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No. 8106
Bizen Shuhai
¥16,500
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Description
Zenji Urakami received numerous honors throughout his career and became internationally renowned as a master of ceramic art and a designated holder of Intangible Cultural Property. This is a Bizen Shuhai by the artist.
The work is accompanied by an artist biography listing his career through 1997 and is believed to date from the later years of Urakami’s career.
Over the amber-colored natural ash glaze with its strong luster lies a further layer of Kase-Goma with an almost wet-looking sheen. The entire vessel seems to reflect a faint light, giving this Shuhai a mysterious and distinctive presence.
The clay surface on the interior also has a relatively strong sheen, but here the scenery is much more restrained, consisting primarily of elegant Tobi-Goma. The dramatic change in atmosphere between the interior and exterior is another fascinating feature of the work.
The form is Urakami’s signature constricted-body style, making the artist immediately recognizable at a glance. Two characteristic spatula marks have been applied across the center of the body.
The indented body design, together with the moderately thin construction, makes the cup comfortable to hold. Overall, it is a straightforward and highly practical sake vessel that is easy to enjoy in daily use.
The piece was purchased new and carefully stored ever since. It has never been used.
The work is accompanied by an artist biography listing his career through 1997 and is believed to date from the later years of Urakami’s career.
Over the amber-colored natural ash glaze with its strong luster lies a further layer of Kase-Goma with an almost wet-looking sheen. The entire vessel seems to reflect a faint light, giving this Shuhai a mysterious and distinctive presence.
The clay surface on the interior also has a relatively strong sheen, but here the scenery is much more restrained, consisting primarily of elegant Tobi-Goma. The dramatic change in atmosphere between the interior and exterior is another fascinating feature of the work.
The form is Urakami’s signature constricted-body style, making the artist immediately recognizable at a glance. Two characteristic spatula marks have been applied across the center of the body.
The indented body design, together with the moderately thin construction, makes the cup comfortable to hold. Overall, it is a straightforward and highly practical sake vessel that is easy to enjoy in daily use.
The piece was purchased new and carefully stored ever since. It has never been used.
Details
- Pottery Type
- guinomi
- Dimensions
- W7.1cm × D6.9cm × H3.7cm
About the Artist
Zenji Urakami was born in 1914 in Imbe Town, Wake District, Okayama Prefecture, now Imbe, Bizen City.
In 1929, he entered the world of pottery as an apprentice to Shunko Nishimura, a master renowned for his decorative and sculptural ceramic works.
After five years of training, Urakami moved to Tokyo. He studied wood carving under Shin Naito and drawing under Saburo Okada and Sakujiro Okubo. In 1935, he entered the studio of the sculptor Seibo Kitamura and began studying sculpture in earnest.
In 1938, he submitted his work to the 2nd Bunten exhibition for the first time and was accepted. His works were also accepted at the 3rd Bunten exhibition the following year and at the 4th Bunten exhibition in 1940.
From 1950, he served for ten years as an instructor in the ceramics course at Bizen High School while continuing his own artistic practice.
Urakami excelled in vividly lifelike animal figurines grounded in realism, as well as ceramic statues, plaques, and architectural ceramic walls. He became a leading figure in the field of Bizen ceramic sculpture.
In 1970, he received the Bronze Medal at Le Salon in France, followed by the Silver Medal in 1971. In 1973, his sculpture of a bull received the Gold Medal at Le Salon’s 300th Anniversary Exhibition.
In the same year, he was designated by Okayama Prefecture as a Holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property “Techniques for the Production of Bizen Ware.”
His major works include a ceramic wall at Okayama Airport, a ceramic plaque depicting shogi master Oyama at the Kurashiki Geibunkan, a bust of Toyo Kaneshige at the Bizen Pottery Art Museum, and a ceramic statue of Lord Takanori Kojima in Tsuyama.
In 2000, he collaborated with local artists to create a large ceramic wall depicting horses galloping across a vast grassland for the railway station in Jingdezhen, China.
Zenji Urakami passed away in March 2006.
Major awards and honors include the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals at Le Salon, the Okayama Prefecture Culture Award, the Miki Memorial Award, the Sanyo Shimbun Award, the Chagall Honor Award in France, the Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fifth Class, and the Grand Prize at the Salon de Paris. He also served as a member of the jury for the Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition.
In 1929, he entered the world of pottery as an apprentice to Shunko Nishimura, a master renowned for his decorative and sculptural ceramic works.
After five years of training, Urakami moved to Tokyo. He studied wood carving under Shin Naito and drawing under Saburo Okada and Sakujiro Okubo. In 1935, he entered the studio of the sculptor Seibo Kitamura and began studying sculpture in earnest.
In 1938, he submitted his work to the 2nd Bunten exhibition for the first time and was accepted. His works were also accepted at the 3rd Bunten exhibition the following year and at the 4th Bunten exhibition in 1940.
From 1950, he served for ten years as an instructor in the ceramics course at Bizen High School while continuing his own artistic practice.
Urakami excelled in vividly lifelike animal figurines grounded in realism, as well as ceramic statues, plaques, and architectural ceramic walls. He became a leading figure in the field of Bizen ceramic sculpture.
In 1970, he received the Bronze Medal at Le Salon in France, followed by the Silver Medal in 1971. In 1973, his sculpture of a bull received the Gold Medal at Le Salon’s 300th Anniversary Exhibition.
In the same year, he was designated by Okayama Prefecture as a Holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property “Techniques for the Production of Bizen Ware.”
His major works include a ceramic wall at Okayama Airport, a ceramic plaque depicting shogi master Oyama at the Kurashiki Geibunkan, a bust of Toyo Kaneshige at the Bizen Pottery Art Museum, and a ceramic statue of Lord Takanori Kojima in Tsuyama.
In 2000, he collaborated with local artists to create a large ceramic wall depicting horses galloping across a vast grassland for the railway station in Jingdezhen, China.
Zenji Urakami passed away in March 2006.
Major awards and honors include the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals at Le Salon, the Okayama Prefecture Culture Award, the Miki Memorial Award, the Sanyo Shimbun Award, the Chagall Honor Award in France, the Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fifth Class, and the Grand Prize at the Salon de Paris. He also served as a member of the jury for the Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition.