Six Celestials: Tomimoto, Ishiguro, Kawai, Kamoda, Okabe & Tanaka S: Asia Week New York 2026

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For Asia Week New York this coming March, Joan B Mirviss LTD, in collaboration with Shibuya Kurodatoen, Co., LTD, presents Six Celestials, an exhibition featuring masterpieces by six artists whose seminal careers established the foundations of contemporary Japanese clay art. By placing their diverse bodies of work in conversation, the exhibition highlights the ways in which each of these twentieth-century icons helped pave the way for the emergence of Japanese ceramics as it exists today—one of the most dynamic and exciting fields of contemporary art.

Born as the nineteenth century drew to a close, three of the artists in this exhibition played critical roles ushering Japanese clay into the twentieth century. As the founder of the ceramics department at Kyoto City University of Arts and longtime professor, Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963) was a fierce advocate of individuality, a trait that is captured in his own elegantly formed and decorated porcelain vessels as well as in the diverse body of work that has been produced by his many students. The work of Ishiguro Munemaro (1893-1968) is bold and undeniably modern even as it was rooted in the ancient Chinese techniques that he dedicated his life to researching. In contrast with these contemporaries of his, both of whom were designated with the prestigious title of Living National Treasure for their work, Kawai Kanjirō (1890-1966) held true to the spirit of the Mingei (folk art) Movement he helped pioneer by eschewing official honors or recognition for his undisputed mastery of historical glazes.

As representatives of the next generation, the remaining three artists of this exhibition developed their ceramic legacies in the second half of the twentieth century. Though he studied the historical glazes of Shino, Oribe, and celadon, Okabe Mineo (1919-1990) breathed new life into these traditions with his innovative and entirely unique forms. With his ever-evolving palette of glazes, patterns, and forms, Kamoda Shōji (1933-1983) created some of the most evocative and sought-after works of the twentieth century. Finally, Tanaka Sajirō (b. 1937) continues to hone his skills in the art of wood-firing with natural glazes to create vibrant and contemporary works inspired by the historical tradition of Karatsu wares.

This exhibition features more than forty masterpieces equally distributed between these six artists, many of which have been exhibited and published in Japan. Works by these luminaries can be found in the collections of prominent museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Art Institute of Chicago, IL; National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, D.C.; National Museums of Modern Art, Kyoto and Tokyo; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Musée Tomo, Tokyo; Victoria & Albert Museum, London; and Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN.

Six Celestials opens on March 19 and runs through April 24.

The gallery is open to visitors weekdays, 11am to 6pm and by appointment.

Opening March 19, 2026, as part of Asia Week New York

Opening Party: March 19, 2026, 5pm–8pm

For Asia Week New York, Joan B Mirviss LTD presents Six Celestials, an exhibition featuring selected masterpieces by six artists whose seminal careers established the foundations upon which contemporary Japanese ceramics has been built. Each of these artists combined their unrivaled technical expertise in historical ceramic traditions with a unique and compelling artistic vision. By placing their diverse bodies of work in conversation with one another, the exhibition highlights the ways in which each of these twentieth-century icons helped pave the way for the emergence of Japanese ceramics as it exists today—one of the most dynamic and exciting fields of contemporary art.

It is impossible to overstate the impact of Tomimoto Kenkichi's (1886-1963) legacy on contemporary Japanese ceramics. During his lifetime, he embodied a radically new vision of the ceramist as an artist rather than an artisan or craftsperson. Unlike the majority of his generation's ceramists, he was not born to a family of potters, nor did he ever formally apprentice in the trade. Instead, he received a thoroughly Western education, studying abroad in London before graduating from Tokyo Art School (now Tokyo University of the Arts), where he studied architecture and design. Throughout his career, he proudly proclaimed himself an "amateur" ceramist, an identity that was critical in the freedom it provided. Tomimoto fervently pursued originality in his work and avoided copying the work of past masters at all costs. He spent time sketching in nature to develop the meticulous polychrome enamel overglaze patterns for which he was designated a Living National Treasure. As the founder of the ceramics department at Kyoto City University of Arts, Tomimoto was also at the center of the university's emergence as the training ground for the next generation of cutting-edge Japanese ceramic artists. As a teacher, he taught his students to pay attention to the relationship between form and decoration and instilled in them the critical value of originality. Indeed, many of his students went on to become leaders of the field who successfully cemented the status of Japanese clay in the world of contemporary art.

The son of a wealthy family, Ishiguro Munemaro's (1893-1968) decision to pursue ceramics was inspired by an early encounter with one of only three extant Song-dynasty yōhen tenmoku teabowls designated as national treasures (Inaba tenmoku). Captivated by the radiance of this lost glazing technique, Ishiguro dedicated his life to the pursuit of historical Chinese glazes. Having never formally apprenticed under any specific teacher, Ishiguro taught himself ceramics primarily by creating copies of historical wares. Over the course of his experiments, he perfected a wide range of historical styles, including Raku, Tang sançai (three-color), Mishima, and Karatsu. He was particularly lauded for recreating the highly difficult persimmon tenmoku glaze as well as the konoha (leaf print) tenmoku technique. His mastery of historical glazes earned him the designation of Living National Treasure in 1955. Despite their solid roots in the foundation of East Asian ceramic tradition, Ishiguro's ceramics even today retain a remarkable air of originality. Ishiguro used his repository of historical techniques in never-before-seen combinations while introducing fresh and contemporary motifs that express his unique vision as an artist.

