– Masami Kobayashi: internationally acclaimed Kasama potter with extensive European exhibition history – Dramatic gradient glaze: sage-green to charcoal-black with exposed brown clay base – Striking gold kintsugi-inspired linear decoration creating organic branching patterns across the surface Summary: This bulbous sake bottle-form vase represents Masami Kobayashi's mastery of atmospheric firing and surface decoration. The piece demonstrates his signature approach: a robust, spherical body tapering to a narrow neck, covered in a gradient glaze that transitions from soft sage-green at the rim through charcoal grey to deep black at the shoulder, before revealing warm unglazed brown clay at the base. What makes this vase exceptional is the network of gold linear decoration applied across the surface—a contemporary reinterpretation of kintsugi that creates branching, crackling patterns reminiscent of lightning strikes or tree roots. This fusion of traditional form, atmospheric glaze effects, and decorative gold work exemplifies Kobayashi's ability to honour Japanese ceramic traditions whilst speaking in a distinctly modern idiom. The piece stands approximately 18–20 cm tall, offering ideal scale for minimal ikebana arrangements or as a sculptural accent in contemporary interiors. Some ceramics ask to be filled immediately. Others feel complete as they are, the form and surface decoration creating a composition that needs nothing added. This vase by Masami Kobayashi occupies that second territory—entirely self-sufficient, commanding attention through the interplay of gradient colour and gold embellishment, yet welcoming should you choose to place a single winter branch within it. Kobayashi works within the rich tradition of Japanese studio pottery, where the line between functional vessel and sculptural object remains deliberately blurred. Born in Hokkaido in 1952, he trained under Koji Nakano in the Kasama pottery region and has since built a remarkable international career spanning four decades. His aesthetic sensibility draws from the natural world—not through literal representation, but through suggestion and rhythm. This vase demonstrates that approach with particular boldness: a classical tokkuri (sake flask) silhouette transformed through dramatic glaze work and contemporary ornamentation into a piece that feels simultaneously ancient and utterly modern. What distinguishes Kobayashi in the landscape of contemporary Japanese ceramics is the extraordinary recognition his work has received across Europe. Since the mid-1990s, his pieces have been exhibited extensively throughout the continent—from Hamburg and Hanover in Germany, to Barcelona's Casa Batlló, Helsinki galleries in Finland, and most notably, Paris. Between 2004 and 2008, his work appeared regularly at the prestigious Salon des Beaux-Arts at the Carrousel du Louvre. In 2006, he exhibited at the Musée National de Céramique de Sèvres, the French national ceramics museum and one of Europe's most important institutions dedicated to the medium. His work has entered permanent collections at museums in Germany and, significantly, at the Musée Cernuschi in Paris—the French capital's museum devoted to Asian arts—which acquired pieces in 2013. This institutional recognition speaks to the quality and aesthetic coherence that European collectors have consistently identified in his work. The glaze work on this vase reveals extraordinary technical control and a willingness to embrace kiln-fired spontaneity. The gradient transitions from a soft sage-green at the upper register—a colour achieved likely through copper oxide in carefully managed reduction firing—through progressively darker tones of grey and charcoal, culminating in deep, lustrous black where the glaze pools thickest at the shoulder. This dramatic tonal shift creates visual weight and grounding, before the lower third of the form reveals warm, iron-flecked brown clay in its natural state. The effect suggests geological strata, or the way twilight transforms a landscape from green canopy to shadowed earth. The most arresting element is the gold decoration that animates the entire surface. Applied in branching, crackling patterns, these gold lines create a dynamic network that suggests kintsugi—the venerable Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold lacquer. Here, however, the "cracks" are purely decorative, deliberately drawn across the glaze in confident, irregular strokes that evoke lightning strikes, root systems, or the natural crazing that ancient ceramics develop over centuries. This technique references kintsukuroi (gold repair) philosophy—finding beauty in damage and imperfection—whilst remaining entirely ornamental, a contemporary meditation on themes of fragility, repair, and transformation. The form itself references classical Japanese sake vessels, with a bulbous body that provides visual and physical stability, a narrow neck that creates elegant proportion, and a gently flared rim. This silhouette has been refined over centuries for both functional and aesthetic reasons: the wide body allows sake to be warmed efficiently, whilst the narrow opening concentrates aroma. Here, Kobayashi employs that historical form as a canvas for contemporary surface exploration. The opening, whilst narrow, can accommodate single-stem ikebana arrangements—a bare branch, dried grasses, or minimal seasonal flowers. In contemporary European interiors, this vase bridges multiple aesthetic languages with remarkable fluency. The earthy colour palette—green shifting to black, grounded by brown clay—harmonises naturally with materials like oak, walnut, linen, concrete, and stone. The gold decoration introduces luxurious accent without ostentation, catching light at different angles throughout the day and creating a sense of movement across the static form. In Scandinavian-influenced spaces, where restraint and natural materials dominate, the vase provides welcome warmth and visual complexity. In more eclectic settings, it holds its own against mid-century furniture, abstract art, or industrial design elements. On a minimal shelf or within a traditional tokonoma alcove, it functions equally as vessel and sculpture. The interior reveals warm buff-coloured clay, unglazed and showing the subtle marks of the potter's hands during throwing. This contrast between the refined, decorated exterior and the honest, unadorned interior embodies a key principle in Japanese aesthetics: that beauty includes what is hidden as well as what is displayed. The base shows proper foot-ring construction and appears to bear Kobayashi's maker's mark impressed into the clay—a signature that connects this specific object to its maker and his documented career. Condition is excellent. The vase shows no chips, cracks, or structural repairs. The glaze surface is smooth and intact, with clean transitions between colour zones indicating careful application and well-controlled firing. The gold decoration remains vibrant and fully adhered, with no flaking or wear. The unglazed clay base shows minimal handling marks, suggesting the piece has been carefully displayed rather than subjected to heavy use. Overall, this presents as a well-preserved example of contemporary Japanese studio pottery, likely dating from Kobayashi's mature period when his international reputation was fully established. Kobayashi's extensive exhibition history in Europe—particularly his repeated presence in Paris, the historical centre of Western decorative arts—speaks to the international appeal of his work. European collectors and institutions, with their long-established traditions of ceramic appreciation ranging from Sèvres porcelain to studio pottery movements, have consistently recognised the quality and aesthetic coherence of his pieces. For collectors of Japanese studio pottery, particularly those interested in work that has achieved genuine cross-cultural recognition, pieces by Kobayashi represent both aesthetic value and documented provenance within the international ceramics community. His work occupies the space where traditional Japanese ceramic values—respect for materials, attention to surface, embrace of kiln-fired accidents—meet contemporary decorative impulses and global design sensibilities. If you appreciate Japanese studio pottery that rewards quiet observation, and if you value work by an artist whose excellence has been recognised by major European institutions, this vase offers a compelling opportunity. It is a piece that announces itself boldly through its gold decoration, yet reveals subtlety and depth upon closer inspection—a duality that captures the essence of Kobayashi's contribution to contemporary ceramic art. Shipping & Handling We ship worldwide via DHL or EMS with full insurance and tracking. Professional packing ensures safe arrival; combined shipping available for multiple wins. Local customs duties are the buyer's responsibility. Seller Guarantee We specialise in authentic Japanese ceramics and guarantee this piece's authenticity. Questions welcome – we reply within 24 hours.