Wood storage box inscribed: Sekitōyō Kyu 席陶容 九 (Sekitōyō nine); signed: Rokubey 六兵衞; sealed: Kiyo 清
Published: “Shichidai Kiyomizu Rokubey: Sekikatō-ten 七代 清水六兵衞 席花陶展 (The seventh generation Kiyomizu Rokubey: Exhibition of ceramics for arranged flowers, November 23 – 29, 1989),” Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Tokyo, November 1989
Born in Nagoya in 1922, Kiyomizu Rokubei VII was trained in architecture and metal casting before entering the Kiyomizu ceramic lineage as the adopted heir of Rokubei VI in 1951. His early ceramic practice explored thick-walled, flattened, and distorted forms that emphasized the physical character of clay. In the late 1960s, he shifted toward sculpture and adopted the artist name, Kiyomizu Kyubey, working primarily in aluminum and developing a practice centered on the relationship between material, structure, and surrounding space.
Following the sudden death of Rokubei VI in 1980, he assumed the name Rokubei VII and returned to ceramics. His mature works employed slab construction, apertures, cuts, and incisions, allowing warping and distortion during firing to become active elements of form. Moving fluidly between ceramics and sculpture, Rokubei VII developed a distinctive language that challenged conventional boundaries between vessel, object, and architectural space.