Left Coast Artefacts

Left Coast Artefacts Nathan Tichenor. The pots (+more) I collect and sell: https://www.instagram.com/leftcoast_artefacts/
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🔸 Collecting & dealing in ceramics & design
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🔸 Nathan Tichenor in Vancouver
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🔸 Prices in CAD$
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🔸 Shipping at cost

Available. Park Yeon tae (b. 1971) wood-fired buncheong vase; Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang; Gaeunyo kiln; 2026; 6” tall b...
09/05/2026

Available. Park Yeon tae (b. 1971) wood-fired buncheong vase; Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang; Gaeunyo kiln; 2026; 6” tall by 5 1/4” at its widest. Artist marked on the bottom. Comes with the signed and stamped wood box, and potter’s CV. New from the artist’s studio. $550 CAD (about $398 USD) plus any applicable taxes for Canadian residents. US-bound shipments subject to import tariff. Shipped at cost.

This vase by the Korean potter Park Yeon tae features a dark clay body coated in an iron-oxide slip and then covered with what appears to be ash glaze also with iron oxide. The resulting surface is glossy and rich, with tones of brown and even purple depending on the light.

Park’s clay body has that special buncheong character with a warm texture. The grainy irregularities give the glaze something to work with, resulting in an uneven surface that not only plays beautifully in different lights but also draws you to touch and run your fingers across it. There are even some stone bursts throughout, including one fantastic piece of crystal emerging from the vase’s side.

Working at his studio in Mungyeong in the geographic centre of South Korea, Park Yeon tae represents a current generation of Korean potters who has chosen the playful and loose language of buncheong ceramics. In his hands, you can see the freedom inherent to buncheong wares that has attracted potters for generations.

가은요

Available. Katō Kōbei VII (b. 1945) “三彩酒盃” sansai cup; Tajimi, Gifu; c. mid-2000’s; 2 1/2” wide by 1 3/4” tall; artist m...
09/04/2026

Available. Katō Kōbei VII (b. 1945) “三彩酒盃” sansai cup; Tajimi, Gifu; c. mid-2000’s; 2 1/2” wide by 1 3/4” tall; artist marked on the bottom. Comes with the signed, stamped, and titled wood box, and stamped wrapping cloth. In perfect condition. $400 CAD (about $288 USD). Plus any applicable tax for Canadian residents. US-bound shipments subject to import tariff of 12.5%. Shipped at cost.

Japan’s proximity at end of ancient Asian trade routes has made it a culmination point of sorts. It’s almost as though the continent has been tipped over and shaken, gathering the remnants of cultures from far away and long ago. Silk Road ceramics have held a special allure for many Japanese potters, conjuring romantic images of vibrant pots and precious silks, scented by incense and spices.

Based in Gifu, the Katō family of potters is currently eight generations strong, but it was Kōbei VI who dedicated his carer to ceramics of the “West”. He gained renown for his Persian inspired blue pots, lustreware, and Sansai three-colour ceramics, leading to his recognition in 1995 as a Living National Treasure for Sansai. His son Kōbei VII continued his father’s interest in Silk Road ceramics, and has been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Asset (Tajimi) for his own Sansai wares.

This small cup is a fine example of the vibrant three-colour pottery best known from the Tang dynasty. The cup’s walls are remarkably delicate, thin like an egg shell, but strengthened by the veils of white, green, and gold gaze. The clay body appears to be a pure white porcelain, but these pots are also similar to Persian soft paste porcelain which contain ground glass. Kōbei’s form is especially elegant with its swelling body and just slightly flared lip.

With this cup between your fingers, you have an idea of the Tang dynasty’s colourful appeal for many Japanese potters. There is the sense of the history of ceramics itself being condensed and reborn in a cup, thousands of years and miles later.

Over this last year or so I’ve had a few pieces by the great Bizen ware potter Kakurezaki Ryūichi pass through my hands....
09/03/2026

Over this last year or so I’ve had a few pieces by the great Bizen ware potter Kakurezaki Ryūichi pass through my hands. This tall tsubo is one of my favourites with its rhythmic lines and glistening kiln effects. Even though it measures 18” high, its subtly swelling body and large, sweeping foot give it a scale that appears even larger than its dimensions.

The lines and curves of Kakurezaki’s form play against each other: the swoops and lifts of the foot contrast those of the lip. The angles speak to each other but also “reach” to the space outside the tsubo itself. Bizen ware, especially that of Kakurezaki, balances positive and negative space so successfully that perhaps this is why it’s often considered the most sculptural of Japanese ceramic traditions.

Always surprising in its variety, Bizen’s different forms - all curves and angles - make it conducive to wood firing. The various planes allow the fire to play across its surfaces. The shape is defined while, at the same time, is also a canvas for the flame.

SOLD

Available. Maruta Munehiko (b. 1961) three sake cups; Uchida Saraya-gama, Takeo, Saga. Artist marked. Each comes with th...
09/01/2026

Available. Maruta Munehiko (b. 1961) three sake cups; Uchida Saraya-gama, Takeo, Saga. Artist marked. Each comes with the signed, stamped, and titled wood box, stamped wrapping cloth, and CV.

From left to right:

“斑唐津ぐい呑” Madara Karatsu sake cup; early 2000’s; 3” wide by 2 3/8” high. $350 CAD (about $252 USD).

