Kyoto, June 13, 2024 ― Sokyo Annex (Kawaramachi Nijo) is pleased to present the Special Exhibition 'Moriyasu Kimura: The Spirit of Tenmoku - Radiance till the end of Time'.
As Kimura's first solo show, the exhibition will include his representative tenmoku works 'Nogime Tenmoku Tea Bowl', 'Yuteki Tenmoku Tea Bowl', as well as works that expresses Kimaru's life long pursuit and unique reprensation of tenmoku such as 'Shoju Tenmoku Water Jar', ' Yōhen Nogime Tenmoku Tea Bowl', 'Tenmoku Tenku Tea Bowl', 'Tenmoku Andromeda Tea Bowl'. The exhibition will feature approximately 20 pieces, including the 'Tenmoku Manyao Tea Bowl' which is from the same series that have been collected by NASA.
The history of Tenoku has transcended 9000 years and continues to captivate people to this day. Among these, the iridescent Yōhen Tenmoku has been described as "a universe seen within a vessel", and during the Muromachi period (1336-1573), when Karamono (artworks and objects imported from China) was at its peak, it was positioned as the pinnacle of all tea bowls. Today, the only three surviving examples of Yōhen tenmoku in the world are in Japan, they belong in the collection of the Ryukoin Temple of Daitokuji (Kyoto), the Fujita Museum (Osaka) and the Seikado Bunko Art Museum (Tokyo), all of which are designated as national treasures.
“Often what goes well once does not mean it will again. I wanted to use each opportunity of having firing one or two pieces in order to pursue for a unique type Tenmoku of my own.” ― Moriyasu Kimura
Kimura’s encounter with tenmoku started when he first saw the national treasure Yuteki Tenmoku in the Ataka Collection (now the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka) at a young age. In a field where most have attempted to reproduce the classics, rather than using the Yuteki tenmoku as his starting point, Kimura has always pursued his own vision of Tenmoku. The tenmoku changes infinitely each time it is fired therefore often producing results that are unpredictable. Kimura says that the joy he feels when he creates a Tenmoku that matches his own image is immeasurable.
The ‘Yōhen Nogime Tenmoku Tea Bowl’ illuminates a captivating beauty created of complex colors formed from gold, blue, and green. In China, the nogime pattern represents the fine hairs of a rabbit’s fur, and in Japan, it references to the fine fibers growing out of the rice plant. While this exhibition features his ‘Shoju Tenmoku Water Jar’ Kimura also produced a number of excellent ‘Shoju Tenmoku Tea Bowl’ which was first created in 1978 that features an exquisite pattern resembling pine bark.
When Kimura shined a spotlight onto his work in his studio he asked "How is it? It's amazing, isn't it?”. What was being shown was the glistening radiance of tenmoku, a natural color that rose out of the jet black. This effect is made from the iron glaze that Kimura sprays onto the piece which boils and mixes within the kiln, achieving a mysterious touch. The sensation of being almost taken within by the diverse colors of tenmoku and its finely sharpened expression, captivates its audiences beyond borders and generations.
Turning 90 next year, this exhibition will feature some of Kimura's most prominent representative works from his 70 years of tenmoku creating, and will exemplify the infinite possibilities of tenmoku.
Moriyasu Kimura
Born 1935 in Gojozaka, Kyoto, based in Yamashina since 1966. His father, Shigeru Kimura (1895-1971), was a painter of Kyoto pottery. His oldest brother Morikazu (1921-2015), and third brother Morinobu (1932-) are ceramicists. Studied as a research student at the Kyoto Municipal Craft Guidance Institute in 1954, and studied under his eldest brother, Morikazu, in 1957. Major collections include the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Kyoto University, Kyoto State Guest House, The Museum of Kyoto, Kansai University Museum (Osaka, Japan), Kamigamo Jinja Shrine (Kyoto, Japan), Kasuga Taisha Shrine (Nara, Japan), Ise Shrine (Mie, Japan), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Massachusetts, USA), Harvard Art Museums (Massachusetts, USA), NASA ( Washington D.C., USA), Wolfsonian Art Museum-Florida International University (Florida, USA), British Museum (London, UK), National Palace Museum (Taipei, Taiwan), and many others.
For more information and images, please contact:
info@gallery-sokyo.jp / Tel: 075-746-4456
