96. Koinuma Michio 肥沼美智雄

Koinuma Michio was born in Tokyo in 1936. Initially, he studied political science and economics at the universities of Osaka and Waseda. It was not until 1969, at the age of 33, that he opened his Ichimoku-Kiln in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture. His work is characterized by a wide variety of unique, powerful forms, most of which he does not glaze, but are covered with gray ash that makes the surfaces resemble excavated ancient bronzes and ceramics. Some of his works have strong geometric forms; others are more organic, with convex and curved lines. Anyone who sees a survey of his works will be amazed by the great creativity of his forms. Because he rarely repeats himself, each work looks surprisingly different and unique. Yet his works also have something familiar, like images from a history book showing the remnants of a time long gone. Inspired by Kobuko helmets or Haniwa figures from the Kofun period, made with the wazumi technique, where mounds of rolled up clay were built up layer by layer to give shape to the figure. Koinuma Michio follows that technique, but through a process of multiple firing and different techniques, he degrades the surface, giving them a weathered appearance and a patina similar to that of excavated bronzes.
Koinuma Michio is widely appreciated for his unique work. Since 1978, he has been consistently exhibited in the best galleries in Japan and overseas and has won several important awards. In 2001, a review by the leading ceramics magazine Honoho Geijutsu named him one of the most popular potters of the 20th century. Many prominent museums have his works in their collections, including the Taipei National Museum of History, Taiwan; Hong Kong Art Center; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.