Osako Mikio (1940-1995)

Tokoname stoneware vase by Osako Mikio, circa 1975, preserved with its signed original tomobako box. The piece belongs to the period in which the artist approached the Tokoname tradition not as a merely regional inheritance, but as a sculptural language: flattened form, broad rounded body, architectural base and short neck with a strongly defined rim.

The surface carries the full strength of Tokoname stoneware. The dark, iron-rich, granular clay shows natural firing effects, with brown, grey and ash-whitened areas, together with greenish ash runs. The decoration is not applied; it comes from the clay, the fire and the controlled accidents of the kiln. The discreet incisions and raised areas on the body reinforce the tension between vessel, mineral landscape and constructed object.

Osako Mikio, born in Japan in 1940 and active until his death in 1995, is associated with the modern revival of Tokoname, one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns. His work belongs to a generation of artists who re-engaged ancient clays and high-fired kiln effects to create freer, modern forms, often close to sculpture. A jar by Osako Mikio, also in Tokoname stoneware and dated circa 1975, is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 1979.482. This museum presence confirms the importance of his work within modern Japanese ceramics.

Good condition. Signed original wooden box.

Height 35 cm, width approx. 30 cm, depth approx. 15 cm.