Editor's Note: This resource can be used in conjunction with the lesson Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century.

Kō Takenaka is a specialist in using Kyoto white porcelain, a material known for its delicacy in texture and structure. He studied with Living National Treasure Kondō Yūzō for ten years, and established his own kiln in Kyoto in 1970. In 1995, Takenaka was bestowed with a high honor of his own when he was designated a Kyoto Intangible Cultural Property. Takenaka creates a range of vessels modeled on established, traditional forms such as vases suited for ikebana, tableware, and bowls and utensils for the tea ceremony. Takenaka’s more recent works, including the piece pictured here, is inspired by the sophisticated and pristine forms and finishes of Korean porcelain vessels of the 17th and 18th centuries, glazed in pale, translucent green or blue hues. The artist, in his work, achieves a masterful level of technical perfection, fineness and balance shared by ceramics of this historical era.