Notice: We are holding the Chogi Matsushima World Exhibition: 'Ryukyu Nanban: Kiln-Transformed'
Chogi Matsushima is a ceramic artist who celebrated his 50th anniversary of pottery making in 2024.
He is a master highly regarded not only within Okinawa Prefecture but also outside of it. However, perhaps because he has walked a solitary path, he leaves a strong impression as a person of isolated excellence, and for the younger generation in particular, he is a figure to be looked up to with awe.
At the folk craft tavern Omoro, we have planned this exhibition with the hope of connecting the charm of Matsushima's mysterious works to the next generation.
From the beauty of utility to the beauty of uselessness
2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the term 'Mingei' (folk craft). To commemorate this, the folk craft tavern Omoro is holding a solo exhibition for Chogi Matsushima, a leading ceramic artist and master of 'Ryukyu Nanban'.
Matsushima was born in 1947 in Okinawa, which was still in the chaos of the post-war period. In 1966, under the U.S. administration of Okinawa, he entered the Faculty of Law at Chuo University through the government-funded and self-funded Okinawan student system. It was a time of political turmoil. Matsushima threw himself into the student movement and energetically published radical theories on Okinawa. He became famous as a sharp activist and theorist.
After graduating from university in 1974, he settled in Shuri, Naha City, and began making pottery. Matsushima did not become anyone's apprentice; he taught himself the 'ars' (craft) of earth, water, wind, and fire. While looking to ancient pottery for guidance, he kneaded Okinawan clay and burned Ryukyu pine, silently and single-mindedly delving into the theme of 'What is Ryukyu-Okinawan pottery?'
After World War II, Okinawan 'yachimun' (pottery) began a new history, centered in Tsuboya. In particular, the achievements of the 'Three Tsuboya Men'—Eisho Kobashigawa (1909-78), Jiro Kinjo (1912-2004), and Eizaburo Aragaki (1921-84)—were remarkable. However, while Matsushima respects that lineage, he has moved far away from the Tsuboya style and headed in his own unique direction.
As a guide to understanding Matsushima's attempts, if we place the struggles of Seisho Kuniyoshi (1943-99), the conflicts of Takemi Shima (1943-2024), or the contemplations of Shinman Yamada (1944-) alongside him, we can see that Matsushima was also breathing the same air as his predecessors. Kuniyoshi, Shima, and Yamada all trained in Tsuboya and were artists who thoroughly embodied tradition, yet they achieved astonishing innovations as if breaking through tradition from the inside. Although their directions and methodologies were completely different, these three bold challenges must have greatly encouraged Matsushima, who followed them.
Matsushima's handiwork, born from introspective exploration and practical study while running parallel to the spirit of the times, gradually came to be called Ryukyu Nanban. It culminated in a style that is both 'gouki' (sturdy/resolute) and delicate, evoking historical depth and geographical breadth. Colors and shapes drawn from the ancient layers of Ryukyu and Okinawa. Pan-Asian aesthetic refinement and technical achievement. Matsushima's 'philosophy of the hand' was slowly and carefully refined.
On the other hand, the mysterious and humorous objects that Matsushima has been making as a pastime for the last decade or more are filled with 'chiki' (childlike innocence) rather than mastery, and improvisation rather than refinement, which has resulted in some confusion for those who know the 'yokon' (grandeur) of his Ryukyu Nanban. At the same time, these unidentifiable objects—which are neither daily utensils, nor decorations, nor, of course, so-called 'art objects'—have captivated connoisseurs as 'forms of non-action' from which all artifice has vanished.
The concept of 'beauty of utility,' which forms the core of the Mingei movement, has, after 100 long years, finally given birth to an existence that should be called 'beauty of uselessness' through the body of Chogi Matsushima. We cannot help but see the dialectic of history here.
In this exhibition, we will introduce the world of Chogi Matsushima in two parts, focusing on his lesser-known 'Tohenshi' (Ceramic Fragment Child) and 'Tohenshu' (Ceramic Fragment Hand) works. We hope that those interested in the future of folk crafts and the possibilities of ceramics will come to visit.
Chogi Matsushima
1947: Born in Okinawa
1973: Graduated from Chuo University, Faculty of Law, after attending Okinawa Prefectural Shuri High School
1974: Began making pottery in Tounokura, Shuri, Naha City (kerosene kiln)
1978: Built a climbing kiln (three-chamber) at the same location
1982: Built an anagama (tunnel kiln) in Yashibaru, Nakama, Onna Village
1990: Moved the kiln to Shikazagawa, Onna Village. Built a semi-above-ground anagama. Since then, it has served as a base for pottery making along with the studio in Tounokura, Shuri
2000: Received the Grand Prize at the 20th West Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (sponsored by Nishinippon Shimbun)
2003: Full member of the Japan Kōgei Association. Participated in the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education's 'Report on the Survey of Materials Related to Okinawan Pottery'
2007: Received the Grand Prize at the 41st Okinawa Times Art Awards (Crafts Category)
I. Forms of Non-Action: Ceramic Fragments and Ceramic-Handed
Dates: Friday, November 21, 2025 – Saturday, December 20, 2025
Venue: Mingei Sakaba Omoro (Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture)
II. Philosophy of the Hand: Okinawa in Kiln Transformation
Dates: Scheduled for February 2026
Venue: Same as above
