A true veteran of the Kasama pottery scene, Osama Tsutsui’s stoneware is known widely for its elemental quality and dramatic forms. Born in Nagano, Tsutsui studied with the potter Isamu Miura in Tokyo in the late 1960s, and emerged from the craft and design scene of this period.

He built the kiln he still works at in Kasama, together with the house next to it, in 1976. Tsutsui’s large pieces are held in collections, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and combine a confidence in form with the markings of natural glaze from ash movements in his kiln. He also makes work for the table, and can be found with his wares at Kasama ceramic fairs. These items too show the power of Tsutsui’s ceramic imagination, and his skill.