Uichi Shimizu

Uichi Shimizu was born in 1926 to a family running a wholesale ceramics business on Gojo Street, Kyoto.
Although he moved on to a commercial high school after completing his primary education, he was deeply captivated by the works of neighbourhood wheel-throwing artisans, which sparked a growing passion for crafting pottery himself.
He eventually left school and, at the age of 14, became an apprentice to Munemaro Ishiguro at his studio in Yase.
 
After a six-month apprenticeship with Ishiguro, he went on to study at the Kyoto Municipal Ceramic Research Institute, where he worked as an assistant until 1945. Following the end of the war, he established a studio at his home in Gojo, formally embarking on his dedication to ceramic making.
 
In his earliest period, Shimizu participated in the formation of the avant-garde ceramic group "Shikokai" in 1947, producing works influenced by a growing contemporary movement that sought new sculptural expressions through clay.
He later turned his attention to the research of glazes, including white matte, yuzu-hada (citron-skin), and oxidation-fired kaki (persimmon) glazes, crafting powerful, large-scale vessels and submitting them to exhibitions.
 
He joined the Japan Kogei Association upon its establishment in 1955, and around this time his relationship with Munemaro Ishiguro deepened once again. His dedication to glaze research continued, focusing on kaki (persimmon), yuteki (oil spot), and seiji (celadon), and his style gradually shifted toward one inspired by the lineage of Chinese ceramics.
 
In 1970, at the age of 45, he left Gojo and relocated his kiln to the foot of Mount Horai in Shiga Prefecture, establishing the "Horai Kiln" where he built the climbing kiln he had long desired. From this period onward, he produced a succession of works featuring ice-crackled celadon and iron glazes, which would later become his signature pieces. Through repeated
research into clay and glaze materials collected in the Horai area, he also developed new glaze expressions, including Horai-ji, Moegi-ji, and Tansei-yu. In recognition of these achievements, he was designated a Preserver of Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for his iron glaze techniques in 1985, at the age of 60.
 
Around 1987, he began creating works using a new technique, Tetsuyu-Shironagashi (iron glaze with poured white slip). Gradually moving away from the influence of Chinese ceramics, he developed a new artistic direction characterised by dynamic forms that embraced the natural softness of the clay, paired with glaze expressions that further enhanced these shapes. He also began producing calligraphy, incorporating it into his ceramic works. By inscribing bold, vibrant characters—such as 雪月花 (Snow, Moon, Flowers), 春夏秋冬 (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter), 柳風 (Willow Wind), and 山花野 (Mountain Flowers, Fields)—onto his soft forms, his creations evolved into dynamic masterpieces that can be seen as the culmination of his lifelong devotion to pottery.
 
These works also seem profoundly intertwined with his daily life in Horai. Enjoying sweetfish fishing, growing vegetables in his field, and walking through the mountains in search of raw materials for clay and glazes—a quiet resonance with this rich natural environment seems to breathe organically within his art.
 
Throughout his life, his techniques and forms remained in constant evolution. Yet in his late works—soft sculptural forms in iron glaze boldly layered with white glaze—there is a sense of a subtle echo of his early pieces.