12.  Mitsukuni Misaki   美崎光邦

Mitsukuni Misaki was born in 1951 in Ichikawa. He graduated from law school before devoting himself to ceramics. An encounter with legendary ceramics scholar Koyama Fujio (1900-1975) inspired him to pursue a career in clay. In 1979, he became self-employed in Owase, Mie Prefecture, where he founded Misaki Ceramics. In 1986, he moved his kiln to Tomisato in Chiba Prefecture and changed the name to Yoyogama Kiln. His work is characterized by a rustic stillness of shapes and colors and a melange of hues. He does not use a potters wheel, but prefers  to build his forms by hand, giving the surface a sense of tension and making the works seem almost weightless. The color is produced by using four layers of blue and white slip that he rubs into the surface of the clay. These are then fired at high temperature into stoneware pots and their slightly distorted forms create an impression of limitless space and time. He has described his search for form and color as "Rothko-ing" (after Mark Rothko and his colorfield painting), referring not only to his serene two-color palette, but also to the meditative process underlying Rothko's practice, which is also of eminent importance to Mitsukuni Misaki, and is reflected in the serene tranquility of his work.  It aligns closely with the meditative element in Japanese culture, and Misaka is therefore highly regarded in Japan. He has participated in many exhibitions, and numerous important galleries and museums, such as the Ippodo Gallery in New York, have exhibited works by Mitsukuni Misaki.

Slip-Glazed Decorated Vase, Bonhams New York, March 2023