Wakao Toshisada (若尾利貞), Japanese, b.1933

A Nezumi Shino Jar (鼠志野壷)

Showa Era (1926-1989) or Heisei Era (1989-2019)

About the work

A refined Nezumi Shino jar by celebrated Mino ceramic artist Toshisada Wakao, whose work is renowned for its quiet elegance and masterful interpretation of traditional Shino aesthetics. Gracefully potted with a softly rounded body and gently tapering shoulders, the vessel embodies the restrained beauty that has distinguished Wakao's ceramics for decades.

The jar is enveloped in a luminous Nezumi Shino glaze, ranging from pale grey to milky white, richly animated by countless iron freckles and subtle crimson fire markings created during the wood firing. Areas of darker charcoal along the shoulder and mouth provide dramatic contrast, while the exposed iron-rich clay at the rim and foot adds warmth and visual depth. Fine crazing beneath the glaze further enhances the tactile quality of the surface, inviting close appreciation.

The jar is signed on the base and is accompanied by its original signed wooden storage box (tomobako).

Dimensions

21.2cm(h) x 19cm(w)

Footnote

Wakao Toshisada (born 1933) is a leading ceramic artist from Tajimi, Gifu, a historic center of Mino ware. Largely self-taught, he began studying ceramics in 1949 and gained recognition through exhibitions in the 1960s. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1970 and received numerous awards, including the Mino New Artist Award and the Kato Kohei Prize. His works are held in major institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Designated an Intangible Cultural Property holder in both Tajimi and Gifu, he is celebrated for his expressive reinterpretation of Momoyama Shino.