Masterworks of Modern Japanese Porcelain

MASTERWORKS OF MODERN JAPANESE

PORCELAIN

MASTERWORKS OF MODERN JAPANESE

PORCELAIN &

19TH-CENTURY MASTERWORKS OF JAPANESE PAINTINGS AND PRINTS WINTER 2021

MASTERWORKS OF MODERN JAPANESE PORCELAIN

The Origins and Development of Japanese Porcelain EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF PORCELAIN Highly-prized in the East and West for centuries, porcelain evokes a rich history of luscious objects that inspire admiration and passionate collecting.

Even through long experimentation across varied forms and styles, porcelain intriguingly manages to balance contradictions: cold and warm, spare and decorative, strong yet delicate, functional and sculptural, traditional and contemporary.

The finest porcelain objects exemplify the extraordinary, even alchemical, way in which this luxurious material can embody opposing qualities while simultaneously revealing subtle aspects that are altogether new. It is no wonder that collectors all over the world have long been attracted to porcelain, and that forward-thinking artists today are finding new modes of personal expression in this dynamic medium.

The history of porcelain mirrors the early modern history of East and West: of crosscontinental trade, new aesthetics, and conspicuous consumption. Through techniques developed over centuries in China, porcelain in its recognizable form – incredibly strong, impermeable, translucent, and white – emerged during the Tang Dynasty over 1,200 years ago. Even in this early period of porcelain’s development, its unique qualities were acknowledged, esteemed, and highly coveted, and a thriving trade was quickly established with neighboring countries. It was also produced at scale to meet the demands of a rapidly growing market, and the kilns of Jingdezhen, China’s longstanding porcelain capital, were continuously firing as artisans explored this fascinatingly malleable medium. The tireless perfection of their technical skills reached a pinnacle in the immediately recognizable blue-and-white

porcelain of the Ming Dynasty, which spurred even more global trade, and whose distinctive appearance was imitated all over the world: from the Iznik tiles of the Ottomans, to the softly brushed decorations on the wares of Vietnam, to the Delftware of the Netherlands, and to the early sometsuke of Japan. The blue-on-white aesthetic symbolized quality, elegance, and of course, a hefty price tag. Though the wares took on recognizably functional forms, from dinner services to flower vases, they were also proudly displayed in private homes as an ultimate statement of wealth and taste.

Porcelain from China was greatly valued in Japan, but their native ceramic tradition historically had an altogether different aesthetic, and existing kiln sites lacked the resources to produce porcelain domestically. After invasions of the Korean peninsula in 1592 and 1598 brought Korean potters to Japan, and with them, the knowledge of porcelain production, Japan’s ceramic history entered a new phase.

After locating a rich vein of kaolin clay in Arita on Kyushu, in present-day Saga Prefecture, these artisans had not only the skills but now had access to the precious materials necessary for porcelain-making – a combination that laid the foundation in an area that would become known as Japan’s porcelain center.

EARLY JAPANESE PORCELAIN Within Japanese porcelain history, the duality inherent in the material manifests yet again, this time in two different creative purposes. On the one hand, wares for domestic consumption, primarily functional objects, found a steady, modest market. This early sometsuke mimicked the famous blue-and-white porcelain produced in Jingdezhen by using a cobalt oxide underglaze to create the distinctive blue patterning. Known

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today as shoki Imari, this early Japanese porcelain is named for the Imari port from which they were shipped. Even when the more glamorous export market scaled dizzying heights, before eventually slowing down, utilitarian Imari wares like oil lamps continued to find a domestic market into the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The more well-known porcelain produced for export was highly decorative to meet the tastes of wealthy foreign buyers looking for exquisite oriental objects. Later in the 1600s, enamel overglazes in red, gold, and black were added on top of the cobalt blue underglaze, and it was this more colorful style of porcelain that was eventually produced in other regions of Japan, most notably Kutani, known today as Kaga, and Seto. Although the polychrome enamel overglaze style is most commonly associated with Kutani kiln sites, recent archeological research has discovered that most early polychrome wares were in fact made in Arita. One particularly popular style of polychrome overglaze porcelain, known as Kakiemon wares, features bold designs painted on a white background. In contrast, KoKutani wares feature a distinctive palette of five colors, known in Japanese as gosai, and the Yoshidaya style of Kutani is known for its fourcolor palette of yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Kutani ceramics finds its modern iteration in the works of Takegoshi Jun (b. 1948), page 35 and 51, who has devoted himself to producing polychrome enamel porcelain vessels that serve as vehicles for his brilliantly colored and elegantly painted depictions of the natural world.

