Koike Shōko

Born 1943, Beijing, China

As one of the first female graduates from the prestigious ceramics department of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, KOIKE SHŌKO is among very few women ceramists of her generation to support herself as a studio-artist. In doing so, she has become one of the most recognized ceramists from Japan with works in museum collections throughout the world.

Koike draws inspiration from the sea, creating shell-like forms in Shigaraki stoneware with irregular, undulating, pinched, ruffled edges that protrude from hand-built and wheel-thrown bodies. A creamy white, opaque glaze covers her forms, and the edges are further accentuated with brown iron glaze and sometimes supplemented with metallic, iridescent or turquoise glazes. Recently she has punctuated some of her works with puddling of a translucent azure-blue crystalline glaze nestled between rising pleated petal-like panels.