Bizen Guinomi

Masahiro Miyao was drawn to Bizen ware, an art born from clay and fire, and learned ceramic techniques in the historic pottery district of Ibe. This is a newly fired Kuro-Guinomi by the artist.

Alongside his Bizen works, Miyao has continued to produce black pieces, and in this latest work an exceptionally beautiful indigo tone has emerged, immediately drawing the eye.

With conventional black works created using a clay slip, blue tones may sometimes appear in areas affected by scorching or other kiln transformations. In this piece, however, the indigo seems to seep out across the entire surface, revealing once again the remarkable depth and complexity of black ware.

Not all of the black has been transformed into indigo. Inside the Guinomi, a deep and clear black clay surface remains, creating a particularly mysterious interplay of color.

The generously accumulated natural ash glaze flows toward the front while drawing the black clay slip into its movement. A shell placed beneath the work to prevent adhesion during firing caught this flow and left an exceptionally large shell mark resembling a suction cup.

Because the form was shaped with extensive spatula cuts, variations in both the natural ash glaze and the indigo tones have developed across the surface. These changes in color and depth further enrich the already exceptional appearance of the work.

He was born in 1970 in Fukuoka prefecture.
He became a potter in Okayama prefecture in 1991.
He has been a disciple of Yuichi Yamamoto since 1995.
He became independent as a potter in 2001.