Gold Faceted Tawami Bowl

Takeo, Saga Prefecture, is a town rich in nature with high quality hot springs, located next to Arita, a major porcelain production area. Hideki Yamamoto is a ceramic artist who has been engaged in pottery making for more than 20 years at the foot of Kurokami-yama Mountain, on the border between Takeo and Arita.

Hideki, an admirer of Lucie Rie’s works and a student of Shiro Banura, developed the black glaze “gen-yu”, which has become a signature of his, during the course of his research into Rie’s glazing style. The gilded glaze used in this work is an adaptation of that glaze with a coloration closer to gold. The carefully faceted shape (known as mentori in Japanese) and glowing bronze-like tone of the glaze have a subtle elegance, and a fascinating complex texture that exists between smoothness and roughness. The simple and modest, yet imposing appearance of this bowl is a picture in itself. Hideki’s works, however, follow the spirit of his master who loved dishware, always making us vividly imagine what they will look like when they are used to serve special cuisine. The true value of this work appears most clearly in the moment of enjoying food.