Ono Hakuko

Exhibitions
- Touch Fire
  Contemporary Japanese Ceramics by Women Artists 9 Oct 2009 - 28 Feb 2010
  
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- Lyrical Images
  Poetry and Japan's Visual Art 14 Nov - 23 Jan 2008
  
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biography

Ono Hakuko's works are elegant in form and classical in decoration. Ono excelled at the ancient Chinese technique of applying gold foil beneath the glaze, having learned this difficult skill from Katô Hajime. Gold foil is applied to the surface and the adhered with a layer of lacquer, which melts in a low-temperature firing. Then the piece is fired again after being glazed with a translucent colored glaze. Geometric designs in gold sparkle from below Ono's application of translucent blue or yellow glaze, giving an impression of delicacy and sumptuousness.
1915 Born in Aizu Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture
1941 Father Ono Kozan established a kiln in Saga Prefecture. Hakuko helped him to produce ceramic works
1964 Inspired by the National Living Treasure Katô Hajime's work, she began to use a new technique, yûri kinsai, or applying gold foil underneath the colored glaze
1969 First entry to Japan Crafts Western Division Exhibition
1970 Won entry to Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition
Asahi (Shinbun) Bronze Prize at Japan Crafts Western Division Exhibition
Second Prize at Kyusyu Mainichi Ceramics Exhibition
1971 Asahi (Shinbun) Gold Prize at Japan Crafts Western Division Exhibition
Bought by National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
1980 Receive the Japan Ceramic Association Award, for the second time as a woman ceramist
1992 Designated as a living cultural important treasure of Shiga Prefecture
1996 Passed away
2003 Retrospective Exhibition at the Yûfuku, Tokyo

Reference:

The Contemporary Potters and Works in Japan, West Division (Tokyo: Shogakkan, 1996): 38-39.

Selected Public Collections:

National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Guest House (Geihinkan), Tokyo
Sidney Museum of Art, Australia
Atsui Art Museum
artist-header
bio pt 1

(1915-1996)

In the enormously male dominated world of clay, by 1980, ONO HAKUKO was only the second female ceramist to receive the prestigious Japan Ceramic Society Prize. She received this award for mastering the difficult yūri-kinsai (gold foil underglaze) technique that she learned from Living National Treasure Kato Hajimē (1900-1968), and then further refined according to her aesthetics.

The meticulous process of yūri-kinsai is time-consuming and begins with unglazed bisque firing, creating a bare surface upon which the design is sketched in cobalt. Then, the cut and incised gold leaf is applied to the clay body. A layer of clear or lightly colored enamel is applied to the body before the second firing. Next, a painted design is sometimes applied to the enameled surface and the vessel is fired for a third time at a very low temperature to prevent melting the metal foil. As a result of this careful process, Ono’s works reveal a marvelous depth of surface and delicate, detailed designs that are enhanced by their elegance of form and an occasionally carved surface. Her acceptance into the man’s world of clay at that time helped to pave the way for a future generation of talented women artists.
bio pt 2

Selected Public Collections:

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand
Hamilton Gallery, Hamilton, Australia
The Guest House (Geihinkan), Tokyo, Japan
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo, Japan
Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
Musée National des Arts asiatiques (Musée Guimet), Paris, France
Musée Tomo, Tokyo, Japan
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA
Tsurui Art Museum, Niigata, Japan