Hideaki Miyamura
Encyclopedia
Hideaki Miyamura is a Japan
ese-born American
potter
working in Kensington, New Hampshire
. Miyamura is best known for his unique iridescent glazes, including a compelling gold glaze, the "starry night" glaze on a black background, and a blue hare's fur glaze.
Miyamura was born in Japan as the son of an architect and civil engineer. Miyamura wanted to be a medical doctor but believed the schooling was too expensive. Instead, he traveled to the United States and studied at Western Michigan University
. Studying art history at Western Michigan, Miaymura became interested in art. After college, Miyamura decided to take up pottery in Japan.
Miyamura spent over five years working with master potter Shurei Miura of Yamanashi
, Japan. During that time, he experimented with over ten thousand test pieces, using countless formulas to develop original glazes. Through this process, he developed glazes that he describes as "yohen tenmoku
," after a Chinese pottery tradition. More recently, he has conducted over two thousand additional test cases.
Many of his glazes are inspired by the tenmoku
style of 12th and 13th Century Chinese glazes used on tea bowls in monasteries on Mount Tianmu in the Zhejiang
province in China
. Some have argued that his work is also influenced by Scandinavian pottery.
Miyamura's studio pottery
appears in the permanent collections of more than a dozen museums, predominantly in the United States, including the Art Institute of Chicago
, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
, the Peabody Essex Museum
, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
, the Newark Museum of Art, and the Renwick Gallery
of the Smithsonian Institution
. The Pucker Gallery in Boston has presented two major solo exhibitions of his work, and his work has also been shown by the Gallery Camino Real in Boca Raton, Florida
.
He studied at Western Michigan University, and then later in his life he studied at the Japanese Master Potter Shurei Miura.
Pucker Gallery, Pursuing the Eye of Heaven: Ceramics by Hideaki Miyamura, Introduction by Andrew L. Maske (Boston: 2005).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
potter
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
working in Kensington, New Hampshire
Kensington, New Hampshire
Kensington is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,124 at the 2010 census.-History:Once a parish of Hampton, Kensington was incorporated in 1737 by Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher, when New Hampshire was still part of that colonial province...
. Miyamura is best known for his unique iridescent glazes, including a compelling gold glaze, the "starry night" glaze on a black background, and a blue hare's fur glaze.
Miyamura was born in Japan as the son of an architect and civil engineer. Miyamura wanted to be a medical doctor but believed the schooling was too expensive. Instead, he traveled to the United States and studied at Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
. Studying art history at Western Michigan, Miaymura became interested in art. After college, Miyamura decided to take up pottery in Japan.
Miyamura spent over five years working with master potter Shurei Miura of Yamanashi
Yamanashi, Yamanashi
is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. In spite of the name, it is not the capital of the prefecture, which is Kofu.On June 1, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 37,927 with 14,453 households...
, Japan. During that time, he experimented with over ten thousand test pieces, using countless formulas to develop original glazes. Through this process, he developed glazes that he describes as "yohen tenmoku
Tenmoku
Tenmoku is a dark glaze with a surface that resembles oilspotting.It is made of feldspar, limestone, and iron oxide. The more quickly a piece is cooled, the blacker the glaze will be...
," after a Chinese pottery tradition. More recently, he has conducted over two thousand additional test cases.
Many of his glazes are inspired by the tenmoku
Tenmoku
Tenmoku is a dark glaze with a surface that resembles oilspotting.It is made of feldspar, limestone, and iron oxide. The more quickly a piece is cooled, the blacker the glaze will be...
style of 12th and 13th Century Chinese glazes used on tea bowls in monasteries on Mount Tianmu in the Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Some have argued that his work is also influenced by Scandinavian pottery.
Miyamura's studio pottery
Studio pottery
Studio pottery is made by modern artists working alone or in small groups, producing unique items of pottery in small quantities, typically with all stages of manufacture carried out by one individual. Much studio pottery is tableware or cookware but an increasing number of studio potters produce...
appears in the permanent collections of more than a dozen museums, predominantly in the United States, including the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery joins the Freer Gallery of Art to form the Smithsonian Institution's national museums of Asian art. The Sackler celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2012....
, the Peabody Essex Museum
Peabody Essex Museum
The Peabody Essex Museum , originally the Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute, in Salem, Massachusetts is the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States, and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the US; its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as...
, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a fine art museum located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a campus that covers nearly 8 acres , formerly Morrison Park...
, the Newark Museum of Art, and the Renwick Gallery
Renwick Gallery
The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, located in Washington, D.C., and focuses on American craft and decorative arts from the 19th century to the 21st century...
of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. The Pucker Gallery in Boston has presented two major solo exhibitions of his work, and his work has also been shown by the Gallery Camino Real in Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
.
He studied at Western Michigan University, and then later in his life he studied at the Japanese Master Potter Shurei Miura.
Source
K.T. Anders, "Hideaki Miyamura: A Man of 10,000 Glazes," 12 Clay Times No. 2 (March/April 2006).Pucker Gallery, Pursuing the Eye of Heaven: Ceramics by Hideaki Miyamura, Introduction by Andrew L. Maske (Boston: 2005).