Henko ceramic kakeai yakishime akae vase by Tomoo Hamada

This vase by master ceramicist Tomoo Hamada is rooted in the tradition of Mashiko yaki (Mashiko pottery), which was profoundly shaped by the Mingei movement. Descendant of three generations of ceramicists, Tomoo Hamada continues the work of his grandfather Shōji Hamada, a Living National Treasure and co-founder of the Mingei movement, while developing a distinctive artistic language recognized both in Japan and internationally.

With its slender silhouette, contrasting textures, and polychrome graphic decoration, this vase embodies a resolutely contemporary aesthetic in which functional pottery meets sculptural creation.

The Ceramicist

Tomoo Hamada (born in 1967 in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture) belongs to one of the most prestigious lineages in Japanese ceramics. The grandson of Shōji Hamada (1894–1978), a Living National Treasure and co-founder of the Mingei movement alongside Sōetsu Yanagi and Kanjirō Kawai, he is also the son of ceramicist Shinsaku Hamada.

After studying sculpture at the Tama Art University, from which he graduated in 1989, he completed a research course in fine arts in 1991 before joining his family’s studio in Mashiko. He has developed a distinctive body of work that combines traditional techniques with research into form, glazes, and decoration. Since 2008, he has led the third generation of the Hamada studio, and since 2012, he has also directed the Shōji Hamada Memorial Mashiko Sankokan Museum, dedicated to his grandfather’s legacy.

His international reputation is reflected in numerous exhibitions in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, notably at the Leach Pottery in St Ives and the Pucker Gallery in Boston. His works are held in the permanent collections of major institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. He also plays a major role in passing on the traditional skills of Mashiko and in fostering artistic exchange between Japan and the West.

Technique and Decoration

Tomoo Hamada continues the traditional techniques of Mashiko while conducting personal research into form, glaze combinations, and polychrome decoration. He notably uses layered iron-based glazes, contrasts between glazed surfaces and exposed clay, and akae decoration (polychrome decoration with a predominantly red color scheme), created by applying colored glazes to a previously fired surface. This technique produces reds, greens, and yellows with bold tones, whose vibrancy contrasts with the more mineral colors of the base glazes.

This henko vase (flattened vase) combines a light glaze in shades of cream and gray with large dark, almost black areas, whose variations reveal the richness of the glaze work. The composition is based on alternating bands of exposed red clay and glazed surfaces animated by stylized geometric and botanical motifs. The red, green, and ochre decorations are applied in successive lines and strokes, forming repetitive compositions whose colors and rhythms sometimes evoke textile patterns. The layering of surface treatments and the reserved areas that define the different zones contribute to the visual depth of the decoration.

Through this combination of materials, colors, and textures, Tomoo Hamada renews the aesthetic of Mashiko yaki (Mashiko pottery) while maintaining a close relationship with the materials and skills passed down by his family. His resolutely contemporary language here transcends the vase’s purely functional role: its architectural silhouette, powerful contrasts, and rhythmic motifs give it a truly sculptural dimension. Designed to hold flowers as well as to be admired, this vase stands as a work of art in its own right, its visual presence transforming the space in which it is placed.

Presentation
This vase is accompanied by its tomobako (signed wooden box), bearing the name of the work, the ceramicist’s signature and seal, as well as a shiori (information document) detailing the ceramicist’s profile.

Place of Manufacture
Japan, Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture

Dimensions
Height 21 cm - Width 23.5 cm - Depth 9.8 cm

Weight
2.6 kg with box

Materials
Ceramic

Period
Heisei Era (1989–2019)

Condition
In very good condition