Tsujimura Yui

Koichi Yanagi, New York

Born in 1975, Tsujimura Yui is the first son of the contemporary ceramic artist Tsujimura Shiro (b. 1947). In a similar manner to his father, Yui regards himself as self-taught. Although he observed his father at work from a young age, he never apprenticed for him, setting up his own kiln after graduating from school. The techniques and aesthetics of early medieval Sue ware is perhaps the greatest influence on his work. Sueki [lit. Sue vessels] are unglazed stoneware fired above 1000°C. They often take the form of large storage jars or flasks and are decorated in the restrained palette of natural ash glazes of blue, green and grey. Yui is noted for his rapturous experimentation and sophisticated use of natural ash glaze.