Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd

  • Home
  • Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd

Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd Fine art gallery presenting Modern & Contemporary Japanese ceramic art in NYC.

The contemporary ceramicist Kitamura Junko (b. 1956) is internationally celebrated for her geometric and sculptural cera...
11/05/2026

The contemporary ceramicist Kitamura Junko (b. 1956) is internationally celebrated for her geometric and sculptural ceramics. Trained under Sodeisha pioneer Suzuki Osamu and Living National Treasure Kondō Yutaka, her work combines abstract sculptural form with exceptional technical refinement.

Her vessels reinterpret Korean Buncheong techniques through a contemporary visual language of intricate dotted, impressed, and tessellated patterns layered across black-glazed surfaces. These linear motifs also evoke the rich decorative traditions of Japanese textile design.

Kitamura earned her MFA from Kyoto City University of Arts, and her work is held in major international collections including the British Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Smithsonian Institution. She has received numerous awards throughout her career, including recognition at the World Triennial Exhibition of Small Ceramics in Zagreb.

Her work will be shown in our upcoming exhibition, “Shaping Clay: Women artists in contemporary Japanese Ceramics,” opening on May 21!

Browse our website for the full exhibition catalogue, or contact us via email/DM for more information.

______
Images: Three works by Kitamura Junko 北村 純子 (b. 1956)

Work on view at the The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida, 2025.

Oishi Sayaka’s unfolding parades of surface and wonder 💭The contemporary Kyoto-based ceramicist Oishi Sayaka creates ric...
05/05/2026

Oishi Sayaka’s unfolding parades of surface and wonder 💭

The contemporary Kyoto-based ceramicist Oishi Sayaka creates richly detailed, maximalist ceramics that weave together fragments of the human body, plants, and animals, forming immersive, otherworldly landscapes. What first feels like a chaotic mix of life forms gradually reveals a deeply human vision unveiling a universal coexistence with nature through vessels and objet d’art.

Centering her practice on “decoration,” Oishi uses the codification of ornament and surface to express complex, often indescribable emotions—inviting a sense of wonder in every piece.

Oishi’s work is currently on view at the Phoenix Art Museum, as part of the traveling exhibition of women artists from Japan showcasing works from the celebrated collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz.

Her work will be shown in our upcoming exhibition, “Shaping Clay: Women artists in contemporary Japanese Ceramics,” opening on May 21.

Contact us via email/DM for more information.

______
Images: Oishi Sayaka 大石 早矢香 (b. 1980)
ANIMA bowl (Lion), 2024, with signed wood box; glazed stoneware.

Sensitive apple, flower, 2024, withsigned certificate; glazed stoneware, glass (Apple stem).

Sensitive apple, on view at the Ackland Museum of Art, USA, 2024 (now on view at the Phoenix Art Museum, USA).

Kingfisher katakuchi (white), 2025, with signed wood box; glazed stoneware.

Rabbit guinomi, 2022, with signed wood box; glazed stoneware.

Owl (Barry), 2021, with signed wood box; glazed stoneware.

The decorative worlds of Matsuda Yuriko 🔍The internationally celebrated artist Matsuda Yuriko reimagines the timeless mo...
04/05/2026

The decorative worlds of Matsuda Yuriko 🔍

The internationally celebrated artist Matsuda Yuriko reimagines the timeless motif of Mount Fuji with a playful, contemporary spirit. Here, the iconic peak is transformed through a whimsical lens, its surface alive with scrolling floral patterns inspired by the decorative style of Ogata Kenzan 尾形 乾山 (1663–1743).

Stylized blossoms shimmer with touches of silver and gold, alongside the five classic Kutani colors: blue, green, purple, red, and yellow, bringing a sense of pleasure and vibrancy and movement to the form.

For decades, Matsuda has created imaginative porcelain works that blur the line between sculpture and function. Drawing on traditional Chinese and Japanese decorative vocabularies, her richly patterned surfaces explore the expressive power and joy of ornament.

“Shaping Clay: Women artists in contemporary Japanese Ceramics” is on view at Dai Ichi Arts from May 21 – June 4th.

