TSUJIMURA'S LIFE IN THE MOUNTAIN

"When the monk asked me what will happen after death, I replied that I don't know, and I really don't know. So what will you do when you die? I really don't know. What I know is I only want to do things that I like during the time when I'm alive. So when you die, whether it's the end or whether there's heaven after that, there are religions with answers to that. But actually, it really matters down to what you can do during the time when you are alive. I really like this idea of ignorance is bliss. "

We spoke about beauty, and what this means to him.

"Beauty is a very difficult concept. Dirty things can also be beautiful, for example, when people look at this, they might think it looks dirty, but I think it is beautiful. I think different people have different concepts of beauty, because it depends on each individual. A bowl that can be looked at for hours for its beauty, that's what I hope to make. Something fascinating is this space inside the bowl, something that exists in the bowl."

Widely lauded as one of the greatest living ceramicist, Shiro Tsujimura has won fans the world over with his unique style that encapsulates the spirit of creation. Celebrating the improvisations, inconsistencies, and forms born in the moment. As an artist, Tsujimura invests himself entirely in his process. It is a style so particular that it could only be developed by a true individual. Indeed, Tsujimura is part of no dynasty and is aligned with no school. His style is entirely original, free of imitation, and the product of sheer engagement with the potter's process. Even his studio and kiln is built by the artist himself, the latter built small so that they can only hold a few items at a time, but allowing, once again, the artist to observe every aspect of the work, plucking a piece from the heat just at the moment when a hue in the glaze peaks, never to be replicated.

While Shiro Tsujimura is known for his chadogu, he is phenomenally prolific, offering output to many schools of Japanese ceramics that will delight connoisseurs including shigaraki, iga, shino, kohiki, ido, oku-korai, kuro oribe, and setoguro, which of course he delivers in his own inimitable style. Nihombashi Mistukoshi honors this with an exhibition that delivers the full range of his canon, uniting flower vases with urns, but also taking the opportunity to showcase some of the Tsujimura's paintings and calligraphy in order to present the artist's unique style in its entirety.

EntitledSetsugekka, this exhibition is a rare chance to gain complete access to Shiro Tsujimura's world. This is a world that formed as it is entirely in his own image after his training as a Zen monk led him to a life of clay from the age of 22--an altogether unique experience. You will have no better guide as the man himself will be in attendance during the exhibition. And should this spark your interest in the world of tea utensils--either as an art form or in practice--then the rest of the store is ready to welcome you to the world beyond the tea bowl.