H46.5 × W22 × D22 cm
His vessels, made from dark clay, often possess a strength and density that recall weathered stone or corroded metal. Even when glazed, they project a sense of mass and solidity, inviting the viewer to experience their grounded, temporal and primal quality.
The ceramic artworks of Koinuma Michio (1936–2021) are powerful examples of the approach of reinventing vessel forms as a medium for self-expression. Rather than treating them only as utilitarian containers, artists such as Koinuma reshaped vessels as carriers of individuality and imagination in the mid-late 20th cenutry.
Born in Tokyo, Koinuma studied economics at Osaka University before undertaking postgraduate work at Waseda University. His turn toward ceramics was unexpected: Drawn to archaeology and inspired by masters such as Hamada Shoji and Kamoda Shoji, he left academia at the age of thirty-three, moved to Mashiko in Tochigi Prefecture, and devoted himself fully to clay. In 1970 he opened his own kiln, and by 1978 he was exhibiting in major galleries. His achievement was recognized in 2022 with the exhibition Koinuma Michio and His Age at the Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art, which drew wide acclaim.
Koinuma built his work without the potter’s wheel, relying instead on hand-building and coil-building techniques. This process allowed his forms to maintain a raw physicality. His vessels, made from dark clay, often possess a strength and density that recall weathered stone or corroded metal. Even when glazed, they project a sense of mass and solidity, inviting the viewer to experience their grounded, temporal and primal quality.
Archaeological memory lies at the heart of his surfaces. They often seem like relics excavated from forgotten ruins, carrying a patina of age and history. At the same time, his forms are particularly modern, sometimes bordering on otherworldly in their geometric forms. This relationship between the ancient and the contemporary found in his work, gives his ceramics its distinctive character. Inspirations for his output ranged widely among many archaeological materials from several early civilizations: from dog sculptures and fantastical objects to vessels that recall archaic funerary objects of Chinese bronzes, or the clay figures of the Jōmon period found in tomb contexts across Japan, each creation resists easy classification, operating instead across multiple layers of space and time.
Through this balance of past and present, Koinuma gave traditional vessel forms new life as expressive objects. His ceramics are not limited to function but stand as works to be displayed, handled, and cherished. They embody strength, individuality, and imagination, demonstrating how the vessel, one of the oldest human forms, can continue to evolve as a language of creative expression.
In 2020, the Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art announced that he passed away.