74. Yabe Shunichi   矢部俊一

Yabe Shunichi was born in Ibe, Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture in 1968.
He comes from a family of Bizen greats, His grandfather, Yamamoto Tohshu was appointed as Living National Treasure for Bizen yaki, and also his father Yabe Atsuo was a renowned Bizen master. Despite that background, Yabe Shunichi initially wanted to become a sculptor, and thus graduated from the sculpture department of Nagoya University of Arts. Only after graduating as a sculptor did he train as a potter and apprentice in Inbe, Okayama with his grandfather and then with his father after which he established himself as an independent ceramicist. His background as a sculptor offered him insight into other possibilities within the traditional pottery traditions of Bizen. Although still functional, Yabe Shunichi's works are primarily sculptural with an individual creative dynamic not found in the traditional ceramic works of Bizen, one of the most famous and prosperous of the "six old kilns." Bizen yaki is unglazed, high-fired stoneware with natural decorative effects, which occur from the iron-rich clay, the pine wood used for firing, and the cords of straw in which the works are wrapped, leaving brilliant red streaks after burning. It has long had appeal because of its unwavering adherence to the requirements of wabi-sabi simplicity and functionality. That adherence to time-honored aesthetics has prevented real development into other forms and techniques. Shunichi Yabe and a few like Isezaki Koichiro with him, signal a new direction with more emphasis on sculpturalism, less on functionality but with respect for tradition. His works are stripped of excess, minimal and abstract and very contemporary in design, but at the same time remain imbued with everything Bizen is known for. Shunichi Yabe has participated in many national and international exhibitions, winning many awards including the Kikuchi Biennale in Tokyo, the National Art Exhibition and the International Ceramics Festival in Mino. His work is in the collection of the British Museum in London and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, among others.