Hitoshi Morimoto
森本 仁

BIO

Hitoshi Morimoto 森本 仁 (b.1976) is a second-generation Bizen ceramic artist. He has cultivated his own way of expression within the Bizen lineage and is a revolutionary in the field. Morimoto studied sculpture at Tokyo Zokei University and apprenticed under Mino pottery master, Seiya Toyoba.

Morimoto’s works modernize Bizen. His personal lineage, dedication, and historical nods to this great ceramic tradition can be seen throughout all of his Bizen works, each of which take up to two years to complete.

ABOUT HIS WORK

Bizen, a Japanese style of ceramics was developed in the Inbe area of Bizen City, Okayama, over 900 hundred years ago. The land specific clay from this region dates back 1 million years. Morimoto’s beautiful colors and patterns are created by the artists’ constant challenge of working with unglazed clay, ash, and the art of fire. He achieves these surface details by working with fire during weeklong burns inside his kiln. His intense processing time, that can take up to 2 years, applies many techniques to each form. He grinds, subtracts, and adds rocks, to pieces which creates his highly unique texture. We can see his modern expression in traditional Bizen works but most remarkably, in his Shirahana works. 

Bizen has an important connection to Japanese tea ceremonies. Having a tea master mother, and Bizen ceramist father, Hitoshi Morimotio has cultivated his own way of expression within the ancient Bizen lineage. His forms modernize an ancient tradition, bridging it into the future. Studying sculpture at Tokyo Zokei University, Morimoto’s vessels are imbued with ritual and craft. Pieces are fired in a kiln situated at the heart of their family property, built by his father at the time of his birth. Both father and son fire in this incredible 40-year-old, 3-roomed, noborigama kiln.

Morimoto who has spent decades learning various forms of Japanese ceramics is a master of Bizen experimentation.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2020      Ginza Nichinichi, Tokyo, Japan
2020      Okayama Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama, Japan
2019      Kurashiki Gallery, Okayama, Japan
2019      Hitofushi, Osaka, Japan
2019      Uncle Iwane Gallery, Okayama, Japan
2019      Moris, Hyogo, Japan
2019      Analogue Life, Aichi, Japan
2018      Daimaru Kyoto Shop Art Salon, Kyoto, Japan
2018      Fukuoka Mitsukoshi Art Gallery, Fukuoka, Japan
2018      Kurashiki Gallery, Okayama, Japan
2018      Ginza Nichinichi, Tokyo, Japan
2017      Okayama Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama, Japan
2016      Ginza Nichinichi, Tokyo, Japan
2015      Fukuoka Mitsukoshi Art Gallery, Fukuoka, Japan
2015      Ginza Mitsukoshi Remix Style Dining, Tokyo, Japan
2014      Ginza Nichinichi, Tokyo, Japan
2014      Okayama Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama, Japan
2014      Ryoku, Okayama, Japan
2012      Gallery An, Aichi, Japan
2012      Fukuyama Tenmaya Art Gallery, Hiroshima, Japan
2011      OGU Mag, Tokyo, Japan
2011      Okayama Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama, Japan

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2020      Kurashi Yohin, Osaka, Japan
2020      Chiniasitsukeru, Kyoto, Japan
2018      Field Museum Sa-Nu-Ki, Kagawa, Japan
2017      Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Art SquareTokyo, Japan
2017      3rd Annual Ushimado Craft Sanpo, Okayama, Japan
2017      Kakiden Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2016      Mori no Tenjishitsu, Kyoto, Japan
2015      Uncle Iwane Gallery, Okayama, Japan
2015      Kakiden Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2015      At Ochaya-ato, Okayama, Japan
2015      3rd Annual Ushimado Craft Sanpo, Okayama, Japan
2015      Roku, Okayama, Japan
2014      Ginza Nichinichi, Tokyo, Japan
2014      Field of Craft Kurashiki 9, Okayama, Japan
2013      Utsuwa Kenshin Tokyo, Japan
2012      Tokyo & Sfera, Kyoto, Japan