This is a large functional plate by Kako Katsumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Haikaburi Shizuku-mon Ōzara,. It unfolds as a landscape shaped less by intention than by encounter—an object in which form, surface, and firing coalesce into a record of process. Elongated and gently irregular its rim rises and falls in a soft, wavering line, as though pressed outward from within or eroded along its edge. The silhouette suggests an acceptance of shift, slump, and subtle deviation during making and firing. The surface is dominated by a thick ash glaze that has settled, pooled, and broken across the length of the form. In places it gathers into glassy, darkened runs; in others it thins to reveal a granular, sandy clay beneath. The transitions are abrupt yet organic, moving from pale, almost dry textures to deep, vitrified browns and blacks. Along the central axis, shallow ridges and grooves run lengthwise, guiding the movement of glaze and ash, as though channeling a slow current. Despite its rugged surface, the interior retains a quiet usability. It is a plate that acknowledges function, yet refuses to subordinate itself to it. What this work offers to the table is not refinement in the conventional sense, but a deepening of attention. Its elongated, irregular form encourages a more intuitive arrangement of food—things placed in relation rather than symmetry. A single grilled fish, a row of seasonal vegetables, or even a sparse composition of small elements can follow the natural flow of the surface, allowing the service to unfold. One does not rush across it. The eye lingers, tracing crackle, following the path of ash, moving with the length of the form. This slows the rhythm of eating, creating space for conversation. There is also a tactile dimension. The uneven rim and subtly shifting thickness invite the hand to adjust, to find a point of balance. Lifting or repositioning the plate becomes a small act of awareness, breaking the habitual ease of standardized tableware. In this sense, it improves “table life” not by decoration or display, but by altering the quality of experience. It asks for less distraction and offers more presence—turning even a simple meal into something quietly observed, felt, and shared. It is 49 x 15.5 x 5.5 cm (19-1/2 x 6 x 2 inches) and is in perfect condition.
Kako Katsumi was born in Kyoto in 1965, and graduated the ceramics department of Saga Art College in 1986. He was selected for the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition and the Kyoten held at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art in 1988, followed in 1989 by the National Ceramic Art Exhibition and Mino International Ceramics Exhibition. He has since exhibited and or been selected/ awarded many times at these prestigious events. He established his kiln in Nishiwaki City in 1991. In 1994 he worked in Melbourne. Australia, and would create a second kiln in 2001. In 2004 he would be awarded the Prize of Excellence at the Tanabe Museum of Art Modern Tea Forms exhibition. In 2005 he established his current kiln in Sasayama, Hyogo prefecture. In 2009 he his work was featured at the Kikuchi Biennale Exhibition and the following year was awarded at the 4th Contemporary Tea Bowls Exhibition, and in 2011 was selected for the influential Paramita Ceramic Exhibition. 2013 saw him in New York, and 2014 at the Museum of Ceramic Art in Hyogo (Kobe). Held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art among others.
