Post War & Contemporary Ceramics 
2 October 2024
Post War & Contemporary Ceramics 
304

Shiro Tsujimura b.1947

Large faceted flower vase

c. 1995
glazed stoneware 22 h × 7½ w × 7½ d in (56 × 19 × 19 cm)
estimate: $6,000–8,000
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Sold with original signed artist's wood box (tomobako).
provenance: The Artist | Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts, New York | Yoshii Gallery, New York | Private Collection
exhibited: Clay's Life Through Fire, 30 May - 20 June 2006, Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts, New York
literature: Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections, Baekeland and Moes, ppg. 71, 111 illustrate similar examples

This work will ship from Lambertville, New Jersey.

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Rooted in Tradition

The Entrancing Ceramics of Shiro Tsujimura

Considered a living legend in his native country, contemporary Japanese ceramic artist Shiro Tsujimura is widely revered as one of the best living potters to practice the craft. Tsujimura initially studied oil painting in Tokyo and, struggling with the medium, made a trip to Northern Japan where he lived in a Buddhist temple and studied Zen. It was through this experience that his focus moved to ceramics. Upon returning to Tokyo he visited the Japan Folk Crafts Museum where he saw an old tea bowl, which inspired his full dedication to the ancient medium.

Tsujimura built a kiln in 1970 and then, near it, his home. Over the coming years he built several more kilns and, following much experimentation, he held an exhibition at his home to great success. Since then, he has fired a wide variety of wares, including Iga, Shino, Kohiki, Oribe, Bizen, and Shigaraki. In this 2021 NHK Japan news special, we are given a glimpse into his home, studio, kiln, and artistic process, as well as interviews with the artist, his wife, and friends and collectors.

All that my work is, is lending the clay a helping hand.

Shiro Tsujimura

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