Heihen tsubo (vase) in Japanese ceramic by Kato Takuo, Living National Treasure

This heihen tsubo by Kato Takuo, a grand master of Japanese ceramics and a recognized Living National Treasure, is a contemporary decorative piece of great graphic elegance. Its architectural form, with its interplay of textures creating relief, is covered in a light glaze with subtle blue highlights, upon which unfolds a stylized design of flowering plum branches. The composition, both structured and airy, plays with positive and negative space, revealing a keen sense of rhythm and balance. This vase offers an immediate, gentle, and elegant interpretation of a distinctly Japanese spirit, while bearing the signature of a major 20th-century ceramicist.

The ceramist

Kato Takuo (1917 - 2005) was born in Tajimi, in the Mino region, one of the most important historical centers of Japanese ceramics. His career was marked by in-depth work on ancient glazes, notably influenced by a pivotal stay in Iran in the 1970s, where he came into direct contact with Persian ceramics.

Recognized for his technical mastery and for his contribution to the rediscovery of historical palettes, he was officially designated a Living National Treasure of Japan in 1995. His works are preserved in several Japanese public collections, and some of his major pieces are displayed in museums, where his work is studied for the quality of his research on enamels and for his contemporary approach to traditional forms.

His work spans from ambitious research pieces displayed in museums to elegant decorative creations. This vase belongs to the latter category, designed to be integrated into contemporary interiors, where Mino's expertise, graphic sensibility, and Japanese purity converge.

The technique and the decor

The heihen tsubo (flattened jar-vase) is shaped by hand, then carefully refined to achieve its gently undulating surfaces that softly capture the light. The vase is covered with a light glaze characteristic of Kato Takuo's work, offering a luminous and subtly nuanced surface.

The decoration is painted under the glaze using mineral pigments. The deep blues come from cobalt, while the reddish-brown tones are derived from iron oxides. The deliberately simplified motifs of branches and plum blossoms (ume) evoke a stylized, almost calligraphic, landscape. This decorative approach prioritizes the balance of the composition and the interplay between lines and spaces, giving the vase a presence that is at once gentle, structured, and distinctly contemporary.

Presentation
The vase is signed at its base by the ceramist. It comes with its original wooden protective box (tomobako), also signed and bearing the artist's seal. Period: Heisei era (1989-2019)

Place of manufacture
Japan, Mino (Gifu Prefecture).

Dimensions
Height 17.5 cm - Width 15.5 cm - Depth 6.2 cm

Weight
Vase + box: 1.3 kg

Materials
Glazed ceramic

Condition
In good condition