The beholder of Important Intangible cultural heritage of Mino-yaki Hayashi Shotaro has demonstrated his great mastery over Oribe in this vessel imbued with modern sensibilities. He received the highest award at the Gifu Prefectural Art Exhibition in 1968, before going on to receive the prestigious Governor’s Award at the Asahi Ceramic Exhibition in 1971 for his blending of innovation in marrying traditional glazes with modern forms. Since then, he has had a long career of illustrious solo exhibitions, as well as inclusion in the permanent collections of many Japanese and international art museums. His work fits in both categories of traditional and modern, speaking to his respect for the roots of Kogei in Japanese ceramic art history. Hayashi’s contemporaries include many up and coming names within Mino-yaki, having taught lifelong students of Oribe, including Higashida Shigemasa.
The “waves'' carved into this surface create an overall forcefulness in this platter. The glaze too, is powerful with deep turquoise green pooling, and speckles of salt-infused Oribe that splatter across the green surface. It is enclosed in its original signed wooden box, and signed 正 at the base.
Hayashi Shotaro 林正太郎 (b. 1947) is an artist who works in the tradition of Shino ware, first developed in Japan during the Momoyama period in the 16th century. In 1968 he received the highest award at the Gifu Prefectural Art Exhibition and in 1971 he received the Governor’s Award at the Asahi Ceramic Exhibition for his strong yet sensitive blending of tradition and innovation. He is the designated Important Intangible Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture. His work is shown in many permanent exhibitions of museums around the world.