Shino Type by SUZUKI Osamu, a Living National Treasure: In commemoration of his ninetieth birthday
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Starting from the top left: 1 Tea bowl, shino type, 2023 2 Large dish, shino type, 1991, National Crafts Museum 3 Water container, shino type, 1988 4 Vase sculptural, shino type, 2021 5 Incense burner, shino type, c.2017 6 National Important Cultural Property Tea bowl, “Minenomomiji”, shino ware, nezumi-shino type, 16-17c, The Gotoh Museum |
SUZUKI Osamu（b.1934）is one of Japan’s leading ceramic artist. In 1994, at the age of 59 he was designated as the holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for his work with Shino ware.
Suzuki Osamu was born in Toki City in Gifu Prefecture. After working as an assistant to his father at the Marukō Pottery Factory in Ichinokura, Tajimi City, he decided to pursue the path of a ceramic artist. He became independent in 1966 at the age of 31. Until that time “Shino” was thought to be attainable only in a wood fire; Suzuki, however, endeavored to develop his own unique style by firing his Shino in a gas kiln.
In Shino, Suzuki discovered the extraordinary quality of the Japanese aesthetic sense. To this day, he has not wavered in his pursuit of the “new and powerful” in his work.
The year 2024 marks Suzuki Osamu’s 90th birthday, known as the auspicious sotsuju milestone in Japan. This exhibition introduces new work he created for the occasion, as well as representative works from his early years until the present, devided into four sections. Explanatory columns based around these four themes are also on exhibit.
The work of Suzuki Osamu reflects the importance of his reverence for nature and his own unique aesthetic sense. We hope you will enjoy this exploration of his work, its past and present.
