Miwa’s artistic journey was profoundly shaped by an encounter with a ceramic plate by Peter Voulkos during his adolescence. This pivotal moment led him to study in the United States for five years beginning in 1975, immersing himself in the avant-garde ceramic movements of the time.

Returning to Japan in 1981, he began his practice at Miwa Kiln. In 2000, the Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum hosted his debut solo exhibition, Kazuhiko Miwa’s Tearoom: REI –黎–. His works gained further recognition in major exhibitions, including 100 Years of Contemporary Ceramics at the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu (2002), and The Brilliance of Contemporary Ceramics – Resonance of Color and Form at the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum (2003). His achievements were honored with the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2007.

In 2019, Miwa succeeded his elder brother, Miwa Kyūsetsu XII (Ryūsaku), assuming the distinguished title of 13th Miwa Kyūsetsu and becoming the head of Miwa Kiln.

A defining moment in his artistic vision came during his time in the United States, when he encountered El Capitan, the towering monolith of Yosemite Valley. Reflecting on the experience, he recalls: “Standing before a sheer 1,000-meter granite wall, I felt an overwhelming presence, an unparalleled force of nature that left an indelible mark on my consciousness.”

While preserving the essence of Hagi ware, Miwa engages in a visceral dialogue with his materials, pushing the boundaries of ceramic form to an unprecedented scale—bridging centuries-old tradition with a bold, sculptural language.

Public Collection:

1951 Born in Hagi, Yamaguchi

1975 Studied ceramics at Art Institute of San Francisco

2004 Artist-in-Residence (The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park)

Awarded by Energia Cultural Sport Organization in their 10th Anniversary

2006 Grand Prize, Paramita Museusm Award

2007 Awarded by the Japan Ceramic Society

2008 Poem of the White Earth 2008, Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo.

White Horizon, Tokiha, Oita.

2009 Sogo Department Store Hiroshima, Hiroshima.

2010 Takashima Department Store in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya.

2013 Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama and Fukuyama

2015 Ichibata Art Gallery, Matsue, Shimane

2019 Assumed the title of the 13th Miwa Kyūsetsu

2020 Solo Exhibition “Forging a New Path – The Ceramic Forms of 13th Miwa Kyūsetsu”

          Hagi Uragami Memorial Museum, Yamaguchi

          Solo exhibition, 13th Miwa Kyūsetsu, Sogo Department Store, Hiroshima & Yokohama

          Featured on NHK’s Sunday Art Museum: “The World of Miwa Kyūsetsu & Hagi Ware”

          Exhibited “KOGEI 2020 – Forms of Nature and Beauty”,Tokyo National Museum, Hyōkeikan

2021  Solo exhibition "Tea Ceramics of the 13th Miwa Kyūsetsu", Hagi Uragami Memorial Museum, Yamaguchi

          Received Grand Prize, Japan Ceramic Society Award

2022  Solo exhibition"13th Miwa Kyūsetsu" , Tenmaya, Fukuyama & Okayama Main Store

           Solo exhibition "13th Miwa Kyūsetsu Exhibition", Shibuya Kuroda Toen, Tokyo

           Solo exhibition "Gahōjin – Where Chance and Fate Intersect: Miwa Kyūsetsu Exhibition"

           Sanyo Department Store, Hyogo

2023  Solo exhibition "El Capitan: 13th Miwa Kyūsetsu Exhibition", Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, Tokyo

           Joined Art Fair: FRIEZE SEOUL – KOSAKU KANECHIKA, COEX, Seoul