Contact us via email/DM for more information.

______
Image: Matsuda Yuriko 松田 百合子 (b. 1943)
Mt.Fuji , 1993, with signed wood box; gold ribbon stretch: 17 3/4 in. (45 cm), porcelain with gold, enamel, and silver

Group of three works, with signed wood box; enamel glazed porcelain.

Box in the Shape of an Object Wrapped with a Polka-Dot Textile Wrapper (Furoshiki), currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION | Shaping Clay: Women artists in contemporary Japanese ceramicsBuilding on the ongoing presentati...
02/05/2026

FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION | Shaping Clay: Women artists in contemporary Japanese ceramics

Building on the ongoing presentations of Radical Clay—the traveling U.S. exhibition of Japanese women artists working in clay, drawn from the renowned collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz—this exhibition expands the dialogue by showcasing new works by these artists while introducing new, innovative voices shaping the landscape of contemporary Japanese ceramics.

Pictured: an exquisite shell-like undulating white lidded vessel by one of the most celebrated Kyoto artists of her generation: Koike Shoko, created in 1992. The work is drawn from the artist’s own collection.

“Shaping Clay: Women artists in contemporary Japanese Ceramics” is on view from May 21 – June 4th.

Contact us via email/DM for more information.

______
Image: Koike Shoko 小池 頌子 (b. 1943)
Covered shell-shaped container with white glaze, 1992, with signed wood box, stoneware, 11 1/8 × 10 1/8 in. (28.2 × 25.6 cm)

Tsuji Kyō 辻 協 | White camellia stacking dishesA set of five stacking dishes by Tsuji Kyō with deep, rounded forms with t...
30/04/2026

Tsuji Kyō 辻 協 | White camellia stacking dishes

A set of five stacking dishes by Tsuji Kyō with deep, rounded forms with three subtle cutaways that create gentle inward curves. The glaze nearly envelops each piece, leaving a circular base unglazed to reveal the clay beneath in the vessels’ interior.

A pioneering woman ceramicist in postwar Japanese ceramics, Tsuji Kyō established her voice early—exhibiting by 1961 and adopting her name “Kyō” from “Kyoko” to navigate gender bias.

In 1996, she traveled to New York for her solo exhibition at Dai Ichi Arts. Working primarily with Shigaraki clay and wood-firing outside metropolitan Tokyo, Tsuji Kyo created functional objects rooted in an expressive vocabulary of yakishime (wood fired ceramics) and glazed vessels, elevating the status of vessels to high art. The artist passed away in 2008.

🗓️ Tsuji Kyō’s work will be on view in our forthcoming exhibition “Shaping Clay: women artists of contemporary Japanese ceramics” opening on May 21st!

______
Tsuji Kyō 辻 協 (1930–2008), White camellia bowls, set of 5 stacking dishes, 1980. Illustrated in The Contemporary Potters and Works in Japan, p. 86. Exhibited at “Soaring Voices - Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists”, traveling exhibition to Japan, France and the USA, 2007. Red stoneware with translucent to opaque white glaze, 4 3/8 × 11 in. (11 × 28 cm).

KyoTsuji

Shingu Sayaka 新宮 さやか | Calyx (bowl)In this vessel, thin slabs of pigmented clay fold and overlap. Along one side, a smal...
28/04/2026

Shingu Sayaka 新宮 さやか | Calyx (bowl)

In this vessel, thin slabs of pigmented clay fold and overlap. Along one side, a small opening emerges, edged with several delicate strands of fired clay that extend outward in fine, tapering filaments. They gather and part like a soft, fibrous fringe, evoking shifting textures as if the vessel were gently breathing or just beginning to unfurl.

Gallery artist Shingu Sayaka is perhaps most well known for her meticulous, hand-built ceramic works in monochromatic naturalistic forms, particularly for her sculptures of cut flowers, which are constructed from mixed clay with slip and glaze using intricate hand building and glazing methods that embody great care and restraint in her craft.

Her work will be featured in our forthcoming exhibition “Shaping Clay: Women artists of Contemporary Japanese Ceramics,” opening on May 21st!

