Yanagihara Mutsuo 柳原睦夫 Japanese, b. 1934
H8.7 × Dia 14 cm
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Yanagihara Mutsuo (b. 1934) is a pioneering Japanese ceramic artist known for his inventive forms and playful approach to clay. Raised in a family of medical doctors in Kōchi City, his early fascination with botany and the human body would later influence 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 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. 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. Now at 90, he continues to innovate from his studio in Kyoto.