Ceramic vase from the Shiroi Hensubō series by Yagi Kazuo

This light-colored ceramic vase, handcrafted by Japanese ceramicist Yagi Kazuo, belongs to a series known as shiroi hensubō . Its irregular shape, narrower on some sides and wider on others, presents strikingly contrasting profiles depending on the viewing angle. The entire piece was hand-modeled without the use of a potter's wheel, following an asymmetrical approach characteristic of this series. The light-colored clay contains fine, dark inclusions visible on the surface. Left unglazed, the surface displays a pronounced grain and granular texture, which catch the light unevenly. The overall effect expresses a direct relationship between gesture, material, and form.

This piece belongs to a series known as shiroi hensubō, an expression that could be translated as "deformed white vase," which Yagi Kazuo developed in the 1970s based on research into raw materials and organic forms. The hand-modeling, without the use of a potter's wheel, accentuates the sculptural aspect of the object, which seeks neither symmetry nor uniformity. The interior is smoothed, while the exterior appears to have been deliberately left irregular, revealing the roughness of the bare clay.

Kazuo Yagi (1918–1979) is one of the leading figures in contemporary Japanese ceramics. Founder in 1948 of the Sōdeisha movement alongside Junkichi Kumakura and Hikaru Yamada, he marked a decisive break with the functional tradition of ceramic arts in Japan. From his earliest works, he rejected the conventions of wheel throwing, refused utilitarianism, and sought to give ceramics an autonomous status within the field of modern art. His pieces, often abstract, borrow novel forms from the plant, mineral, or anatomical worlds, oscillating between sculpture and intimate architecture. Represented in major museums in Japan and abroad, his works are part of the collections of the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art, the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Musée National de Céramique in Sèvres. He is considered one of the pioneers of avant-garde ceramics in the 20th century. The Sōdeisha movement, which he founded and of which he remains the most influential figure, profoundly renewed the perception of ceramics, affirming freedom of form and experimentation with materials. A detailed article on our website traces the aesthetic stakes of this essential movement; you can find it via this link .

This vase, which dates from the 1970s, is signed (engraved) under its base. It is presented in its signed (tomobako) wooden box, calligraphed with the name of the series (shiroi hensubō -白い扁壷) and the artist, accompanied by his red seal (the box shows some signs of wear).