vase, Osako Mikio

Exhibition Label:
"Contemporary Ceramics East and West," Feb-2002, Susan Earle, Mary M. Dusenbury
In 1982, Osako Mikio built a kiln in Tokoname, on the seacoast of Aichi Prefecture not far from Nagoya. There are more ancient kiln sites (1,200) in this area than in any other part of Japan. In the Heian period (794-1185), Tokoname jars were used to store Buddhist sutras and as funerary urns. Later Tokoname became known for massive stoneware storage jars and tea ceremony wares. In the 19th century, inexpensive red clay teapots from Tokoname were a familiar sight throughout Japan. In the 20th century, Tokoname kilns turned to mass production of items such as building tiles and bonsai pots. After World War II, the potter Ezaki Issei revived old production methods. He relied on natural ash glaze, and he fired his pots in an anagama, a tunnel dug into a hill and fired with wood from an opening at the front. This simple type of kiln has been in use in Japan since the 5th century.

Although he followed Ezaki’s lead, Osako Mikio has also experimented with the tradition. He uses local clays and the distinctive greenish ash glaze that is typical of many traditional Tokoname pots, but he fires his pots twice, first in a wood-fired kiln and next in an electric kiln with a mixture of wood ash and rice husks. Osako’s strong forms and the rich subtlety of his natural glazes are particularly appropriate for use in the tea ceremony and have won praise and prizes at exhibitions in Europe, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Japan.