Kiyomizu Rokubey VIII 八代 清水六兵衞 b. 1954

Dai Ichi Arts is pleased to present Kiyomizu Rokubey: 250 Years of Ceramic Expression from Kyoto, an exhibition celebrating one of Japan’s most distinguished ceramic dynasties. On the occasion of Asia Week New York, September 2026, the show brings together works from the fifth through eighth generations of the Kiyomizu Rokubey family, tracing a lineage of innovation, experimentation, and artistic renewal spanning over two centuries.

Based in Kyoto since the mid-Edo period, the Rokubey family (also spelled Rokubei) has sustained its through continual ceramic reinvention across generations. As the sixth Rokubey observed, “This family has endured because each generation has worked in its own way.” Across the exhibition, visitors will encounter the remarkable individuality of four generations, from the fifth Rokubey’s synthesis of classical Japanese ceramics, Western-inspired glazes, and modern design, to the sixth generation’s richly varied decorative surfaces and refined engagement with painting, line, and nature.

The seventh Rokubey, originally trained in architecture and metal casting, introduced a radical sculptural language based on slab construction, apertures, cuts, and the expressive movement of clay during firing. His son, the current eighth-generation artist Kiyomizu Rokubey, Masahiro, extends this legacy through architecturally conceived forms that bend, warp, and shift under gravity and heat. Reflective lusters and deep black glazes further activate the surrounding space, placing his work firmly within contemporary ceramic practice. This group of works aim to reveal a tradition defined by an inherited spirit of continuous innovation.

The exhibition catalogue features a significant new essay on the ceramic dynasty by Daicho Tomohiro, Senior Curator at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. In-print publications will be available to purchase at the gallery.

Kiyomizu: 250 Years of Ceramic Expression from Kyoto will open at Dai Ichi Arts in New York City. Kiyomizu Rokubey (Masahiro) will travel from Kyoto for the occasion and will be present at the gallery for the opening reception on September 10. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience the vitality of the Rokubey name across generations, past and present.