Seto City Art Museum
We would like to welcom you to Seto City Cultural Center. Seto City has more than 1,000 years history and tradition as a ceramic producing area, The construction of Seto City Cultural Center, the base dispatching its culture, was started in 1981 to commemorate the 50th aniversary of municipal organization and completed in October, 1982. The Center consists of 3 buildings; Seto City Art Museum, Cultural "Bunka" Hall and Cultural Communication Enhancement "bunkakoryu" Hall. In the Seto City Art Museum, a permanent collection in displayed as well as special planned exhibits of ceramics, paintings and other artworks created mainly by artists in the local community. The museum has become a viable space in spreading our cultural information. The museum houses more than 2,000 pieces of ceramics, paintings, sculptures and other things vreated mainly by artists connected with Seto City.
Visitors staying at designated facilities in the city are eligible to receive a Machimeguri coupon, which grants a 20% discount on admission to participating attractions.
Main works
Tokuro Kato was a ceramic artist designated as a National Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for his work in Oribe ware in 1952. He also served as a board member of the Japan Ceramic Society and the Japan Kogei Association and as a judge for various public art exhibitions.
This particular piece was created in 1956, during a period when he was deeply focused on producing Kiseto ware, creating numerous masterpieces that rivaled the ceramics of the Momoyama period with his unique style.
This work is a circular flower-shaped bowl with shallow cuts along the edges. The entire piece is glazed in the characteristic yellow Kiseto style, with the interior accented by a green copper glaze, and delicate floral designs drawn with fine lines. Its refined craftsmanship makes it lighter than it appears.
Tamiji Kitagawa was born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1894 and studied painting fundamentals in the United States. In 1921, he moved to Mexico, where he dedicated himself to children's art education at open-air art schools in Tlalpam and Taxco while actively pursuing his painting. In 1936, he returned to Japan and moved to Tokyo. However, as World War II intensified, he relocated to Seto, where his wife's family lived, and established both a home and a studio. From then on, his artistic activities were primarily based in Seto, where he produced significant work.
This particular piece was exhibited at the 8th Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibition held in May 1968 and is believed to depict Kitagawa's studio in Seto. The chair in front of the easel in the painting is said to have been designed and crafted by Kitagawa himself. Although Kitagawa moved to neighboring Owariasahi City in December 1968 and set up a new studio there, he remained fond of his Seto studio and continued to visit it for some time.
