This compact ceramic futamono (covered vessel) by Mukai Naoko, titled Koreihan (“Withered Green Spots”), evokes the quiet presence of a marine organism discovered along a tidal shore. Its rounded, shell-like body is wrapped in meticulously incised ridges that radiate outward like the growth patterns of coral or mollusk shell. Across this textured surface, softly flowing glazes in muted greens, creams, and earthen browns settle into the carved structure, creating mottled patterns reminiscent of weathered stone, lichen, or the encrusted skin of a sea-worn shell. The lid is crowned with a smooth, pebble-like knob whose pale celadon tone and softly pitted surface contrast with the surrounding textures, recalling a stone polished by water and time. Both ancient and quietly biological in presence, the work suggests an object shaped by slow natural processes rather than deliberate construction, as though lifted from a reef or tide pool and translated into clay. The piece measures approximately 20 x 13.5 x 13 cm (8 x 5-1/4 x 5 inches) and is in excellent condition, acquired directly from the artist.
Mukai Naoko was born in Tokyo in 1999, and graduated from Musashino Art University in 2023 with a degree in Crafts and Industrial Design, specializing in ceramics, and completed the Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center in 2025. Representing a new generation of ceramic artists, her work has already been presented internationally and domestically, including Talking Flowers at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (2022), ishoken: A New Wind at Nihombashi Takashimaya (Tokyo, 2024), and Alluring Forms at Gallery Voice (Tajimi, 2025). In 2025, she was selected for the 6th Kanazawa World Crafts Triennale at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, marking her emergence onto a broader contemporary craft stage.
