Michio Koinuma: An Architectural Yakishime Jar

Michio Koinuma’s jar: a vessel with architectural presence

A raised square mouth, sloping shoulders and a body crossed by projecting ridges give this jar an unusually strong outline. Its dark surface carries incised angular patterns and patches of paler grey and warm brown. Our handling record identifies it as 焼締壷, a yakishime jar by Michio Koinuma. It invites us to look at a vessel as a built arrangement of planes, edges and spaces.

The first impression is one of concentration. Broad sides give the body substance, while the square collar establishes a clear centre above them. Yet the outline is far from a plain box. A sequence of ledges interrupts it, and short block-like supports lift the lower body away from the ground. These small changes give the mass a measured, lively rhythm.

Ridges, panels and the space inside

Follow the upper shoulder from the opening towards a corner. The plane slopes outward and then meets a projecting horizontal edge. Below it, the side panel offers a different kind of attention: incised lines form angular, repeating passages across the dark surface. Large structural divisions and smaller graphic marks work together, so the jar remains interesting both at a distance and close up.

The opening adds an essential contrast. Its square rim is easy to read, but the interior behind it becomes dark and difficult to see. This makes the jar feel hollow as well as substantial. The slight spaces beneath the body perform a related task at the base. They relieve the weight of the lower edge and let the silhouette separate from its setting.

A dark surface with many changes

The surface is rewarding because it does not settle into one uniform tone. Charcoal and brown passages lie beside lighter grey areas, with warmer ochre accents in the detail view. Small irregularities catch the light differently from the incised channels. A projecting edge can look pale at its tip and dark underneath, making its depth especially clear.

These qualities can call aged metal or weathered stone to mind, although the work is ceramic. The comparison describes an appearance, not an ancient origin or a material recipe. The jar’s beauty lies partly in this interplay: something recognisably made from clay has the visual gravity of a small structure, while its close surface remains varied and individual.

Michio Koinuma, jar recorded as 焼締壷. A work we have handled.

Koinuma, Mashiko and the possibilities of clay

The Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art places Koinuma among artists who explored clay and sculptural form in a climate influenced by Shoji Kamoda. It describes his substantial shapes and surfaces that recall old bronze. This wider context helps explain why looking only for a conventional wheel-thrown outline would miss much of his work’s interest. It does not establish the construction sequence of this particular jar.

The Japan Foundation defines yakishime broadly as high-temperature firing of unglazed ceramics. That gives context to the recorded title, while the photograph keeps our attention on what is visible: corners, ridges, lines and changing tone. Read alongside our Kamoda and Mashiko articles, this jar offers a distinct example of how a familiar vessel can become an independent exploration of form.

Look again: compare one projecting ridge with the incised panel immediately below it. Which creates the stronger shadow, and how does each change your sense of the jar’s depth?

A work we have handled, shown for reference.

Sources and further reading

• Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art — Michio Koinuma and His Time

• Dai Ichi Arts — Koinuma Michio, overview

• The Japan Foundation — YAKISHIME: Earth Metamorphosis

Continue looking

Michio Koinuma: Mashiko, Yakishime and the Weight of Form

Angular marks and pale surface variation across the jar front.