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Transcendent Kyoto
Transcendent KYOTO
Head-Image
As the capital city of Japan for over a thousand years, Kyoto was more than just its longstanding center of politics and power. Venerated as the heart of Japan's rich cultural heritage, Kyoto claims as its own many of today's top artists who found a natural home where living tradition endures, and where creating with one's hands using exceptional skill has been continuously nurtured and highly valued for centuries. These artists' creative lifeblood stems from the city itself, where aesthetics and beliefs intersect and ancient and modern coincide. Reflective of a unique environment in which artists of different backgrounds and interests are constantly intermingling and working side by side, the artworks from Kyoto are unmatched in their imagination, creativity, and technical excellence. This winter, Joan B Mirviss LTD celebrates the artistry of this eternal city of the East in Transcendent Kyoto.
Available Works
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FUJINO SACHIKO (b. 1950)
Stoneware with matte glaze in white with gradations of gray
2020
Stoneware with matte glaze
13 7/8 x 16 3/4x 12 1/2 in.
$ 11,000
KATSUMATA CHIEKO (b. 1950)
Biomorphic vessel in form of a pumpkin
2007
Matte white, orange, and turquoise-glazed stoneware
9 1/2 x 15 x 13 1/8 in.
$ 11,000
KITAMURA JUNKO (b. 1956)
Top-shaped vase decorated with punched designs titled “Vessel 2000-A”
2000
Stoneware with black-slip and inlaid with white-slip
5 3/4 x 11 5/6 x 11 5/6 in.
$ 6,750
YAGI AKIRA (b. 1955)
Carved round incense burner (kōro) with textured flaring skirt
2012
Bluish-white glazed porcelain with original box
5 1/4 x 4 1/4 in.
$ 3,450
KONDŌ TAKAHIRO (b. 1958)
Coppery green horizontal, rectangular vessel with silver mist overglaze and clear, crystalized glass cover
2005-06
Porcelain with green, blue, and metallic-beaded glazes
9 1/8 x 17 1/2 x 5 1/8 in.
$ 19,500
KAWAI KANJIRŌ (1890-1966)
Blue ceramic covered chevron box, decorated in the design of floral patterning in trailing slip
ca. 1952
Glazed stoneware
4 x 5 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.
$ 22,000
KIYOMIZU ROKUBEY VII (1922-2006)
Sekikatō 5; Chair-like vase #5
1988
Yellow and rust irabo-glazed stoneware with original box
10 x 5 1/2 x 5 3/4 in.
$ 8,500
YAMADA HIKARU (1923-2001)
Matte white slightly gourd-shaped vase
ca. 1964-8
White glazed porcelain
8 3/4 x 6 in.
$ 4,750
YAMADA HIKARU (1923-2001)
White glazed columnar vase with repeated linear designs in black on a short raised foot
ca. 1975
9 1/2 x 6 3/4 in.
Glazed stoneware
$ 6,750
KIYOMIZU ROKUBEY VII (1922-2006)
Rounded square wood-ashed glazed vase
1957
Irabo–glazed stoneware with original box
6 1/8 x 6 7/8 in.
$ 18,000
KITAŌJI ROSANJIN (1883-1959)
Shigaraki gourd-shaped standing vase with square opening
1940
Glazed stoneware with Totōan box
9 1/4 x 3 5/8 in.
$ 18,500
KURIKI TATSUSUKE (1943-2013)
Columnar, slightly bent vessel with woven-pattern decoration
1987
Stoneware with resist-applied iron slip decoration and thin silver glaze with original box
10 1/2 x 5 3/4 in.
$ 39,000
KONDŌ YŪZŌ (1902-1985)
Blue-and-white glazed, faceted large vessel decorated with mountain landscape and gold overglaze ground
ca. 1973
Glazed porcelain with original double box
12 1/4 x 12 in.
Price on Request
SUZUKI OSAMU (1926-2001)
Deizō “Kajin"; Clay Figure “Fireman”
1989
Stoneware with iron slip glaze with original box
21 1/4 x 16 x 6 1/4 in.
Price on Request
KITAŌJI ROSANJIN (1883-1959)
Oribe type square vessel with iron-oxide decoration of reeds and birds
ca. 1950
Glazed stoneware with original box
3 3/8 x 7 1/2 x 7 5/8 in.
Price on Request
WADA MORIHIRO (1944-2008)
“Wind-and-grass” patterned, sand-treated rectangular vessel with angled foot and mouth
1982
Slip-glazed stoneware
10 1/4 x 10 1/2 x 6 3/4 in.
$ 13,500
KITAŌJI ROSANJIN (1883-1959)
Iga-glazed, round, cream-colored vessel with natural green ash glaze pooling
ca. 1950
Iga ash-glazed stoneware with original box
2 1/8 x 10 in.
