This horizontal vase has a deliberately low, elongated shape, constructed like a faceted block. The rectangular opening, hollowed out at the top, structures the object and gives it a striking graphic presence, ideal for a minimalist ikebana arrangement. The surface alternates between matte gray-beige areas and browner patches, marked by the firing process, with a slightly granular, mineral texture. The piece is signed on the base and is kept in its original tomobako, which is also signed.

About the artist: Akira Miyazawa, born in 1950

Akira Miyazawa is a Japanese ceramicist based in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, one of the major centers of ceramics in Japan since the ^20th century. Born in 1950 in Akita Prefecture, he received artistic training at Akita University (Faculty of Education, Department of Arts). He then turned to ceramics and acquired solid technical experience at the Asahi Seitō workshop in Owariasahi (Aichi Prefecture), before establishing his own independent studio in Kita-Mashiko in 1976.

His career is recognized within the major Japanese exhibition circuit: he was selected for the Nihon Tōgeiten (Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition) and invited to the Asahi Contemporary Craft Exhibition in 1994. His work is distinguished by an exploration of constructed form and the power of the surface, where firing and material effects become a fully-fledged artistic language. His works, often akin to sculpture, reflect the spirit of contemporary Japanese ceramic explorations, poised between geometric rigor and a mineral presence.

Dimensions

62 × 24 × 24 cm

Signature

Signed under the piece. Original signed Tomobako.