Bizen Guinomi

This is a Bizen Guinomi by Toho Yamamoto, a Living National Treasure renowned for an unmatched, almost “divine” level of craftsmanship and for creating countless masterpieces.

This work bears the late-period seal used after Toho—who began his career as an artisan—lived through a turbulent era and was later recognized as an Important Intangible Cultural Property holder of Okayama Prefecture.

The perfectly balanced and refined form is deeply satisfying to look at, reflecting the mastery of a potter who devoted his entire life to the wheel.

Through the Yamamoto family’s distinctive firing method—using a combination of mixed hardwood and split red pine—deep green Goma has appeared across the surface, creating a scene that conveys both the strength of the flames and a quiet sense of wabi-sabi, so characteristic of Toho’s work.

The exposed clay body is equally distinctive. On the front, the “uncovered” area has developed a strong metallic, gold-like sheen, as if the surface were coated in metal.

Judging from the box inscription, the seal, and the overall style, this is a work from Toho’s very late period. Yet the foot trimming is quick and precise, showing no hint of age—suggesting a craftsman whose body retained its technique beyond logic or theory.

He was born in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture in 1906.
He was accredited as a Living National Treasure in 1987.
He died in 1994.