$ 16,500
TANIMOTO KEI (b. 1948)
Iga-glazed, straight-sided teabowl with irregular mouth and extensive kiln effect
2018
Glazed stoneware
3 3/4 x 5 1/8 x 4 3/4 in.
$ 3,850
AKIYAMA YŌ (b.1953)
Softly walled, oblong, open-topped with central vertical element, wheel-thrown sculpture; Untitled MV-207
2020
Unglazed stoneware with rusted iron coating and slip with blue pigment along the exterior lower area
6 1/4 x 14 1/8 x 10 1/4 in.
$ 8,800
YAGI KAZUO (1918-1979)
Small cylindrical vase with stamped decoration of geometric patterns
ca. 1974
Glazed stoneware with original box
8 3/8 x 2 1/8 in.
$ 3,500
KATSUMATA CHIKEO (b. 1950)
White chamotte-encrusted sculpture in the form of conjoined pillars
2019
Glazed chamotte-encrusted stoneware
13 7/8 x 9 x 7 in.
$ 4,500
YAGI AKIRA (b. 1955)
Seihakuji (bluish-white-glazed) rounded rectangular shallow footed bowl with furling rim and two carp in relief in interior
ca. 1995
Glazed porcelain
5 1/4 x 17 1/8 x 10 1/4 in.
$ 6,750
YAMADA AKIRA (b. 1955)
Red and black striped flaring vase with ovoid, scooped mouth
2014
Slip-glazed stoneware
11 7/8 x 11 x 10 1/2 inches
$ 3,800
KONDŌ YUTAKA (1932-1983)
Columnar vase with impressed patterning and extended thin circular base
1982
Textured black-glazed stoneware with white slip inlays with original box
10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.
SOLD
KONDŌ TAKAHIRO (b. 1958)
Sometsuke gintekisai wan; Bowl with silver mist
2021
Glazed porcelain with silver mist overglaze
3 1/8 x 6 1/2 in.
SOLD
YANAGIHARA MUTSUO (b.1934)
Round teabowl with pink, yellow, and green scalloped pattern over an irabo-glazed ground
1988
Glazed stoneware
3 3/8 x 5 1/4 in.
SOLD
NAGASAWA ROSETSU (1754-1799)
Large oni (fierce demon) with giant sembei cracker
Mid-1790s
Ink and color on paper
Hanging scroll
50 3/8 x 21 5/8 in. (exclusive of mount)
Price on Request
MATSUMURA KEIBUN (1779-1843)
Pair of shoreline scenes depicting cranes and a small fishing village
1838
Ink and color with flecked gold leaf on silk
Pair of 2-fold furosaki (sleeping) screens
Original storage box signed by artist, dated Tempō 8 (1838)
18 x 61 in. (painting); 24 x 72 1/2 in. (with mount) each
$ 25,000
SUZUKI KIITSU (1796-1858)
Blue morning glories paired with blossoming bottle gourd vine
ca. 1850
Ink, color and gold on silk with original box by Shuitsu,1864
Pair of hanging scrolls
65 x 13 1/8 in. (each scroll); 32 x 9 3/4 in. (exclusive of mount)
Price on Request
ŌTSU-E
Tengu (supernatural creature) and elephant comparing noses
Late 18th century
Ink and color on paper
Hanging scroll with box
Exhibited-Published: Otsu-e. Ōtsu City Museum of History, 1997
13 x 9 1/2 in. (exclusive of mount)
$ 12,800
YAMAMOTO SHUNKYO (1871–1933)
Hokubei kishō zu; Beautiful View of North America (Yosemite)
ca. 1905
Ink and light color on silk with original mount and box
Hanging scroll
44 1/4 x 15 3/4 in. (exclusive of mount)
$ 8,800
SUZUKI HIROSHIGE II (1826-1869)
Kintai Bashi (The Brocade Sash Bridge); At Iwakuni, Suo Province
Shokoku Meisho Hyakkei; 100 Famous Views of the Provinces
1859
Ōban-tate-e
$ 9,500
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)
Kameido tenjin taikobashi; Drum Bridge at Kameido Tenjin Shrine
Shokoku meikyô kiran; Remarkable Views of Famous Bridges in Various Provinces
ca. 1834
Ōban yoko-e
$ 28,500
KIKUGAWA EIZAN (1787-1867)
Courtesan with sake cup and food tray
Suryô of Chôji-ya
Series: Beautiful Parodies of Seven Lucky People,
Date: ca. 1815
Ōban tate-e
$ 8,500
KAWASE HASUI (1883-1957)
Aoba Castle, Sendai (Sendai Aobajō)
Collection of Scenic Views of Japan, Eastern Japan edition
(Nihon ūkei shū higashi Nihon hen)
December 1933 (Shōwa 8, 12th month)
Ōban tate-e
$ 3,850
KASAMATSU SHIRÔ (1898-1991)
Main gate of Tokyo University in snow
Red Gate at Hongô in Snow; Hongô akamon no yuki
1935 (Shôwa 10)
Shirô
Kasamatsu
Watanabe Shôzaburô
Ōban yoko-e
$ 2,750
TRANSCENDENT KYOTO
Joan B Mirviss LTD
Now open online and in gallery by appointment
Please contact director@mirviss.com or 212-799-4021
Marked by periods of flourishing production in different aesthetic styles, Kyoto’s cultural economy thrived under generous patronage from the gentry, and later, from a growing wealthy merchant class with discerning taste, in all kinds of arts: textile, lacquer, metalwork, painting, and ceramics. Some Kyoto families consider artistry their birthright, such as three generations of ceramic artists from the KONDŌ family, represented here: Living National Treasure KONDŌ Yūzō (1902-1985), KONDŌ Yutaka (1932-1983), and KONDŌ Takahiro (b. 1958). Each man embraced a different aesthetic from their direct familial predecessor, and the visual diversity is on full, sumptuous display.
