Yumiko Kuga is a Japanese potter living in New York City whose unique sensibility is defined by elegance, warmth, and graceful lines.  Her pots have organic shapes that are subtlety textured in a wide range of earthen tones.  They evoke images of the jubilant serenity of nature and are a celebration of life.

-Susan Coates, PhD, Columbia University

Korogari

Vase by Yumiko KUGA

Yoshit Sasayama was born in Iga, Japan in 1953. He started learning Pottery in 1972 when he was businessman. He quit his job and became full time potter in 1986. He had his first solo exhibition in 1993. He has been having solo and group exhibitions since.

Sanada-Himo is the flat woven cord. The tecknique of weaving came from China to Japan at around the 9 to 10 century.  In the beginning this cord did not have any name until the 16th century one of the well know worriors named Masayuki Sanad wrapped around his sword handle with this cord since then people started to call this woven cord as SANADA-HIMO.  We still use this cord to tie the woden box which very often contain the high quality tea bowl for the tea celemony.

Tenugui is cotton cloth, used mainly as a towel, or head coverinig, was one of the most common house hold items up until a few decades ago,  when the terry cloth towel became popular.  Now they are valued for their aesthetics (because of the various patterns and designs), rather that for practical use.  they are commonly used now as Placemats or for decoration.

Hipparidako 「ひっぱり蛸」

Shoichi Hatanaka was born in Sabae, Fukui, Japan in 1941.  He started working for Tsuyoshi Yamagata Shikki-ten (Urushi Lacquer Company) in 1959.  He opened Hatanaka Studio in 1965, has been working out in his studio, and  exhibits frequently in Japan.

Akutsu Masato was born in 1976 and grew up in Mashiko Town, Tochigi, Japan which is famous for Mashiko Pottery. He finished the training couse at the Tochigi Prefectural Ceramics Training Center in 1999 and works at the Akutsu Ceramics Studio since 2000. He received Judge’s Special Award in Mashiko 4th Annual Pottery Convention.

Gaku Kuroda was born in Suwa, Nagano, Japan in 1948. He studied Pottery in Kyoto when he was 25 years old and moved to Hagi and opened his studio in 1977, when he was 29.