“朝鮮唐津ぐい呑” Chosen Karatsu sake cup; early 2000’s. 3” wide by 2 1/2” high. $385 CAD (about $275 USD).

“三島唐津ぐい呑” Mishima Karatsu sake cup; mid-2000’s. 2 3/4” wide by 2 1/4” high. $415 CAD (about 300 USD).

All prices plus applicable taxes for Canadian residents. US-bound shipments subject to tariffs. Shipped at cost.

This trio of sake cups by Maruta Munehiko gives a good idea of the variety of glazes commonly found in Karatsu wares today. Working in Kyushu’s Saga prefecture, Maruta is one of the leading figures in the continuing Karatsu revival that began in the 20th century.

The first features a Madara glaze on a groggy stoneware native to the Karatsu region. It is covered with a flowing glaze, made from rice straw, that stops short of the foot to reveal the clay body nicely toned by the wood-firing.

The second is a Chosen style glaze over a similar stoneware body. Chosen actually refers to “Korea,” specifically the Joseon dynasty, which was when Korean potters were forcibly taken to the Karatsu region for their ceramic skill. A milky-blue, rice straw ash glaze poured over a dark, iron-rich glaze, the beauty of Chosen comes from the rich contrast between two glazes.

The third cup’s decoration is not seen as often. It features a Mishima motif carved into a dark clay body, which was then filled with white slip. Once carved away, the resulting motif appears like grass or bamboo swaying in the breeze.

Given its geographic and historic circumstances, the causes behind Karatsu ceramics and Korean wares become clear. In many ways it was with Karatsu ceramics that Korea’s buncheong aesthetics took hold in Japan, transforming its ceramic culture ever after.

And here as well are some photos of the Fujita Keizo tea bowl I posted the video of the other day.Fujita Keizo (b. 1963)...
08/30/2026

And here as well are some photos of the Fujita Keizo tea bowl I posted the video of the other day.

Fujita Keizo (b. 1963) works in the Kyoto region specializing in sometsuke and overglaze enamel ceramics that recall Ming dynasty and Silk Road aesthetics.

This tea bowl is titled “安南染付 鳥文図 茶碗” or Annam sometsuke tea bowl with bird motif. The underglaze cobalt depictions of birds in landscapes was covered with a clear glaze to capture the wonderful “flowing blue” atmosphere of Ming era Annamese ceramics made in present-day Vietnam.

In many ways, Fujita’s work might be described as capital-R romantic. They evoke a time and place long-passed, using images and colours that evoke the Silk Road and its ancient history. His ceramics often feature idealized landscapes, with animals and trees that also often carry symbolic weight.

SOLD.

藤田佳三

I’m sharing here some photos of the Matsuzaki Kan tea bowl I posted a video of the other day.Born in 1977, Matsuzaki Kan...
08/30/2026

I’m sharing here some photos of the Matsuzaki Kan tea bowl I posted a video of the other day.

Born in 1977, Matsuzaki Kan works alongside his father Ken in Mashiko creating unique and modern variations on traditional Mino ware ceramics. While they might have recognizable ancestors, there is a subtle vitality to Matsuzaki’s forms and glazes that I’ve not seen elsewhere.

This tea bowl is titled “蒼流志埜茶盌” or flowing-blue Shino tea bowl. After multiple tests, Matsuzaki created a variation of Shino with cobalt applied underneath. But only after discovering specific and exacting wood-firing conditions that Matsuzaki was able to achieve the wonderful flowing of the glaze.

SOLD.

kan matsuzaki / 松崎 幹

08/29/2026

These tea bowls have already sold, but I still wanted to share these two different examples of potters using the colour blue.

Matsuzaki Kan (b 1977) blue flowing Shino chawan.

Fujita Keizo (b 1963) sometsuke Annamese chawan with bird motif.

A couple of days ago, a friend sent me The History of Ceramics podcast by HENI Talks. Finally! A serious dive into potte...
08/27/2026

A couple of days ago, a friend sent me The History of Ceramics podcast by HENI Talks. Finally! A serious dive into pottery through an art historical lens. This is what I’ve been waiting for…

Hosted by Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene, they bring deep knowledge of both ceramics and art history to their engaging conversations.

So far the Bernard Leach three part-er is excellent, and I’m looking forward to listening to the episodes discussing Japanese tea ceramics and the creative partnership of Lucie Rie and Hans Coper.

For anyone who loves ceramics, this is not to be missed!

Thank you Sylvestre Pouillard for putting this on my radar.

I’ll post the link in my stories.

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-history-of-ceramics/id1887599567

HENI
Stephanie Rozene
Paul Greenhalgh



Images courtesy of The History of Ceramics podcast on YouTube. Except:

Bernard Leach vase and Shoji Hamada tea bowl: photo by courtesy of

Lucie Rie and Hans Coper, photo by Jane Coper, courtesy of the Crafts Study Centre, University of the Creative Arts.

Lucie Rie pink bowl, photo by Sylvain Deleu, copyright estate of the artist, The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation.

08/26/2026

Kakurezaki Ryuichi Bizen wide mouthed vase.

$1,900 CAD (about $1,375 USD)

SOLD

08/22/2026

New arrival: Suzuki Tetsu (b 1964) ryokuyu green tsubo.

$1,700 CAD (about $1,235 USD)

SOLD

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