MICHITAKA FUKUNO
An important potter in Kasama, Michitaka Fukuno has an original style that revolves around pattern and form. In contrast to the traditional materials based image of Japanese ceramics, Fukuno’s work expresses a kind of perfection in composition and form.
It remains however, entirely handmade, which each pattern, colour and idea a directly achieved product of his ceramic imagination. A potter in Kasama since the 1990s, Fukuno originally apprenticed to the master potter Motohiko Ito before establishing his own base. From here, he seeks a kind of harmony in his work, and a finish that at time resembles fabric in its skilfully achieved texture. Fukuno’s mind is a riot of colour, but one that is tightly controlled and delivered to sometimes intricate and imposing forms. Always retaining a warmth, the combination of pattern with the skill of craftsperson is an element that makes Fukuno’s work special to observe, and to own.