Sculptural textured stoneware vase – Ishijima Akihiko (石嶋哲彦)

This vase adopts a compact, almost architectural form, which appears as a single block but is broken down into clearly articulated rounded volumes. The piece is constructed around an oblong body with tapered ends, opened by a central diamond-shaped slit, like a deliberate incision that accentuates the tension of the silhouette.

The surface bears the imprint of a textile: an irregular weave, visible across the entire stoneware, which gives the material a tight grain and a matte finish. Within this surface, the chamotte grout surfaces in places, creating small, harder, slightly shiny asperities, like mineral specks embedded in the clay.

The delineation of the different rounded shapes is emphasized by ceramic inlays in small light and dark rectangles, arranged in continuous lines. This device acts like a “seam” and makes the construction of the object legible, in the manner of an assembly.

Biographical elements

Born in Tokyo in 1954, Akihiko Ishijima trained in Japan through apprenticeships, notably with Kaneta Sanzaemon in Hagi from 1974, before pursuing further studies at the Royal Art Academy in Denmark in 1979. Settling in Mashiko in 1981, he developed a body of work in which clay, textures, and structure take precedence over glaze, with a constant focus on sculptural presence. His career is marked by numerous exhibitions in Japan, particularly at the Nihon Tōgeiten from 1987 onward, and by awards throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Dimensions
Height approx. 26 cm; width approx. 35 cm; depth approx. 11 cm.

Tomobako signed. Piece signed under the base.