A tall, narrow, rectangular wood-fired stoneware flower vase. The piece is signed by the artist on the underside of the base and retains its original tomobako, inscribed 九州信楽窯花入, “Kyūshū-Shigaraki kiln hanaire”, with the signature 伽兆, Kachō.

The shape is deliberately architectural, almost monolithic. The slightly irregular vertical walls end in a wavy lip that retains the memory of the shaping and firing. The surface displays a strong contrast between the faces: one is dominated by dark brown, beige, grey, and burnt sienna tones, traversed by natural ash runs; the other develops a blue-grey glazed tone turning to turquoise, with a vitrified, finely cracked skin, punctuated by inclusions and small craters. The corners and base concentrate darker areas, which give the piece a very strong mineral presence.

This piece illustrates Kawarabata Kachō’s personal vocabulary around Kyūshū-Shigaraki. The artist works in Ōita, on the island of Kyūshū. He uses local clays and subjects them to high-temperature Shigaraki-type firing in an anagama kiln, where ash, fire, and position in the kiln determine the surface effects. The vase combines the rigor of a constructed form with the mineral violence of wood firing.

Kawarabata Kachō, born in 1956 in Shibuya, Tokyo, is a contemporary Japanese ceramist based in Ōita. Self-taught, he built his first anagama kiln in Naka-Izu in 1986, then held his first solo exhibition in Machida in 1989. He moved to Ōita in 1995 and developed a body of work based on Kyūshū clay, wood firings, and natural vitrification effects. In 2003, he established his current studio, Miran-gama, with a new anagama kiln. His work is sometimes referred to as Bungo-Shigaraki, Bungo being the ancient name of the Ōita region. He has exhibited in many regions of Japan and has also participated in exchanges and projects related to ceramics in Asia, notably in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Ethiopia.

Very good condition.

Dimensions: H. 30 cm × W. 22 cm × D. 9 cm.