updated: Oct 28

Collector's Guide, Volume 2 | Sabiru Treasures — Tsukuba, Japan

A ceramic surface can invite us to follow a colour until its edge disappears. A carved line asks us to look at the shadow beside it. In metalwork, a joint or a change in contour may reveal as much as the silhouette. These are useful starting points for looking at Japanese craft: small observations that can be placed beside an artist's documented practice.

This second Collector's Guide moves from Kutani colour to Mino and Seto ceramics, then to the casting traditions of Takaoka and the metalwork associated with Myōchin. The histories provide context for looking. Each individual object still needs its own identification and condition record.

Kutani: colour becoming form

Tokuda Yasokichi III (1933–2009) developed saiyū, a way of working with coloured glazes that merge into delicate transitions. The Japan Tourism Agency places this practice within his family's Kutani tradition in Komatsu, Ishikawa. His palette drew on the deep green, yellow, purple and navy blue of aote decoration. In 1997, he was recognised as a holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property of coloured-glaze porcelain. [S1] [S2]

The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties describes a carefully prepared porcelain surface and unusually high firing temperatures for the overglaze colours. Its account distinguishes the porcelain body, fired at 1,280°C, from the subsequent overglaze firing, which reached 1,040°C. These are separate stages in the process. [S1]

For a viewer, the rewarding detail is the transition itself: where one colour gathers, where another begins, and how that passage relates to the curve of the vessel. A close view and a view of the whole form answer different questions.

A documented name: Zenkō Yasuda

The Japan Ceramic Society records 安田全宏 as Yasuda Zenkō and lists him among its 1958 award recipients. This gives a reliable starting point for further study of his work. [S3]

When reading a catalogue, keep the name, the work's title and the account of its imagery distinct. A title can guide an interpretation; establishing a particular architectural influence requires evidence for that work. The pleasure of a relief surface can begin with its raised and recessed passages before a larger story is attached to it.

Mino and Seto: records beside surfaces

Daisuke Tomioka (冨岡大資) appears in Nitten's official records as a Special Selection recipient in both 2020 and 2024. The Mino Ceramic Society also records his work Hajimari as the Grand Prize recipient at the 45th Mino Ceramic Exhibition in 2021. These are specific exhibition records, useful anchors when building a reading list around an artist. [S4] [S5]

In Seto, Bunshō Ōe (1898–1979) offers another point of entry. The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties records his distinctive comb-pattern technique and his skill in carved quail imagery. He was recognised as an Aichi Prefectural Intangible Cultural Property holder. Tahara Municipal Museum associates both Bunshō and his successor, Yukihiko Ōe, with Uzuragama, the Quail Kiln. [S6] [S7]

Such records invite a more attentive look at repeated lines and animal motifs. Notice their spacing, their relation to the vessel's volume, and the places where glaze settles around an incision. A familiar motif is a reason to investigate further; attribution still belongs to the particular object and its evidence.

Takaoka: a history of casting

Takaoka City's craft guide dates the local metal-casting industry to 1611. Early production centred on iron objects such as pots, cauldrons and hoes. The guide describes the later development of copper-alloy Buddhist fittings and artistic craft, through which increasingly refined metalworking techniques emerged. [S8]

This history suggests looking at a metal object in several ways: as a volume, as a surface, and as a structure assembled or finished through work. In a condition record, describe the colour you can see separately from any explanation of how it was produced.

Myōchin: sound and articulated form

Myōchin Honpo's account of its 52nd-generation master, Myōchin Munemichi, records training under his father, the 51st-generation Myōchin Muneyuki, from 1960. It also records the 1997 Oto no Takumi award from the Japan Audio Society. The workshop's history of hibashi, or charcoal tongs, gives sound a place alongside shape in the appreciation of ironwork. [S9]

Articulated metal sculpture offers a different encounter. Tokyo National Museum describes jizai okimono as animal figures made in iron, copper and copper alloys, with movable bodies and limbs. Its exhibition account identifies a dragon signed by Myōchin Muneaki and dated 1713 as the earliest known dated example. The same account includes birds, crustaceans and insects within the tradition. [S10]

A joint, a rivet or a wing's construction can therefore be a subject of observation in its own right. Recognising a tradition does not establish the maker or age of another object that resembles it.

Care begins with condition

The Canadian Conservation Institute advises examining ceramics and glass for damage and old repairs before handling them. Support an object with both hands, rather than lifting it by a handle or spout. Arrange storage and display to reduce unnecessary movement and protect fragile surfaces. [S11]

Cleaning depends on condition. The Institute warns that water can damage soft or poorly fired ceramics, and that loose decoration and old repairs need particular attention. For difficult staining or uncertain repairs, seek a conservator's assessment before treatment. A clean-looking surface is not a reason to assume that every part of an object is stable. [S11]

Continue looking

Keep photographs, measurements, inscriptions and accompanying documents together, while recording what remains uncertain. These notes allow a collection to become more useful to its owner over time.

Visit Sabiru Treasures on Catawiki to view our seller page, explore the Past Treasures Archive, or send a Collector's Inquiry about an artist, kiln or object type that interests you.

Explore further

Visit Sabiru Treasures on Catawiki: https://www.catawiki.com/en/u/10246606-tozai-takara-sagashi

Explore the Past Treasures Archive: https://www.sabirutreasures.com/category/all-products

Send a Collector's Inquiry: https://www.sabirutreasures.com/collectors-inquiry

Featured Active Kutani, Seto & Takaoka Works on Catawiki

The following works from the Kutani, Seto, and Takaoka metalwork traditions are currently offered by Sabiru Treasures on Catawiki (seller page), accompanied by verified studio-white photographs:

Tokuda Yasokichi III (1933–2009), Living National Treasure — Kutani Saiyū Glaze Work: Luminous graduated polychrome glaze transitions from Komatsu, Ishikawa. View Lot 107688969 on Catawiki ↗
Katō Shigetaka (加藤重高, 1927–2013) — Seto Tetsuyu (Iron-Glaze) Square Flower Vase: Slab-built Seto stoneware with deep iron glaze and bold architectural shoulders. View Lot 107937438 on Catawiki ↗
Seifū — Takaoka Cast Bronze Hōju-Form Kōro Incense Burner with Verdigris Patina: Sacred jewel (hōju) silhouette with pierced lid and layered green-bronze patination. View Lot 107784016 on Catawiki ↗
Sano Kōsai — Hanazuru Cast Bronze Incense Burner with Cranes and Tortoise: Takaoka bronze kōro pairing crane and minogame auspicious motifs. View Lot 107093682 on Catawiki ↗
Takaoka Copperware Incense Burner — Three Aubergines (Nasu): Traditional auspicious three-aubergine cast copper alloy kōro. View Lot 107732347 on Catawiki ↗
Matsumoto Saichi (松本佐一) — Kutani Ware Tall Bud Vase with Textured Earth-Tone Surface: Modern sculptural Kutani stoneware contrasting raw clay texture and glaze. View Lot 107632981 on Catawiki ↗