Takuya Kanamoto

Takuya Kanamoto’s ceramics embody the life force of clay in motion. Working in the rich Oribe tradition, his pieces ripple with mossy greens, textured folds, and elemental energy. Each work is a quiet force—cut, glazed, and fired in Nara, Japan.

Available Pieces by Takuya Kanamoto

About Takuya Kanamoto (Nara, Japan)

When traveling through Japan in the spring of 2023, I set out to find a potter working beyond the typical teapot-focused world of Gong Fu Cha. Drawn to the deep visual complexity of Oribe ware, I arranged to visit Takuya Kanamoto at his home and studio in Nara—a quiet city just a train ride away from Kyoto, and steeped in tea ceremony tradition.

Oribe, a style first developed in the 1600s, is known for its vivid green copper glazes, asymmetrical forms, and spontaneous brushwork. But Takuya’s interpretation feels uniquely alive. The green glaze flows across sculpted forms like rain on mossy stone, with layers of gloss and texture that seem to move as light shifts.

His technique—kurinuki, carving from solid blocks of clay—brings a natural weight and structure to each piece. The works often resemble small landscapes: bowls like forest pools, vases like falling water. Their beauty is not ornamental—it is elemental.

This visit left a deep impression. Drinking matcha from one of his chawan, the richness of green on green revealed a new story with every glance.

“I use green glaze on lumpy clay. I value the expression of the clay, which is created by cutting through lumps of clay (Kurinuki). I hope to create works with a life force that is guided by the movement of the clay.”

(freely translated from the Japanese original by Takuya Kanamoto

Short Bio

1974: born in Nara
1998: graduated from Ryukoku University, then trained in Mie Prefecture
2001: graduated from Aichi Prefectural Ceramics Technical College
2003: Established his own atelier in Nara City
Creating ceramic works since 2003:

Kurinuki, sea shells and copper glaze

Takuya Kanamoto utilises several techniques which make his work come alive. All Sado items are made using the Kurinuki technique: the tea bowls and sake cups are all carved from a solid block of clay, bearing similarity to the process of making a Raku Chawan. This technique is not only more time intensive but creates unique and uneven results compared to traditional wheel throwing.

Firing the pieces on the side on sea shell wadding creates more unique dynamics: salt in the sea shells burns in the kiln and creates red toasty flashing on the unglazed clay (similar to soda firing); the runny glaze is following gravity and creates drops resembling the famous wood-firing ash glaze effect “eye of the dragonfly”. Despite firing in an electric kiln these techniques are giving every piece an artistic twist and soul.

Takuya works primarily in stoneware, hand-cut using the kurinuki method. He then applies layers of green Oribe glaze, varying thickness and firing conditions to achieve depth, contrast, and the distinctive “life force” of his surfaces.

This traditional Japanese aesthetic is not only deeply rooted in tea ceremony history, but also reflects the natural rhythms of Japan itself—its forests, rains, and ancient craft lineages.