Modern Japanese Studio Pottery Oribe Moon Flask Vase by Ken Matsuzaki

A contemporary studio ceramic vase made by Japanese potter Ken Matsuzaki (1950-). The vase showcases distinguished "moon flask" form with shoulder loops. The moon flask form was widely recorded first in Tang Dynasty China, most likely arrived from the Mideast countries via the silk road. It was originally used as drink vessel for the nomads and the loops were used to tie it to the horse-centered owner. The exotic form persisted in Chinese ceramic production through Ming to Qing dynasty. The form is unusual in Ken Matsuzaki's work. The artist covered the vase with a thick dripping Oribe green glaze partially revealing the unglazed part of the body, which is decorated with scrolling pattern in left by ash glaze. The work is rooted in both Yohen Shino glaze technique and Oribe tradition, but interestingly it also paid homage to Sancai pottery in Tang Dynasty when green glaze was prominently used to drip and splash onto the pottery. Viewing the vase, one can see in this harmonious piece, the innovative reinterpretation of ancient aesthetics that cross the cultures, geology and time. The base is marked with the artist's signature. The vase comes with an inscribed tomobako storage box with the artist's bio and wrapping cloth with seal. The vase measures 8.6"h x 7"w x 2"d.
Ken Matsuzaki’s haptic ceramics bring a contemporary approach to traditional Japanese ceramicware, most notably 16th-century Oribe pottery. His irregular vessels, tea bowls, and sake cups reflect the artist’s singular process of kiln firing combined with more than two decades of experience on the wheel and in dynamic handbuilding. Matsuzaki has exhibited widely in Japan; he gained a greater international profile after his inclusion in a 2003 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that explored the lasting influence of Oribe. Since 1977, Matsuzaki has worked at his studio in Mashiko, where he built the unique anagama wood-fired kiln that produces the expressive glaze effects for which he is known. Inspired by the philosophy of the Mingei movement—which privileged “ordinary people’s crafts”—Matsuzaki’s ceramics are the results of a humble and painstaking approach. His works are in such collections as the Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. (From Artsy)