Ken Matsuzaki (松崎建), Japanese (b. 1950)

An Oribe Tea Bowl (織部茶碗))

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

About the work

A powerful Oribe tea bowl by Ken Matsuzaki, one of Japan's most celebrated contemporary ceramic artists. Trained under Living National Treasure Shimaoka Tatsuzō, Matsuzaki is renowned for his expressive reinterpretations of traditional Mashiko and Momoyama-period ceramics. This work exemplifies his mastery of Oribe ware, where bold green glazes, vigorous throwing, and the spontaneity of wood firing combine to produce a vessel of remarkable vitality.

The tea bowl is robustly thrown with gently flaring walls and a slightly irregular cylindrical form, embracing the aesthetic of intentional asymmetry prized in Japanese tea ceramics. The exterior is articulated with deeply incised horizontal throwing rings that accentuate the bowl's substantial presence. A rich Oribe glaze flows generously over the warm stoneware body, cascading into translucent layers of emerald, olive, and amber, where the glaze pools and breaks across the ridges to reveal subtle variations in colour and texture.

The base bears the artist's impressed seal, and the tea bowl is accompanied by its original signed wooden storage box (tomobako) and the artist's information sheet.

Dimensions

10cm(h) x 12.3cm(w) x 12.2cm(d)

Footnote

Ken Matsuzaki, born in 1950 in Tokyo, is a renowned ceramic artist trained at Tamagawa University's School of Fine Arts. After apprenticing under Tatsuzo Shimaoka in Mashiko, he established his kiln, Yuushin Gama. Known for blending traditional Shino, Oribe, and yohen glazes with modern aesthetics, his works are celebrated worldwide and included in prestigious collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum.