A superb example of Mumyoi Yaki by Living National Treasure Ito Sekisui V enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Mumyoi Tsubo. The generously rounded form rises to a small, slightly irregular mouth, its restrained silhouette allowing the remarkable surface to become the focus. The lower portion retains the warm iron-rich reddish orange characteristic of Sado's mumyōi clay, while the upper body is enveloped in a deep charcoal-black surface, the two meeting along a softly undulating boundary. Rather than appearing as separate decorative fields, the colors seem to merge into one another through a subtle smoky transition, giving the vessel an almost geological quality. Both surfaces are dry and finely textured, without the gloss of glaze, emphasizing the exceptional refinement of the clay and firing. Itō's impressed mark appears within the recessed base. The vase measures 26 cm (10-1/4 inches) in diameter and 24.5 cm (9-5/8 inches) tall and is in excellent condition.
Ito Sekisui V (Yoichi) is the 14th generation of the family to follow in the pottery tradition. His father, Ito Sekisui IV, died when Yoichi was only 19. Upon completion of studies at Kyoto University in 1966, he returned to his hometown of Sado to succeed the lineage. His work was displayed for the first time at the Nihon Dento Kogeiten (National Traditional d Crafts Exhibition) in 1972. The following year he won first prize at the Nihon Togeiten (Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition). In the 1980s, Sekisui V started to create neriage (mixed clay) works as well as his family's traditional mumyoi-yaki pieces, and in 2003 he was appointed a Living National Treasure for his work in these fields.
