Kakurezaki Ryūichi

Kakurezaki Ryiuichi is highly celebrated artist whose exhibitions in Japan often sell out within minutes of opening. Kakurezaki was born in Nagasaki on the island of Kyushu, and now lives and works in Imbe, the ancient home of Bizen ware. He has the advantage of being viewed as an outsider in Imbe, which allows him to experiment in ways that most of the other 500 potters working there cannot. While he works within the tradition of Bizen, his work is quite aesthetically different from conventional Bizen wares. His fresh and independent vision has inspired other potters to contend with classical forms, and has already established a standard of his own.

“I do not intend to create something avant-garde in the Bizen style. My works are always functional, and I create ‘crafts’ that are indispensable for everyday life. I think it important that professional potters should create something in response to the needs of our society. My preference is to be seen as a craftsman whose work is avant-garde, rather than an avant-garde artist.”
-Honoho geijutsu, no.67. Abe Shuppan, 2001: pp. 16-17

1950 Born in Fukue, Nagasaki
1973 Graduated from Osaka University of Art
1985 Guest artist, Skidmore College, NY
1990 Became an official member of Japan Craft Association
1991 Featured on TV program, Studio Visit “Tsukuru (create)” by NHK
1996 Commissioned wall piece, a health facility Picasso, Kanazawa
1999 Lecturer, Shigaraki Ceramic Park Museum, Shiga
2005 Guest artist at master’s workshop at Harvard University
2006 Guest lecturer at “Ceramics at Harvard” “Bizen: Generational and Cultural Crossover”

Awards:

1982 Sanyō Newspaper Prize, Okayama Prefecture Art Exhibition (also in 1989)
1985 Guest Instructor at Skidmore College, NY
1986 Issui Prize at the 48th Issui Ceramic Art Exhibition (also in 1990)
1988 Grand Prize, the Fifth Contemporary Tea Ceremony Utensils Exhibition, Tanabe Museum (also in 1993)
1989 '89 Prize, the 1st Ceramic Arts Bienniale
1993 Encouragement Award, Containers for Flowers Exhibition, the Sōgetsukai
1995 Grand Prize, the 8th MOA Okada Mokichi Award
1996 The Japan Ceramics Association Award
1997 Sanyō Newspaper Grand Prize, the 48th Okayama Prefectural Exhibition
2008 Excellent Prize, the 2nd “Ceramics for Tea Ceremony” Exhibition, Tomo Musée,
Tokyo
2009 “Kaneshige Tōyō” prize, Japan Traditional Craft Competition in Chugoku area

Selected Public Collections:

Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Everson Museum of Art, New York, NY
Higashi Hiroshima Museum, Hiroshima
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN
Musée Tomo, Tokyo
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
Sèvres National Ceramic Museum, France
Tanabe Museum
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

"I do not intend to create something avant-garde in the Bizen style. My works are always functional, and I create ‘crafts’ that are indispensable for everyday life. I think it important that professional potters should create something in response to the needs of our society. My preference is to be seen as a craftsman whose work is avant-garde, rather than an avant-garde artist.”

KAKUREZAKI RYŪICHI in Honoho Geijutsu 67 (2001): pp. 16-17