Strength and softness, stillness and movement. Masculinity and femininity. Mito's work seems to simultaneously possess two opposing aspects.
The various, deep and elusive glaze tones are particularly noteworthy. In fact, every time I photograph Rui Mito's work, I am reminded that it is extremely difficult to reproduce the colors in a photograph. There are many shades of blue within the blue, and many shades of black within the black. The mysterious colors and scenery, as if one color has infiltrated another, are something I would honestly like people to see in person.
While Mito takes Kokaratsu into consideration when it comes to form, he does not simply copy it. He extracts the characteristics of Kokaratsu and uses a unique filter to create modern tea pottery. However, this is not a sharp modernity for the sake of modernity, but rather a modernity that is inevitably rooted in his awareness of the tea ceremony of the past and his reverence for old pottery - a refinement of "the meaning of his own pottery making." This good sense of "landing" is also evident in his consideration of how the pottery feels when used; the way it fits smoothly in the hand and other aspects make his works appealing, bold yet well-bred.
Born in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture in 1978
2006 Graduated from the potter's wheel department at Arita Ceramics College, Saga Prefecture
2006: Studied under Kiyomi Kawakami in Karatsu
2009: Built a kiln in Karatsu city and became independent
