Yohen Guinomi

Born as the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki, Koichiro Isezaki brings a fresh spirit to the world of Bizen ware through his exceptional sense of design and remarkable skill in forming clay. This is a newly fired Bizen Yohen Guinomi by the artist.

Fresh from the kiln in July 2026, it is one of his latest works.

While making full use of the distinctive qualities of Bizen clay, Isezaki skillfully incorporates elements drawn from wood carving, one of the roots of his artistic practice, creating a unique work that is immediately recognizable as his own.

This piece displays a rare type of Anagama kiln transformation found near the side-stoking openings located around the middle section of the kiln. The Hai-kaburi effect is sharply divided into red and black, creating an appearance reminiscent of Yohen produced in a climbing kiln.

Compared with typical climbing-kiln Yohen, however, the changes across the surface are even more clearly defined. At the center is a distinctive Anagama effect in which Kigoma appears to merge with Hai-kaburi, surrounded by an extraordinary variety of colors and textures, including gray Namako-like surfaces and golden metallic tones.

The areas left relatively untouched by ash display a complex mixture of red, purple, and brown. Combined with their matte, non-glossy texture, these exposed clay surfaces have tremendous potential to develop beautifully through continued use.

The basic form was built entirely by hand without the use of a potter’s wheel. Every detail has been carefully considered, giving this small Guinomi a remarkably concentrated presence, almost reminiscent of a Chawan.

He was born in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture as the eldest son of Jun Isezaki in 1974.
He graduated from Tokyo Zokei University in 1996.
He studied ceramics in NY and started his career in 2000.