EXHIBITION CLOSING SOON
Architect of the Bizen Renaissance: Mori Tōgaku
May 7 — June 26, 2026
This May, we are honored to present, in conjunction with Shibuya Kurodatoen Co. Ltd., Architect of the Bizen Renaissance: Mori Tōgaku. While Mori Tōgaku’s (b. 1937) name has become synonymous in Japan with contemporary Bizen ceramics, Architect of the Bizen Renaissance marks the artist’s first solo show and retrospective outside of Japan. Featuring twenty-three works that span the artist’s career, this exhibition presents the remarkable aesthetic diversity that this master ceramist has been able to achieve within the Bizen tradition.
Mori Tōgaku was born on March 23, 1937, in the town of Imbe, historically part of Bizen Province. His family has been making ceramics there since the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when they were officially designated one of the six Bizen ceramic lineages that established the region’s tradition of unglazed, wood-fired ceramics. A true virtuoso in this challenging and often unpredictable ceramic style, Mori Tōgaku has long impressed Japanese art critics with his mastery of highly coveted surface effects, such as scarlet straw marks (hidasuki) and trailing natural ash glaze reminiscent of sesame seeds (nagare goma), both of which can only be achieved through meticulous wood-firing. Mori has spent decades avidly researching historical sherds and kiln sites for clues about historical firing techniques. His efforts to reconstruct the communal Great Kilns used by medieval Bizen ceramists have become a central component of his artistic legacy. Since 1980, Mori has constructed several climbing Great Kilns, including the 53-meter-long Sabukaze Great Kiln and the 85-meter-long New Sabukaze Great Kiln. In this exhibition, we are delighted to present works that were fired in these magnificent kilns.
Mori combines his unrivaled technical prowess with a keenly contemporary and sculptural sense of form. His curvilinear Banded Pattern vessels undulate with dynamic rhythm, while the sharp angles of his geometrically faceted vessels cast intriguing shadows across the surface of his clay. Earlier in his career, he also experimented with techniques not typically employed in Bizen ceramics, such as nerikomi marbleization and oxidized silver or platinum surface decorations, both of which he typically applied to low-fired earthenware. The resulting soft and porous texture of these works is reminiscent of ancient objects unearthed in an archeological dig, imbuing a sense of timelessness to these more experimental designs.
A truly unique ceramic artist, Mori Tōgaku has used his deep knowledge of Bizen ceramic techniques to bring an entirely contemporary expression of Bizen to life. Architect of the Bizen Renaissance offers a wonderful opportunity to explore the artist’s original approach to clay.
To accompany this important retrospective, we have published a fully illustrated catalogue, which features an introduction, scholarly essay by curator Kawakita Yūko, full-color plates of all works in the exhibition, artist biography, and selected references. The publication is available for purchase for $25 including domestic mailing.
To learn more, click here.
UPCOMING EXHIBITION
Colored by Flame: The Artistry of Katō Ryōtarō
July 8 – August 21, 2026
This summer, we are delighted to present Colored by Flame: The Artistry of Katō Ryōtarō, the artist’s first solo show in the United States. Katō Ryōtarō (b. 1974) is an eight-generation descendant of ceramic artists from the Mino region. His grandfather, Katō Takuo (1917–2005), received the prestigious designation of Living National Treasure for his recreation of historical Persian glazes and lusterware techniques, a tradition that Ryōtarō’s father, Katō Kōbei VII (b. 1945) has continued. In contrast, Ryōtarō has returned to his family’s historical ceramic roots: the sensuous ash-based glazes and wood-fired kiln techniques of Japan’s Mino region.
At the heart of Katō’s ceramic practice is the anagama, or tunnel kiln. After lighting the kiln, he spends five days stoking the flames and praying to the gods of fire. Flames and black smoke spout out from the kiln, the interior of which reaches 1300 degrees Celsius. In these extreme conditions, the glaze turns molten and interacts with minerals present in the clay body. Natural ash coats the works, altering the chemistry of the glaze formula it contacts. It is through this process that the works’ unique gradations of color emerge.
Katō likens this process to a collaboration between himself and the kiln, one that requires an act of surrender on his part:
“My work extends to the point of loading the kiln. The rest is up to the kiln gods.”
Yet this is not entirely the case. While the precise result of the firing is in the kiln gods’ hands, Katō’s years of experience with the anagama, or tunnel kiln, has granted him a remarkable prescience that guides him as he loads the kiln and stokes the flames. Blending generations of Mino craftsmanship with a spirit of experimentation, Kato embraces the kiln’s unpredictability, allowing natural processes to leave their mark on every surface. His work honors tradition while pushing it in unexpected directions. While it is the flames that catalyze the alchemical transformation of the works’ surfaces, it is Katō’s hands that orchestrate it. The result is pure magic: sensuous surfaces that shift from blue to green to ochre, each unique expression a trace of the kiln’s flames.
Colored by Flame opens July 7, 2026, and runs through August. The exhibition will feature more than twenty new works featuring six of Katō’s captivating glazing styles, as well as two works of calligraphy by the artist.
To learn more, click here.
Recent Acquisitions
We welcome you to view our recent acquisitions currently on view in the gallery and online.
To learn more, click here.
Videos of Zoom Gallery Talk
Couldn’t make it to one of our gallery talks or want to experience them again? We’re delighted to share that these sessions are now available to watch anytime on our site!
To view them now, click here.
About the Gallery
With more than forty-five years of experience, Joan B. Mirviss is a pillar in the field of Japanese art. As a dealer, scholar, curator, and advisor, she has been the driving force championing the top Japanese clay artists, who she represents exclusively, and whose works she has placed in major museums around the globe. Widely published as a highly respected expert, Mirviss has built many institutional and private collections of Japanese art. JOAN B MIRVISS LTD exhibits modern and contemporary Japanese ceramics, ukiyo-e, and Japanese paintings from its exclusive Madison Avenue location in New York City.
