Higuchi Masayuki is a potter pursuing the quintessential spirit of Momoyama ceramics in Gifu Prefecture - the home of Mino ware. He was born and raised in the region, studying ceramics during high school and sculpture at university. His serious pursuit of potting continued with the choice to then apprentice with Bizen Living National Treasure Yamamoto Toshu in Western Japan’s Okayama Prefecture.

Higuchi's life’s work can be seen in many ways as reinvigorating Mino ceramics with a return to wood-firing. The choice to apprentice with a Bizen master is telling - Bizen is known as a region where wood-firing has been an essential practice for centuries. Leaving Gifu for Okayama to absorb these skills and then bring them back to the Mino area is an interesting decision and speaks to Higuchi’s purist tendencies.

There is an attempt to reconnect with and reflect back the natural elements of the mountainous area outside of Tajimi where Higuchi pots and fires today. “I try to reflect senses, emotions, and ideas from a timeless art form through the materials I use. I create things I think are beautiful, that are then brought to life by material and fire.”

Just as during the Momoyama era, Higuchi fires most of his pots in saggars, protecting them from unpredictable kiln effects. However his Youhen pots are fired in the open kiln, fully embracing the wood-fired atmosphere. Youhen translates as “kiln changes” and you can see the rich play of fire with this katakuchi’s shino glaze. Higuchi starves the kiln of oxygen early in the firing which allows ash and soot to build up on the surface and become “trapped”, creating a play of rich orange-browns in the white shino glaze.

Comes with the signed, stamped, and titled wood box, stamped wrapping cloth, and CV.