Photography by Ezaki Yoshikazu
(1927-2003)
Although a student of the glazing expert Tamura, MATSUI KŌSEI was captivated by unglazed neriage (marbleized colored-clay) 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 technique. Far surpassing these historic precedents, Matsui created original abstract and geometric surface patterns, often with a rough-hewn texture, using a variety of techniques. His research and 123 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.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection
Selected Public Collections:
Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Brooklyn Museum, NY
Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Chinese Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
Foreign Ministry of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Ithaca, NY
Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
Hokkaidō Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan
Ibaraki Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Japan
Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, IN
Japan Foundation, New York, NY
Kure Municipal Museum of Art, Japan
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
Portland Art Museum, OR
Saint Louis Art Museum, MO
Seto City Museum, Japan
Shiseidō Museum, Kakegawa, Japan
University of Michigan Art Library, Ann Arbor, MI
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
Large globular neriage (marbleized) vase with rough surface and colored-clay inlays titled, “Himalaya”
1985
Marbleized stoneware
14 x 16 1/2 in.
SOLD
Tree-top patterned, brush-rubbed, neriage (marbleized) rectangular vessel from the series titled Keirin (Beautiful Forest)
1983
Marbleized stoneware
16 1/8 x 6 1/2 x 6 3/4 in.
SOLD
Globular marbleized (neriage) large tsubo (vessel) with rough layers of colored clays
1981
Unglazed stoneware
12 1/2 x 14 3/4 in.
Inv#10274
SOLD
Rare neriage (marbleized) columnar vessel with small raised mouth and sand-blasted texture
1973
Marbleized stoneware
16 1/2 x 11 1/4 x 10 3/4 in.
SOLD
Sen Shun "Early Spring" rectangular vessel decorated with landscape scene
1983
Slip-glazed stoneware
16 x 13 x 6 1/4 in.
Inv# 9774
SOLD
Blue and white neriage (marbleized) vessel with floral patterning
ca. 1988
Marbleized stoneware
8 3/8 x 8 1/2 in.
Inv# 10977
SOLD
White, black, gray and yellow large neriage (marbleized) bowl
1989
Marbleized stoneware
6 1/4 x 19 in.
Inv# 10718
SOLD
Marbleized vessel with tidal-grass patterning
ca. 1989
Marbleized stoneware
11 1/2 x 12 in.
Inv# 10845
SOLD
Round covered-box with colored-clays (neriage) in azure blue, celadon green and white
1989
Stoneware with marbleized colored inlay
5 1/2 x 10 in.
Inv# 6636
SOLD
Globular neriage vase with layers of rough blue, gray and rust colored clays
1982
Marbleized stoneware
9 5/8 x 7 5/8 in.
Inv# 7687
SOLD
