Kakutani Hideaki (角谷英明), Japanese (b. 1945)

A Celadon Plate with Orchid Design (青白磁胡蝶蘭文尺皿)

Showa Era (1926-1989), Heisei Era (1989-2019) or Reiwa Era (2019-present)

About the work

A refined celadon plate by Kakutani Hideaki, master potter of the Namari kiln, celebrated for his luminous blue-white porcelain. Measuring 30cm across, this work exemplifies his skill in merging elegance with functional form.

The wide circular body is finished with a delicate celadon glaze, its surface enriched by a softly incised and shaded depiction of orchids (胡蝶蘭). The design, both subtle and graceful, appears to emerge naturally from the translucent glaze, embodying Kakutani’s signature aesthetic of restraint and refinement.

The plate is preserved in its original signed tomobako (wooden storage box), ensuring authenticity and provenance.

Dimensions

3.9cm(h) x 30.3cm(w)

Footnote

Kakutani Hideaki was born in 1945 in Osaka Prefecture, the third son of Kakutani Ikkei, a tea kettle master and Living National Treasure. He completed his studies at Kyoto City University of Arts, where he studied under Kondo Yuzo and Shimizu Kubei. He later continued his research on seihakuji (blue-white porcelain) at the Monemon Kiln and Ichii Kiln of Kyushu Sangyo University. In 1983, he established his own kiln in Nabari City and became independent.

Since then, he has been selected 13 times for the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, beginning with the 30th exhibition. He received the top prize (Japan Kogei Association Award) twice at the Tokai Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, and also won awards at the Osaka Craft Exhibition, where he is now exempt from jury screening. His work has been featured in the Izushi Porcelain Triennale, the Tanko Biennale Tea Art Exhibition, and the Shiga Prefectural Ceramic Forest exhibition “Expressions of Glaze and the Beauty of Ceramics,” among others.