GEOPOLITICAL IMPACT ON JAPANESE PORCELAIN As Japanese porcelain was building upon its foundation, the once indomitable Ming Dynasty was facing collapse. While the political situation

destabilized in China in the mid-seventeenth century, drying up reliable sources of Chinese porcelains, the European market turned to Japan to meet their unceasing demand. The Japanese porcelain market exploded at this time, setting off a peak period of production and foreign consumption that lasted nearly one hundred years. The Dutch in particular, as special trading partners allowed a point of access to an otherwise closed Japan, benefited in particular from this thriving business. The forms at this time were European, but the boldly gilded, polychrome look became synonymous with Japan. When the political situation stabilized under the new rule of the Qing Dynasty, porcelain was once again produced in China at a scale unmatched anywhere else in the world, with a fresh new look, and Japanese porcelain inevitably declined.

At the same time, Europe started to explore their own means of porcelain production, in Meissen, Sèvres, Delft, and Derby, with varying degrees of success.

NEW TRENDS IN THE ART OF JAPANESE CERAMICS It was only after the Meiji Restoration, and with it a renewed openness to foreign countries and cultures, that brought forth Western ideas of fine art in relation to craft. At world expositions in the late nineteenth century, the west was introduced again to the possibilities of Japanese ceramics and porcelain. While these international fairs were influential during the Meiji period, new trends in the art of Japanese porcelain in Kyoto can be traced more clearly to the legacy of Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963), page 8. Known as the father of modern Japanese ceramics, Tomimoto marked the turn from traditional modes of clay creation toward the new approaches that define the modern era. A very fine example of his white porcelain vessel is a highlight of the current exhibition. Likened by the artist to a human body,

this undecorated, deceptively simple vessel can be considered his paean to a naked form.

His theory of unity between form and surface, and an insistence on never repeating oneself or copying others in designs, was taught to his many students as a professor at what is now the Kyoto City University of Arts. Indeed, while his mastery of overglaze enamel techniques earned him the designation of Living National Treasure in 1955, his greatest legacy is perhaps that of his students, whose careers have redefined the landscape of Japanese ceramics in the modern age. In particular, Tomimoto’s students who chose to work with their sensei’s preferred medium of porcelain have uncovered new expressive possibilities.

Fujimoto Yoshimichi (Nōdō) (1919-92), and Maeda Masahiro (b. 1948), page 19, 31 and 43, bring bold, modern designs to traditional vessel forms. And

ripple into space, and Fukumoto Fuku (b. 1973), page 33 and 41 a rare woman in the group, creates tiered, overlapping structures that both drip down and reach upwards in enticing silhouettes accented with threads of brilliant glaze.

Modern Japanese porcelain has developed far beyond earlier forms of centuries past, yet every student of the medium today acknowledges a richly impressive, even daunting history from which to draw inspiration. Careful study of what came before enables contemporary artists to carry forward tradition, whether familial or regional, while establishing new trends that are individualistic and highly personal in ways that only seem possible in the uniquely versatile medium of porcelain.

Bonnie B. Lee

the constantly innovative forms and techniques of Kondō Takahiro (b. 1958), page 23 and 39, set him apart as not only a master of the medium but as a visionary artist.

PORCELAIN IN POST-WAR JAPAN The post-World War II era marked the beginning of a radical new period for art, and Japanese ceramics were no exception. The avant-garde Sōdeisha ceramic movement, led by Yagi Kazuo (1918-79), page 27, Suzuki Osamu (1926-2001), page 15, and Yamada Hikaru (1923-2001), page 13, among others, argued for a radical departure from the perceived limitations of tradition. Fully aware of the material’s formidable history, these artists created works in porcelain that challenged expectations of technical perfection. Their mark is no less indelible on subsequent generations.

