Jōmon-inspired sculptural stoneware vase, Koinuma Michio (肥沼美智雄), Japan

This vase by Koinuma Michio presents itself as a compact and architectural form, constructed from angular volumes and broken planes, with a flared neck and a powerfully structured body. The deliberately archaic silhouette evokes a Jōmon archaeological piece through its primitive character and almost votive presence, while retaining a resolutely modern style in the interplay of its masses.

The surface is particularly striking. The sandstone's surface displays a dark patina with oxidized nuances, punctuated by deposits and firing effects reminiscent of an "excavation patina." The gray, brown, and verdigris layers interact like altered zones, giving the piece a very dense visual depth. It is signed on the side with a raised stamp and is preserved in its original tomobako (a type of wooden box).

Biography

Koinuma Michio (肥沼美智雄, 1936–2020) was a Japanese ceramicist active in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture. Born in Tokyo, he moved to Mashiko at the age of thirty-three and built his own kiln, Ichimoku-gama, in 1969, marking the beginning of his independent career. He received an award of excellence at the North Kanto-area Art Exhibition in 1974 and the Tochigi Prefecture Marronnier Culture Award in 1991. Works by the artist are held in public collections in Japan and abroad, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Dimensions: height 20.8 cm; width 10.5 cm; depth 9 cm.