A compact, hand-built vessel of irregular, faceted form by Kako Katsumi enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Wakokuto dating from 2006. Its slightly tapering cylindrical body culminates in a sharply cut, asymmetrical mouth. The silhouette offers planar surfaces meeting in subtle angles that give the piece a quiet architectural tension. The surface is richly worked with dense, incised and impressed ornament, geometric motifs that run vertically, like ancient code. These passages contrast with more open, abraded planes where the clay body remains exposed. Coloration moves from warm buff and sandy ochre to deeper umber and charcoal, with soft transitions produced through atmospheric firing. Areas of ash deposition and flashing create mottled, smoky veils, while darker, carbonized patches gather along edges and recesses, emphasizing the relief. The overall effect suggests a wood-fired process, where flame and ash have interacted directly with the textured surface, enhancing both depth and tactility. It is 20.8 x 17.6 x 19 cm (8-1/4 x 7 x 7-1/2 inches) and is in perfect condition, directly from the artists personal collection.
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 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.
