Masahiro Sakakura (the 16th generation Shinbei Sakakura)

In 2024, he inherited the name of Shinbei, the 16th head of the Sakakura family, which has been in business for over 350 years since the founding of Hagi ware by Ri Shakuko, based in Sannose, Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

As the heir to such a long-standing family tradition, Sakakura Masahiro's words reveal a natural determination to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the future of Hagi on his shoulders. However, he does not see this heavy responsibility as a burden, nor does he rebel against it; he simply seems to accept it as it is.

Traditionally, Daido clay, Mishima clay, and Kinpo clay are used in Hagi. These create the distinctive characteristics of Hagi ware, but Sakakura Masahiro also mixes in clay dug near the kiln. At the heart of his creations is a strong passion for clay. The wildness of the clay seems out of place in Hagi, which has a tradition of being a purveyor to the government. His approach to pottery is to communicate with the clay and let it become what it wants, placing more importance on the voice of the material than on his own "hands." (Of course, as you can see, it goes without saying that his "hands" are also exceptionally excellent.)

The memory of rough earth trapped in a beautiful, refined form. Ancient creatures trapped in amber.

The pride of carrying on the noble lineage of Hagi, the weight of Hagi's history... While Sakakura Masahiro is surely more than fully aware of this, he seems to be looking further, or perhaps even deeper.

It is the eternal time, the accumulation of time of the earth that gave birth to the soil, and the eroticism of these hidden things being exposed and revealed.

The vast amount of information and dynamism contained in the material clay is instantly captured in an unshakable form by fire. Sakakura Masahiro's work is as if he has captured the living clay in a single moment, captured in the photograph of a kiln. It is so vivid, yet so still and fixed. The wriggling thing resonates with the pulse of the earth, just a thin layer away, waiting for the moment to descend into this world.

Born in Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1983
Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school in sculpture in 2009
2011 Completed Kyoto City Traditional Industry Technician Training
Appeared on Door to Tomorrow (CS Discovery Channel) in 2017
Appeared on "2019 Break Eve" (BS Fuji)
2019 Contemporary Ceramic Art Hagi Grand Prize Exhibition V Honorable Mention
First solo exhibition in 2020 (Shinjuku Kakiden Gallery)

2024: Succeeds to the name of the 16th Sakakura Shinbei