But far from being stuffy traditionalists, Kyoto’s artists were also challenging accepted norms and creating new artistic movements in the modern era. The Sōdeisha Movement, which broke wide open ideas about functionality in ceramics, was founded in Kyoto by SUZUKI Osamu (1926-2001), YAMADA Hikaru (1923-2001), and YAGI Kazuo (1918-1979), among others, all of whose bold, defiant sculptural works are presented in this show.
Reflective of a unique environment where aesthetics and beliefs intersect and ancient and modern coincide, the artworks from Kyoto are unmatched in their imagination, creativity, and technical excellence.
In the early postwar period, Kyoto was the site of a groundbreaking ceramic arts degree program, spearheaded by the father of modern Japanese ceramics, TOMIMOTO Kenkichi (1886-1963). On display is his work and those of his many influential students, such as WADA Morihiro (1944-2008), KUMAKURA Junkichi (1920-1985), and KURIKI Tatsusuke (1943-2013). A consummate Kyotoite, MIYASHITA Zenji (1939-2012) was not only the son of a celebrated clay artist but also studied with TOMIMOTO Kenkichi and KONDŌ Yūzō at Kyoto City College of Fine Arts. Beyond his training, though, his interactions with SUZUKI Osamu and YAGI Kazuo inspired his distinctive saidei (layered clay) works that combined abstraction and landscape using ambitious techniques into daring, sculptural forms. A beautiful example from this beloved artist is a highlight of the show.
This seismic shift in ceramic training, from father-to-son to university professor-to-student, enabled women for the first time to become ceramic artists, and some of the most accomplished are featured in Transcendent Kyoto. KATSUMATA Chieko (b. 1950) is represented with a creamy akoda (pumpkin) vessel in soft, vegetal tones of orange and green; FUJINO Sachiko (b. 1950) takes another natural form – blossoming flowers – and reinterprets them into striking geometric sculptures. The youngest of this cohort is TANAKA Yū (b. 1989), whose trompe l'oeil furoshiki (wrapped parcels) sculptures are of clay imitating the characteristics of cloth. And of truly local inspiration, the incised-pattern vessels of KITAMURA Junko (b. 1956), a pupil of KONDŌ Yutaka, are painstakingly imprinted by hand, a technique first prompted by observing as a child the process of textile designers in Kyoto.
Kyoto has also produced some of Japan's very best painters across the centuries. Working in the Maruyama-Shijō tradition of naturalism, first established by MARUYAMA Ōkyo (1733-1795), from whom there will be one master painting dating to his prime circa 1776, Transcendent Kyoto features a large scroll painting by the incomparable NAGASAWA Rosetsu (1754-1799). Also on display is a very fine pair of two-fold sleeping screens by MATSUMARA Keibun (1779-1843), whose spring landscape with cranes showcases his precise and delicate brushwork. Alongside these master paintings is a selection of fine Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e), which will focus on scenes from Kyoto.
About Joan B. Mirviss LTD
With more than forty-five years of experience, Joan B. Mirviss is a pillar in the field of Japanese art. As a dealer, scholar, curator, and advisor, she has been the driving force championing the top Japanese clay artists, who she represents exclusively, and whose works she has placed in major museums around the globe. Widely published as a highly respected expert, Mirviss has built many institutional and private collections of Japanese art. JOAN B MIRVISS LTD exhibits modern and contemporary Japanese ceramics, ukiyo-e, and Japanese paintings from its exclusive Madison Avenue location in New York City.
For more information, please contact us at 212-799-4021.
