Bizen Yaki is one of Japan’s most famous pottery art, with a history that goes all the way back to the Heian period (794-1185). It is characterised by its simple dark grey stoneware body, shaped and fired for a long period in the kiln without glaze, thus creating subtle gradations with distinctive colouring, such as brick-red, brown and deep bronze. Bizen Yaki experienced its peak during the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600) as its rustic and undecorated qualities were praised by masters of tea ceremony.
The National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo will be exploring the charms of Bizen Yaki and its expression of the very earth from which it comes from. This exhibition features an impressive selection of Bizen Yaki, from the ko-Bizen (ancient Bizen) masterpieces of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1600), to works by modern ceramists and young artisans of today who are enchanted by ko-Bizen. There will also be a display of Important Intangible Cultural Properties at the museum’s Crafts Gallery until May 6.