Koinuma Michio 肥沼美智雄 1936-2021

Koinuma Michio was a Japanese potter born in Tokyo. He originally studied politics and economics before he moved to Mashiko at the age of 33 and, like many artists inspired by Hamada Shoji, set up his own kiln in the small artists' town. His works are characterized by meditative surfaces covered with fine gray ash deposits, and are reminiscent of archaeological findings such as bronzes, pottery, or other relics in religious reliquaries across China, Korea, and Japan. Koinuma lived and worked in Mashiko, and created disciplined, controlled forms and works with a strong architectural feel in his lifetime. He passed away in 2021.