Wada Morihiro

As a student, Wada was heavily influenced by his teacher Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963). Wada’s techniques include a variety of decorative styles, such as black and white inlays, wax-resist, carving, under glaze, blue-and–white (sometsuke), and blown-on glaze. Moving from Kansai to Ibaraki Prefecture and into the ceramic town of Kasama enabled him to break free of more traditional aesthetics and develop his own repertoire of motifs and techniques more closely aligned to the work of Kamoda Shōji (1933-1983). For many decades he has been the most widely sought-after Japanese artist working with polychrome decorated surfaces. His sudden and early death in 2008 has left an enormous hole in the world of contemporary Japanese ceramics.

1944 Born in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture
1967 Graduated from Kyoto City Fine Art College (current Kyoto City University of Arts and Music), studied under Tomomoto Kenkichi, Kondo Yūzō, Fujimoto Nōdō, Shimizu Rokubei while in the college, met Hamada Shōji and Kamoda Shōji in Mashiko during the college years
Started to create his works at the kiln site in Aki-city, Kōchi Prefecture
1969 Built a kiln with other ceramicists and held annual exhibitions in Kochi (until 1974)
1976 Built his own kiln in Kasama city, Ibaraki Prefecture
1983 Became an official member of the Japan Traditional Crafts Association
Commissioned Wall piece, Asahi Seimei Building, Tsuchiura
1990 Resigned from Japan Traditional Crafts Society
1997 Commissioned Wall piece, Ibaraki Government Building, Ibaraki
2002 Named a professor at Tōhoku Art and Craft University
TV program, Shumi Yūyū-Tōgei Nyūmon-Wada-ryū de Tsuchi to Asobu (The Hobby of Ceramics - Playing with clay in the style of Wada), NHK
2008 Passed away at age 64

Awards:

1980 Gold prize, the Faenza International Ceramics Exhibition, Faenza, Italy
Prize of Excellence, the North Kanto Ceramics Exhibition
1987 Main prize, Japan Ceramics Exhibition
1988 Japan Ceramic Society Award

Selected Public Collections:

Kure Municipal Museum of Art, Kure City, Hiroshima
Ogawa Museum of Art, Tokyo
Ibaraki Museum of Modern Art
Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art
Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts
Faenza International Museum of Ceramics, Italy
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Musée National de Céramique, Sèvres, France
Musée National de la porcelaine Adrien-Dubouché, Limoges, France
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Mint Museum of Art, North Carolina
New Orleans Museum of Art
Newark Museum, New Jersey
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Victoria and Albert Museum