Yanagihara Mutsuo (b. 1934, Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture) is a contemporary ceramic artist known for his inventive forms and innovative use of color in his work. Raised in a family of medical doctors in Kōchi City, his early fascination with botany and the human body later influenced his sculptural ceramics. He studied at Kyoto City University of Arts under modern masters Tomimoto Kenkichi, Kondō Yūzō, and Fujimoto Yoshimichi, graduating in 1960.
Yanagihara’s career has been shaped by his exposure to international influences, particularly during his time in the United States. Teaching at Alfred University and Scripps College in the 1970s introduced him to the American studio craft movement, reinforcing his experimental and conceptual approach to ceramics. Rejecting traditional affiliations, he remained independent, allowing him to develop a unique artistic voice that blends Japanese craftsmanship with modernist and abstract principles. He is now based in Kyoto, Japan.
Yanagihara continues to innovate with recent series such as Exhalation and Inhalation (Koki kyūki, 2020s). Throughout his career, he has embraced the tension between sculpture and function, creating works that are at once playful, imaginative, and deeply rooted in ceramic tradition.