In contrast with these two contemporaries, Kawai Kanjirō (1890-1966) intentionally eschewed formal honors-including the title of Living National Treasure-for his masterful work, remaining true to the spirit of the Mingei (folk art) movement that he helped pioneer. He began his career in ceramics in 1910, when he enrolled in the ceramics division of a university in Tokyo. Upon graduation, he took a job at an important research center in Kyoto that specialized in historical East Asian ceramic techniques. There, he was said to have mixed the formulas for more than ten-thousand glazes. While this is likely an exaggeration, Kawai used his time there to develop his remarkable mastery of historical glazes from China, Korea, and Japan that later served as the foundation of his success as a ceramic artist. Through careful control of the glaze formula and firing conditions, he was able to achieve a wide range of unique and highly coveted effects. A notably prolific artist, Kawai used these to create distinctive designs and motifs on mold-cast ceramic forms, which he then fired in the climbing kiln he had built in the heart of Kyoto's Gojōzaka Kiyomizu ceramic district. Over the course of his career, Kawai transcended the very category of Mingei that he had helped define as his works developed from their roots in historical techniques to incorporate thoroughly modern elements of abstract expression. 

Okabe Mineo (1919-1990) was born to a family of ceramists in the historic ceramic center of Seto. As a child, he was mentored in the world of clay by his grandfather, Kanō Kuwajirō, who would take him to clay pits and historic kiln sites. Okabe's father, Katō Tōkurō, was a renowned scholar of Momoyama-period ceramics and a ceramist in his own right, but the two were never close. Indeed, Okabe elected to change his surname from Katō to Okabe, his wife's maiden name, in 1978. By the time he started training at the Aichi Prefecture Seto Ceramics School, Okabe's skills already surpassed those of many of his instructors. It was not until 1947, however, that he began his ceramic career in earnest. Though he struggled with fragile health and family challenges until his death in 1990, Okabe created a diverse oeuvre of natural glazes and ceramic forms over the course of his career. At the core of his work is the relationship between clay forms and the classical glazes that adorn them. The creviced and textured surfaces of vessel bodies that he carved, incised, and impressed with a variety of tools draw attention to the seductive way in which the colors of his Oribe and ash glazes shift as pool and drip over the vessel forms. In contrast, Okabe tended to apply his Shino and celadon glazes over simpler clay forms, allowing the texture of the glaze itself-from the softly dimpled surface of Shino glaze to the deep craquelure that runs through his celadon-to take center stage. The exception to this rule-his celebrated celadon Jōmon series-proved to be the acme of his career. Okabe's brilliant work earned numerous awards and remains highly coveted even today.

As a youth during World War II, Kamoda Shōji (1933-1983) discovered a passion for painting when it was not safe to play outside. His talent was quickly recognized, earning him awards at local exhibitions. When it came time to start university, however, he chose to pursue ceramics, a medium in which he had no experience, at the Kyoto City University of Arts ceramics department that had just been founded by Tomimoto Kenkichi two years prior. The time that he spent under Tomimoto's tutelage was transformative. Like his mentor, Kamoda had no family roots in the world of Japanese ceramics, allowing him the freedom to pursue his own exploration of the medium's potential. After graduating, he worked for a mass-market ceramic production company for two years before moving to northeastern Japan, where he came into his own as an independent artist. Embracing Tomimoto's call for originality, Kamoda's oeuvre is characterized by constant experimentation and transformation. At each of the two to three solo shows he held each year, he debuted unique bodies of work that employed new forms, glazes, techniques, and motifs that were highly sophisticated and fully realized as works of fine art. Each of these bodies of work contained the seeds of what was to come next, and Kamoda's complete oeuvre can be understood as a unified logical progression. This astonishing feat earned him a devoted audience of passionate collectors. Though his life was cut tragically short by leukemia at the age of 49, the legacy of Kamoda's twenty-year ceramic career continues to shape the current trajectory of contemporary Japanese clay art.

The only artist in this exhibition still living, Tanaka Sajirō (b. 1937) is even today energetically creating ceramics at nearly the age of 90. A native of Kyūshū, he was long drawn to the region's historical Karatsu ceramic tradition that is rooted in the aesthetics and techniques developed by potters in Joseon Korea. He has also been involved in archeological excavations of Jōmon and Yayoi kiln sites. As a ceramist, Tanaka specializes in the so-called Korean Karatsu (chōsen Karatsu) style, which is characterized by the striking pairing of two or more high-contrast glazes that drip sensuously over one another when fired in the kiln, creating a vivid spectrum of colors where they merge. He infuses his ceramics with a sense of poetry and spirituality gained from long years of cultivation as an ordained Zen Buddhist priest.

In many ways, the six celestials featured in this exhibition were pioneers under whose stewardship Japanese ceramic art was carried through the twentieth century. Born at the close of the nineteenth century, Tomimoto, Ishiguro, and Kawai all played critical roles ushering Japanese clay into this new period during a time of great turbulence and transformation in Japanese history. As the apogees of the following generation, Okabe, Kamoda, and Tanaka built their ceramic legacies in the second half of the century, shaping the trajectory of Japanese clay in the post-war world. While their careers took radically divergent paths, all six of these artists embody the ideal unity of technical prowess and independent artistic perspective that has allowed Japanese ceramics to emerge forcefully into the realm of first-rate contemporary art.

—Nicolle Bertozzi