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.