25760 Living National Treasure SHIMIZU Uichi

Height 7.0cm
Diameter 7.2cm

He studied Chinese pottery under Ishiguro Munemaro, a Living National Treasure for "iron-glazed pottery." After serving as an apprentice at the National Kyoto Ceramic Testing Center, he served as an assistant in the ceramics department at the Kyoto Municipal Industrial Research Institute. He then devoted himself to pottery, mainly in his home pottery studio, and was recognized as a Living National Treasure for "iron-glazed pottery" at the young age of 59, the youngest person ever to be recognized as such at the time. This is the finest work by Shimizu Uichi, a world-renowned potter who moved his pottery studio to the foot of Mount Horai in Kosai, Shiga Prefecture, in his later years and continued to work there. This work was made at Horai Kiln, built at the foot of Mount Horai, which is rich in nature, and the fact that the name of the kiln has been passed down to the work shows how special it was to Uichi. By using materials from Mount Horai and stones containing iron, the Tenmoku style has a unique warmth and depth, and is called "iron-glazed."