Oblong Vase

The Japanese Mingei, or "Folk Art," Movement was founded in the 1920s by the philosopher Yanagi Soetsu (1889-1921), who believed that the traditional handicrafts of Japan-especially ceramics, textiles, and basketry-reflected the aesthetic spirit of the common people and possessed great cultural value. Mingei adherents dedicated themselves to preserving the traditional folk arts and updating them in authentic and original ways. This bottle is an excellent example of Mingei art. The form derives from a traditional square sake flask, and while the slip inlay technique used to create the design of alternating dark and light dots is also very old, the overall aesthetic of the piece is thoroughly modern.

Tatsuzo Shimaoka was among the most respected and important Japanese ceramic artists of the twentieth century. He apprenticed with the great Mingei master Hamada Shoji from 1946 to 1949, before setting up his own pottery workshop in the village of Mashiko in 1953. Shimaoka quickly gained a reputation for his original interpretations of traditional forms and decorative designs. By both traveling abroad and welcoming foreign students into his Mashiko workshop, Shimaoka was instrumental in spreading knowledge of traditional Japanese pottery techniques to North America and Europe. In 1996, the Japanese government designated him as a Living National Treasure, its highest artistic recognition.

This bottle belongs to a larger collection of modern Japanese art that was donated to the AMAM in 1999 by Dr. Sanford L. Palay (OC 1940), an Oberlin alumnus and important medical researcher who taught for many years at Harvard University.