Stay tuned, or contact us via DM or email for more information.

______
Image: Shingu Sayaka 新宮 さやか (b. 1979)
“Calyx” bowl, mixed clay with glaze slip
4 1/8 × 5 3/8 in. (10.4 × 13.7 cm), accompanied with a wooden box signed by the artist.

A delightful new group of small works have just arrived in our online shop. Visit our website to explore these exquisite...
23/04/2026

A delightful new group of small works have just arrived in our online shop. Visit our website to explore these exquisite pieces from Japan and Korea and discover the stories behind each one.

Pictured above:

Maeda Masahiro 前田 正博 (b. 1948)
Iro-e tokkuri with bird and forest motif, 2025

Ueda Juhō 上田 寿方 (1925-2022)
Shigaraki tea caddy with accompanying shifuku

Yu Geun-Hyeong 유근형 (1894–1993)
Bird-shaped water dropper

Suzuki Goro 鈴木 五郎 (b. 1941)
Oribe cup, 2026

Kato Toyohisa 加藤 豊久 (b. 1962)
Shino-glazed sencha cup

______

Koie Ryoji 鯉江 良二 | Tea bowlKoie Ryoji was an internationally celebrated ceramic artist and a tireless experimenter, cons...
17/04/2026

Koie Ryoji 鯉江 良二 | Tea bowl

Koie Ryoji was an internationally celebrated ceramic artist and a tireless experimenter, constantly pushing the boundaries of both form and glaze. This tea bowl exemplifies one of his favored forms: a cylindrical, wheel-thrown vessel animated by freely cut slices and incisions, executed with a sense of spontaneity across its surface whether by glaze or surface incisions. It is finished in a glossy, enigmatic dark glaze— fluid and organic in character— combining semi-opaque brown iron and persimmon tones.

More images are available on our website. We warmly welcome you to contact us via email/DM for more information about this work: [email protected]

______
Image: Koie Ryoji 鯉江 良二 (1938-2020), Tea bowl, withsigned wood box, stoneware, 3 1/2 × 4 1/8 in. (8.9 × 10.4 cm).

The modern ceramicist Yasuhara Kimei (1906–1980) was not only highly skilled at wheel throwing and handling clay, but hi...
16/04/2026

The modern ceramicist Yasuhara Kimei (1906–1980) was not only highly skilled at wheel throwing and handling clay, but his practice also included numerous sketches, designs and architectural projects. One such example is this ceramic light fixture from 1931 (swipe to see an image), now held in the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum. These Art Deco style lighting fixtures were made using molds, each with subtle variations in glaze texture that reflect ongoing experimentation. A related example from the same mold is held in the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.

The carved surface decoration of this vase reminded us of some of that architectural thinking seen in these projects of his early years.

Kimei’s work was influenced by global art movements and a range of practices beyond traditional craft, positioning ceramics as a progressive form of expression in mid-century Japan.

More images are available on our website. We warmly welcome you to contact us via email/DM for more information about this work: https://www.daiichiarts.com/artists/264-yasuhara-kimei/works/5100-yasuhara-kimei-side-handled-flower-vase-with-linear-engraved-patterns-circa-1940searly-1950s/

______
Image: Yasuhara Kimei 安原 喜明 (1906-1980), Side-Handled Flower Vase with Linear Engraved Patterns, circa 1940s–early 1950s.

Hayashi Yasuo works on view at the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum last month 🔍We send our gratitude to gallery artist ...
16/04/2026

Hayashi Yasuo works on view at the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum last month 🔍

We send our gratitude to gallery artist Kato Mami for sending us images of Hayashi Yasuo’s works on view at the Aichi Prefectural Ceramics Museum!

If you are planning to visit Japan, this museum is a must-go. To see the museum’s current exhibition programming, view their current exhibition below, a symposium on tea ware of different forms: Japanese and Western style! # 愛知県陶磁美術館

Address

18 East 64th Street, Suite 1F

10065

Opening Hours

Monday 11:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 11:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 11:00 - 17:00
Thursday 11:00 - 17:00
Friday 11:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+12122301680

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd:

Shortcuts

  • Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum?

Share