An emergent younger cohort of artists today is exploring porcelain’s possibilities in sculptural form, exploiting in particular its duality of strength and malleability. Kino Satoshi’s (b. 1987), page 37, 47 and 53 hard-as-stone seihakuji ribbons curve and

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TOMIMOTO KENKICHI (1886-1963) 富本 憲吉 Broad-mouthed vessel (tsubo), titled “Summer” 1931 Glazed porcelain 6 3/4 x 9 3/4 in.

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KATŌ HAJIME (1900-1968) 加藤 土師萌 Square plate decorated in the Ming jiajing style ca. 1954 Glazed porcelain 1 7/8 x 7 3/4 in.

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YAMADA HIKARU (1923-2001) 山田 光 White slightly gourd-shaped vase ca. 1968 Glazed porcelain 8 3/4 x 6 in.

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SUZUKI OSAMU (1926-2001) 鈴木 治 Child of Thunder; seihakuji (bluish-white) celadon-glazed sculpture 1987 Glazed porcelain and wood Sculpture: 3 1/2 x 2 5/8 x 1 1/2 in.

Base: 2 3/8 x 2 1/8 x 2 1/8 in.

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KAWAMOTO GORŌ (1919-1956) 河本 五郎 Pouring vessel with surface decoration of dancing figures ca. 1976 Glazed porcelain 10 1/4 x 6 1/2 x 11 3/8 in.

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FUJIMOTO YOSHIMICHI (NŌDŌ) (1919-1992) 藤本 能道 Square polychrome enamel box with slightly domed cover ca. 1979 Glazed porcelain 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 x 3 5/8 in.

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KONDŌ YŪZO (1902-1985) 近藤 悠三 Large faceted sometsuke vessel decorated with a mountain landscape ca. 1973 Glazed porcelain with gold overglaze 12 1/4 x 12 in.

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KONDŌ TAKAHIRO (b. 1958) 近藤 高弘 “Black and White Droplet” monolith 2005-2006 Glazed porcelain with “silver mist” overglaze with black glass top 31 1/4 x 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.

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ITABASHI HIROMI (b. 1948) 板橋 廣美 Oblong three-footed sculptural platter 2008 Glazed porcelain 5 1/4 x 31 3/4 x 4 5/8 in.

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YAGI AKIRA (b. 1955) 八木 明 Pair of twisting seihakuji (bluish white-glazed) vessels with matching lids 2005 Glazed porcelain 7 1/2 x 4 1/8 x 3 7/8 and 7 1/4 x 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 in.

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WADA AKIRA (b. 1978) 和田 的 Mizusashi ‘Hyouri’; “Water Jar ‘Front/Back” 2019 Unglazed porcelain (glazed interior) 7 1/2 x 7 7/8 x 5 5/8 in.

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MAEDA MASAHIRO (b. 1948) 前田 正博 Iro-e (overglaze-enameled) faceted vase 2006 Glazed porcelain 9 1/2 x 6 in.

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FUKUMOTO FUKU (b. 1973) 福本 双紅 Kumo; “Clouds” 2019 Glazed porcelain 19 1/2 x 16 7/8 x 16 1/2 in.

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TAKEGOSHI JUN (b. 1948) 武腰 潤 Rectangular vessel decorated with Japanese ibis and lotus 2019 Porcelain with polychrome kutani enamel glazes 22 7/8 x 6 1/2 in.

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KINO SATOSHI (b. 1987) 木野 智史 Oroshi “Rasen”; Mountain Gust “Spiral”; seihakuji (bluish white-glazed) sculpture 2019 Glazed porcelain 8 1/4 x 14 5/8 x 14 1/8 in.

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KONDŌ TAKAHIRO (b. 1958) Large conical vessel with textured exterior 2020 Glazed porcelain with “silver mist” overglaze 14 1/8 x 22 1/2 in.

