Large Hagi stoneware basin Ato by Yamato Yasuo

Large stoneware basin by Yamato Yasuo, preserved in its inscribed tomobako and bearing the title Ato. Broad and powerfully open, the form has an almost spherical silhouette whose presence derives as much from its volume as from the exceptional treatment of its surface. The white glaze, characteristic of Hagi-yaki, reveals a dense, vibrant body deeply animated by hollows, striations and irregularities.

The strength of the work lies in this ceramic surface. The walls appear marked and scarified, almost mineral, as though the form retained the memory of a gesture or passage. The title Ato — 跡 — means “trace,” “imprint” or “vestige” in Japanese. It is particularly apt here, resonating with a surface treatment that makes the vessel appear weathered by time.

Born in 1933, Yamato Yasuo belongs to the lineage of the Shōryokugama kiln in Yamaguchi. A grandson of Yamato Sakutarō, who founded this branch in 1892, he is recognised as a holder of Yamaguchi Prefecture’s Intangible Cultural Property for Hagi-yaki. His work is rooted in the great tradition of Hagi stoneware while developing a personal language attentive to the sculptural power of form and the vitality of material.

Yamato Yasuo is particularly known for developing the technique called enpaku, which combines Oni-Hagi clay with an original application of salt glaze. This process creates highly animated surfaces, with textural effects, warm nuances and variations of colour that lend his works an almost mineral depth. In this large basin, the relationship between title, material and the memory embodied in the surface is especially compelling.

The work is distinguished by its scale, unusual for this type of ceramic, and by its balance of monumentality and tactile sensitivity. It will appeal both to collectors of twentieth-century Japanese ceramics and to decorators seeking a restrained yet powerful work with a strong material presence.

Dimensions: approx. 46 × 46 cm; height approx. 30 cm.