Matsui Kōsei 松井 康成 1927-2003

Born in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Although a student of the glazing expert Tamura Kōichi, Matsui Kōsei was captivated by the unglazed marbleized colored-clay techniques and became the seminal figure in its revival. As a priest at the Gessō-ji Temple in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Matsui studied numerous examples of ancient Chinese ceramics, allowing him to perfect his neriage. Far surpassing these historic precedents, Matsui created original abstract and geometric surface patterns, often with a rough-hewn texture, using a variety of methods. His research and intense studies in this difficult process culminated in worldwide recognition for his tradition-steeped vessels, so much so that he was designated a Living National Treasure in 1993.

Two of his techniques were born of the same concept and, so it happens, both called "Shōretsu" but written with different Chinese characters. The first shōretsu (嘯裂) refers to rubbing the surface of the clay body with a wire brush or comb, while the second shōretsu (象裂) refers to the process of stacking two to three layers of clay around a tube on a potter's wheel, combing the surface of the clay body, and turning the wheel, resulting in fissures on the surface. The innermost layer of clay is more flexible than the exterior layer, thus, when thrown, the fissures only appear on the outside surface of the vessel.