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FUKUMOTO FUKU (b. 1973) Yukukata; Destination 2019 Glazed porcelain with platinum 9 x 17 3/4 x 14 1/2 in.

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MAEDA MASAHIRO (b. 1948) Cactus-patterned teabowl with gold glaze highlights ca. 1989 Glazed porcelain 3 3/8 x 4 3/4 in.

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ITABASHI HIROMI (b.1948) Trace of Melting; large hanging platter 2015 Porcelain with copper glaze 22 7/8 x 2 1/4 in.

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KINO SATOSHI (b. 1987) Chōseki “Tide”; seihakuji (bluish white-glazed) sculpture 2019 Glazed porcelain 1 1/8 x 13 3/8 x 11 3/8 in.

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INABA CHIKAKO (b. 1974) 稲葉 周子 Curled leaf-shaped sculptural vessel, titled Yōki 2019 Glazed stoneware 12 x 19 3/4 x 13 5/8 in.

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TAKEGOSHI JUN (b. 1948) Elevated platter depicting crested kingfishers on a grape vine 2019 Porcelain with polychrome kutani enamel glazes 4 x 5 1/2 x 28 in.

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KINO SATOSHI (b. 1987) Oroshi; “Mountain Gust”; seihakuji (bluish white-glazed) sculpture 2019 Glazed porcelain 21 7/8 x 36 1/4 x 3 1/2 in.

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KONDŌ TAKAHIRO (b. 1958) Silence of White; sculpture in four parts 2005 Glazed porcelain with cast glass Left: 5 1/2 x 5 x 3 5/8 in.

Right: 5 1/2 x 5 x 4 5/8 in.

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19th-Century Masterworks of Japanese Paintings and Prints

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TANI BUNCHŌ (1763-1840) 谷 文晁 Mount Tsukuba 1804-18 (Bunka era) Ink and color on gold leaf; six-fold screen 77 1/8 x 145 5/8 in. (exclusive of mount); 78 1/2 x 150 in. (with mount)

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Left-hand screen of the pair depicting Mount Fuji, now in the collection of Utsunomiya Geijutsu Daigaku

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KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849) 葛飾 北斎 The Amida Falls in the Far Reaches of the Kiso Road; Tour of the Waterfalls of Various Provinces ca. 1833 Ōban tate-e

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YOSHIMURA KŌKEI (1770-1836) 吉村 孝敬 Dragon and Tiger 1836; Painted on a spring day, Year of the Monkey Ink, color and gold on silk; hanging scroll 56 5/8 x 33 in. (exclusive of mount); 90 x 40 1/2 in. (with mount)

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UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858) 歌川 広重 The Great Gate at Asakusa in Snow; One Hundred Famous Views of Edo 1856, 7th month Ōban tate-e

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UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE 1797-1858 Numazu in Snow; Famous Places Along the 53 Stations 1854, 12th month ÅŒban tate-e

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UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858) New Year’s Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Ōji; One Hundred Famous Views of Edo 1857, 9th month Ōban tate-e

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KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849) Sesshū Tenmanbashi; Tenman Bridge in Settsu Remarkable Views of Famous Bridges in the Provinces ca. 1834 Ōban yoko-e

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MATSUMURA KEIBUN (1779-1843) 松村 景文 Pair of shoreline scenes depicting cranes and a small fishing village 1838, with original signed and dated (Tempo 8) storage box Ink and color with flecked gold leaf on silk; pair 2-fold furosaki (sleeping) screens 18 x 61 in. (painting); 24 x 72 1/2 in. (with mount)

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LEFT Close-up view, Katsushika Hokusai (see p,63) COVER Fukumoto Fuku (see p.32) BACK COVER Kondo Takahiro (see p.39)

If you would like further information about any of the works in this catalogue, please contact director@mirviss.com.

Artist names are given in Japanese sequence with family name first.

Dimensions are listed as height, width, and depth.

Photographer: Richard Goodbody Catalogue Design: Yukiko Ishii

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