Furutani Kazuya, Untitled (Tube), Undated

Ceramic
63 x 6.5 x 5 cm
Condition: Very good

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Furutani Kazuya (Japanese, b. 1976) is a contemporary studio potter celebrated for his mastery of traditional Anagama wood-fired kilns. Born into a family of ceramic artists— his father, Michio Furutani (1946-2000), was a renowned Shigaraki potter who reinvigorated the use of Anagama kilns in the region— Kazuya graduated from Shigaraki High School's design course in 1995, continued his studies at Yamaguchi Art College in 1997, and completed his training at Kyoto Prefectural Ceramic Art School in 1998. He apprenticed under his father for roughly two and half years before taking on kiln-making himself, building his first own Anagama in 2002.

Since then, he has repeatedly constructed new wood kilns (in 2005, 2006, 2012) and earned consistent recognition, including multiple selections in the Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibitions and solo exhibitions across Tokyo, most notably in Ikebukuro Tobu, Dojima Gallery, and Ginza Kurodu Toen starting in 2003. Carrying forward his father's legacy, Kazuya's work is distinguished by powerful "hiiro" (scarlet flame) hues and ash-induced glassiness characteristics of Shigaraki and Iga wares, earning him acclaim as a leading figure among the next generation of Shigaraki potters.

(Photographed in January 2025)