Any assessment of Japanese ceramics without mention of contemporary Kyoto wares would be sorely missing. Wada Morihiro trained in Kyoto under Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963) and then moved north of Tokyo...
Any assessment of Japanese ceramics without mention of contemporary Kyoto wares would be sorely missing. Wada Morihiro trained in Kyoto under Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963) and then moved north of Tokyo to Kasama City where he set up his kiln. Highly successful in Japan he is considered one of the inheritors of the decorative tradition created by Kamoda Shoji (1933-1983).
Under Tomimodo Kenkichi’s guidance at Kyoto Art University, all students were supposed to learn from and recreate nature in their work. In Wada’s hands, nature became abstract as plants, animals, and natural forces became symbols and decorative elements, often combining into intricate abstract patterns. These patterns often arise from the repetition of abstracted natural forms, becoming a unique expression of Wada’s particular view of the natural world. He used natural materials as much as possible, including different forms of clay, sand, and slip. He experimented with various colored natural clays that produce a variety of colors after high firing, including grey-green, dark auburn, purple, and navy. This piece has a warm hue, with intricate patterning.
Director's note: “This piece exemplifies this masterful patterning technique, which requires a lengthy process of building, inlaying, scraping, and glazing. The patterning recalls shards of ice, mountain peaks, cresting waves and billowing clouds, all at the same time. The form arises from Wada’s own abstractions, rendering them completely unique and personal. I learned from Kiki Smith that the way to discern the real talent of an artist is to look at the way that an opening of a vessel is finished. The finish on this vessel is organic and natural, as if it grows from the base, suggesting the hand of a master potter. Every detail is sought after and highly considered, and many collectors have taken notice of this fact.”