This stoneware vase by Yasuo Yamato features a spherical silhouette that tapers slightly toward the opening. The satiny, subtly nuanced ivory glaze highlights a broad, raised incised design that runs across the body like a calligraphic line. The grooves, left untouched, capture the light and create a subtle interplay of shadow and depth. The purity of form and the vigor of gesture reflect the balance between tradition and modernity that characterizes the work of the Hagi master.

Yasuo Yamato (born in 1933) comes from a prestigious line of potters in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Trained by his father Harunobu and his grandfather Shoroku, he quickly broke free from the codes of Hagi yaki to develop his own language. Winner of First Prize at the Nitten in 1959, he received numerous distinctions, including the Excellence Award at the Western Japan Crafts Exhibition (1960), First Place at the Kyushu Yamaguchi Ceramics Exhibition (1967), and First Prize at the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition (1975). His works, exhibited at major institutions such as Sodeisha, Kofukai, Nitten, and Nihon Dento Togei Ten, are included in prestigious international collections, including the British Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. In 1988, he was designated a Yamaguchi Prefectural Intangible Cultural Heritage Holder for Hagi yaki, and in 2007 was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette. His creations, always rooted in tradition but open to experimentation, combine sculptural strength with refined textures.

Dimensions: height 24.5 cm, diameter 24 cm.