Kumakura Junkichi (熊倉順吉), Japanese, 1920-1985

A Flattened Stoneware Vase (扁壷)

Showa Era (1926–1989)

About the work

An example of avant-garde Japanese ceramics, this flattened stoneware vase by Kumakura Junkichi stands as a testament to the artist’s pioneering role in postwar Japanese pottery. Known for his sculptural approach and experimental glazes, Kumakura blurred the lines between vessel and sculpture.

The vase's organic, asymmetrical form is finished in a richly textured green ash glaze, accentuated by earthy ochre and natural ash deposits that developed during high-temperature firing. The mouth is small and sharply defined, contrasting with the bulbous, compressed body that gives the piece a sense of tension and presence.

Signed at the base with the artist’s impressed mark, this work is housed in its original tomobako and comes with a leaflet, further confirming its provenance.

Dimensions

26cm(h) x 20cm(w) x 8cm(d)

Footnote

Kumakura Junkichi (1920–1985) was a pioneering figure in Japanese sculptural ceramics. A graduate of the Kyoto Institute of Technology, he apprenticed under Tomimoto Kenkichi before becoming a core member of the avant-garde Sōdeisha group. His works, inspired by jazz improvisation and bold artistic expression, earned him numerous accolades, including the Japan Ceramic Society Prize and international recognition at the Brussels World Exposition (1958) and the International Ceramics Exhibition in Prague (1962).