The Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajihara
(Contents)
Preface
Series: Reading the Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajiwara
Calligraphic Works
Artist Profile
Exhibition Record
Preface to the Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajiwara
In 2026, Rigan presented the first exhibition devoted to the calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajihara.
Kajihara is widely known as a ceramic artist, but his creative practice extends far beyond ceramics. For many years he has privately studied and admired the calligraphy of Ryōkan, while continuing to write poetry and take up the brush almost every day.
This exhibition was an attempt to introduce a previously little-known aspect of his practice as an independent body of work by an artist in its own right.
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On one visit to Kajihara’s kiln, he showed me some sheets of calligraphy, saying, “This is what I practice every night.” The moment I saw them, I felt instinctively that this was not simply a ceramic artist’s pastime, but work that belonged to the very core of Kajihara as an artist.
There was a stillness like clear water in the writing. It carried a slight sense of reserve and humor, and although it was never loud or rhetorical, it possessed a quiet beauty that seemed to speak directly to the viewer.
Convinced of this, I asked Kajiwara if he would allow us to hold an exhibition devoted to his calligraphy.
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At the time, very few people knew that Kajihara practiced calligraphy at all. Yet I felt that these works deserved to be properly introduced to the public and passed on to the next generation.
A gallery’s role is not only to sell works. It is also to recognize values worth communicating in the present, and to bring them into public view. This exhibition grew out of that conviction.
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On this page, we present Kajiwara’s calligraphic works alongside the ongoing series Reading the Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajihara, in which we look more closely at his practice, one theme at a time.
Series: Reading the Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajihara
This series explores the work of Yasumoto Kajihara: the relationship between ceramics and calligraphy, his connection with Ryōkan, line and empty space, language, chanoyu, and more. By offering different points of reference for viewing the work, we hope to deepen the experience of Kajihara’s calligraphy.
#1 Ceramics and Calligraphy
#2 Why Calligraphy?
#3 Ryōkan (scheduled for October)
(Further installments will follow.)
Calligraphic Works (Click an image for details)
Artist Profile
Yasumoto Kajihara
Born in Imari in 1962.
Based in Karatsu.
Drawing on extensive research into early Karatsu ware and other historic ceramics, Kajihara explores the possibilities of Karatsu ware in the present day. In recent years, he has traveled almost annually to Korea and China to study historic kiln sites, incorporating what he learns into the development of his own work.
For many years, he has privately studied and admired the calligraphy of Ryōkan, while also pursuing calligraphy, poetry, and painting.
In 2026, he held his first exhibition devoted to calligraphy at Rigan.
Exhibition Record
July 4–26, 2026
Presented in two consecutive phases, with a complete change of works between the first and second halves.