Gallery
Yasuo Tominaga
冨永保雄
KILN
玄洋窯 Genyou Gama, Fukuoka City, Japan
HERITAGE
唐津 Karatsu, trained under Master Eguchi Souzan
人里離れた山あいの
土の中には
私が手にしたこともない
土の華の魂が
人知れずねむっている様な きがします。
そんな土と自分の
出会いを求めて
歩んできた年月です。
Deep within the soil of secluded mountain valleys,
there seem to rest,
unnoticed and unseen,
the hidden blossoms of clay,
their souls yet to be unveiled.
The passing years
in search for such an encounter—
between that clay,
and myself.
- 冨永保雄 Yasuo Tominaga
A lifelong pursuit
With over fifty-seven years devoted to pottery, Tominaga Yasuo's reputation has been built quietly through decades of work, peer recognition, and a lifelong commitment to the craft.
Trained in Karatsu under Master Eguchi Sōzan beginning in 1969, Tominaga belongs to a lineage deeply connected to Karatsu tea ceramics. His works have been selected repeatedly for the Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition and the West Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, receiving recognition and awards throughout his career. He is also an associate member of the Japan Kogei Association.
Yet what defines Tominaga-san is not his exhibition history. It is the character of his work.
Beyond Rustic Beauty
The word that comes to mind is delicacy 繊細.
Tominaga's chawan, cups, and teapots possess the earthy character of traditional tea ceramics, yet reveal an uncommon refinement. Through subtle adjustments of proportion, balance, and surface, he transforms rustic beauty into something remarkably delicate. His vessels embody the spirit of wabi-cha — not through deliberate ruggedness, but through a deeply cultivated sensitivity that rewards closer attention and years of use.
Despite nearly six decades at the wheel, Tominaga-san continues to experiment with forms, clay bodies. He makes his own original ash glazes from natural plant materials such as strawberry vines and local vegetation.
The same spirit extends to his teaching. He shares his knowledge generously, finding fulfillment not in recognition, but in witnessing a student's moment of discovery.
The search continues today at Genyo Kiln.
Genyou Gama
玄洋窯
Perched on a quiet hillside above Fukuoka, Genyo Kiln overlooks the city below and the waters once known as Genyo Bay. Removed from the bustle of urban life, it is a place Tominaga chose deliberately — a setting that offers both solitude and inspiration.
The wooded slope behind the kiln remains part of his creative practice. Bamboo becomes spatulas, branches become tool handles, and vines are transformed into teapot handles. With each season, the landscape quietly changes, from spring cherry blossoms that envelop the property in pink to the flowers carefully arranged at the entrance each morning.
Genyou Kiln reflects Tominaga-san's lifelong interests. Clay, tea, plants, fish, tools, and handmade objects all share the same space. A showroom, a tatami room, and an irori hearth overlook the city below, creating an environment that feels less like am atelier, and more like an extension of the maker himself.
Step into Tominaga's world — one shaped by a quiet appreciation for clay, tea, nature, and the beauty found in everyday life.
3 Defining Expresssions, 50 Years of Refinement
黄伊羅釉
KI IRA Glaze
IRABO-yu, a yellow-toned runny glaze associated with the Korai 高麗 Korean tea-bowl, fired to bring out warmth and depth in the surface. The glaze result varies with individual artist's glaze recipe and firing temperature — no two applications behave identically.
粉引
KOHIKI
An iron-rich clay body coated in white slip before glazing. The slip allows artist to leave their touches — creating both natural and gestural variation. Its porous nature allows the vessel to absorbs and evolves its tone overtime from usage.
炭化 / 蒸し焼
TANKA / MUSHI YAKI
Carbonized, smoke-fired surface treatment — pieces are exposed to smoke during firing, producing dark, smoky effects that shift across the surface. Unrepeatable by nature; the smoke moves differently every time.
The Katakuchi
片口
Often mistaken for a "matcha bowl with a spout" by visitors to Japan, the katakuchi is in fact a traditional vessel with a much longer history.
Distinguished by its pouring spout formed as part of the rim, the katakuchi has been a familiar presence in Japanese pottery for centuries, most commonly used for serving sake and occasionally food at the table.
Refined through generations of use, it embodies a quiet understanding of balance, proportion, and beauty. Its recent adoption for matcha preparation — whether for sharing tea among several drinkers or creating contemporary beverages, offers an opportunity to rediscover the vessel beyond its modern use.
This became the starting point of our commission with Tominaga-san.
We wanted to explore whether a form shaped by centuries of Japanese aesthetic sensibilities could bring greater meaning to contemporary tea rituals.
At this very moment, katakuchi is a vessel created for one tradition which continues to enrich another.
And in the process, reconnect people with the history, craftsmanship, and cultural memory embedded within the katakuchi.
Irabo Katakuchi
Kushime Ash-Glaze Katakuchi
