The Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajihara
(Contents)
Preface
Series: Reading the Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajihara
Calligraphy Works
Artist Profile
Exhibition Record
Preface to the Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajihara
In 2026, Rigan held the first exhibition dedicated to presenting 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 deeply admired and studied the calligraphy of Ryōkan, while writing his own poetry and taking up the brush as part of his daily practice.
This exhibition was an attempt to introduce a previously unknown aspect of his work as an independent body of work by an artist in his own right.
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On one occasion, when I visited Kajihara’s kiln, he showed me some calligraphy, saying, “This is my nightly practice.” The moment I saw it, I felt instinctively that this was not simply a ceramic artist’s pastime, but work that lay at the very core of Kajihara as an artist.
There was a stillness like clear water in his writing. With a slight sense of reserve and humor, it possessed a beauty that was never eloquent or insistent, yet quietly seemed to speak to the viewer.
Convinced of this, I asked him to allow us to hold an exhibition devoted to his calligraphy.
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At the time, the fact that Kajihara practiced calligraphy was almost entirely unknown. Yet I believed that these works deserved to be properly introduced to the world and passed on to the next generation.
A gallery’s role is not only to sell works, but also to recognize values that deserve to be communicated in the present and to bring them into public view. It was from this conviction that the exhibition was conceived.
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On this page, alongside an introduction to the works themselves, we will continue to explore Kajihara’s practice through the series “Reading the Calligraphy of Yasumoto Kajihara.”
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—by drawing out perspectives that may help us look more closely at the works, we will gradually deepen our understanding of Kajihara’s calligraphy.
#1 Ceramics and Calligraphy
#2 Why Calligraphy? (scheduled for September)
#3 Ryōkan (scheduled for October)
(Further installments will follow.)
Calligraphy Works (Click an image for details)
Artist Profile
Yasumoto Kajihara
Born in Imari in 1962.
Based in Karatsu.
Drawing on his extensive study of historical ceramics, including Ko-Karatsu, 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 historical kiln sites, incorporating the results of this research into the development of his own work.
For many years, he has deeply admired and studied the calligraphy of Ryōkan, while also pursuing calligraphy, poetry, and painting.
In 2026, his first exhibition devoted to calligraphy was held at Rigan.
Exhibition Record
July 4–26, 2026
Presented in two parts, with a complete change of works between the first and second periods.