The Art of Emptiness

For several hundred years, Japanese porcelain has been highly acclaimed and sought after around the world. Sophisticated porcelain ware has long been produced in the Arita area of Kyushu, and artisans from the Kakiemon family have gained particular renown for their skill in enamels and their artistic designs.

Now, for the first time, the techniques and tradition behind the creation of their ceramic works are disclosed through the words of the late Kakiemon XIV. Starting with his childhood memories, he talks about his father and grandfather and what he inherited from them; how the craftsmen work at the kiln; and how materials such as stone, clay, and firewood play a crucial part in creating the works. Most striking of all are the explanations of aka-e overglaze enamels and nigoshide porcelain, the characteristics that make Kakiemon ware so phenomenal.

With more than twenty color plates depicting Kakiemon pieces from museums and private collections, this volume provides rare insight into one of the world’s most famous kilns.

SAKAIDA Kakiemon XIV

Sakaida Kakiemon XIV (1934–2013) was born in Arita, Saga Prefecture, the eldest and only male child of ceramicist Kakiemon XIII. He graduated from the nihonga department of Tama Art University and then returned to Arita to apprentice at his family’s kiln. Following his father’s death in 1982, he succeeded to the family name and became the fourteenth-generation Kakiemon. His first exhibition abroad was held in San Francisco in 1983; since then, his works have been displayed around the world, including in the British Museum. In 1993, he was appointed the honorary chairman of the International Academy of Ceramics. Kakiemon XIV was designated as a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government in 2001 and awarded the Third Class of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2005. He passed away in 2013.

*information as of time of publication

Japan Library series
Art & Design

Publisher:
Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture

Hardcover
¥3,900 + tax
ISBN 9784866580630
210 mm x 148 mm / 256 pp. / March 2019

eBook
ISBN 9784866581088 (ePub)
ISBN 9784866580920 (PDF)

My Father, Kakiemon XIV / Part I: Myself / Part II: Production / Part III: Appreciation / The Real Reason Why Nigoshide Works are Unsigned—In lieu of an afterword / Chronological Table / Bibliography

色絵磁器の最高峰と言われる柿右衛門。その最大の特徴は、乳白色の磁肌と赤絵の絵柄にあるとされる。人間国宝でもある14代当主が、歴代柿右衛門作品の作品解説、制作の工程など柿右衛門窯の美の神髄を初めて明らかにする。

十四代酒井田柿右衛門
1934年佐賀県有田町生まれ。多摩美術大学日本画科卒業。1971年、日本工芸会正会員となる。1982年十四代柿右衛門を襲名。2001年重要無形文化財保持者（人間国宝）に認定される。2002年、日本工芸会常任理事に就任。

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