Kato Tsubusa (Japanese, born 1962). <em>Triangular Plate (San'gaku Sara)</em>, ca. 1999. Porcelain with transparent light blue glaze ("seihakuji" glaze), 7 1/4 x 14 1/2 x 14 in. (18.4 x 36.8 x 35.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Joan B. Mirviss, 1999.71. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1999.71_SL1.jpg)

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Kato Tsubusa (Japanese, born 1962). Triangular Plate (San'gaku Sara), ca. 1999. Porcelain with transparent light blue glaze ("seihakuji" glaze), 7 1/4 x 14 1/2 x 14 in. (18.4 x 36.8 x 35.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Joan B. Mirviss, 1999.71. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1999.71_SL1.jpg)

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More info on this? A visitor's favorite

Porcelain and ceramic arts are popular in Japan today. This artist, Kato Tsubusa, purposely works with clays that are difficult to manipulate so the material itself plays a role in the final outcome of the work. In fact, he rips the clay by hand. You can even see his finger marks in the finished piece. He lets a sheet of clay partially dry and then digs his fingers in and tears. Apparently it takes a toll on his hands, since the clay resists tearing.

He embraces the element of chance overall. Notice the pool of blue at the center, that was created by gravity's action on the glaze.

Thank you!

I was wondering if there was a greater meaning to this plate looking fractured?

This plate was actually made by the artist through the use of extreme physical force. Kato slammed and roughly kneaded the clay, and wanted the plate to physically become a manifestation of energetic motions.

The artist favors clays that are very difficult to work with, so the jagged edges and the element of chance, such as the ceramic shattering in the kiln, are welcomed elements of his work.

The work really capitalizes on that. It feels dangerous and vulnerable, like it could cut you up if you hold it wrong.

I agree, it looks very sharp, the artist's energy is so clear! While the plate was made in 1999, there's a long history in Japan of incorporating and welcoming imperfections into ceramics, so this work definitely plays with a larger context too!

It looks very pure. Was this piece fired in a wood kiln?

Yes! The artist keeps the pieces clean in a sagar, a ceramic box which protects the pieces from wood ash and smoke.

How was this made? Did they break the edges?

Kato uses extreme physical force to manipulate the clay while it's still wet He slams pieces into the table and kneads them roughly. The edges appear to be a result of a tearing action during this process. This plate is a manifestation of the energetic motions used to form the object.

Thank you!

Did people eat off of this?

No, they did not. This is a contemporary work made by Kato Tsubusa, a Japanese artist, in 1999. It is a sculptural form more so than a practical one, although it could be used to present a couple pieces of sushi or a decorative rice cake, if you wanted to use it that way.

Kato uses a clay that is particularly sticky and hard to work with, and uses physical force to rip into the clay, creating pieces like this. He also uses a wood-firing kiln, adding an element of chance to his work.

Triangular Plate (San'gaku Sara)

Kato Tsubusa

Asian Art

ARTIST Kato Tsubusa, Japanese, born 1962

MEDIUM Porcelain with transparent light blue glaze ("seihakuji" glaze)

Place Made: Japan

DATES ca. 1999

PERIOD Heisei Period

DIMENSIONS 7 1/4 x 14 1/2 x 14 in. (18.4 x 36.8 x 35.6 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Asian Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 1999.71

CREDIT LINE Gift of Joan B. Mirviss

EXHIBITIONS

Infinite Blue

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Kato Tsubusa (Japanese, born 1962). Triangular Plate (San'gaku Sara), ca. 1999. Porcelain with transparent light blue glaze ("seihakuji" glaze), 7 1/4 x 14 1/2 x 14 in. (18.4 x 36.8 x 35.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Joan B. Mirviss, 1999.71. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1999.71_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 1999.71_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT © artist or artist's estate

Copyright for this work may be controlled by the artist, the artist's estate, or other rights holders. A more detailed analysis of its rights history may, however, place it in the public domain. The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

More info on this? A visitor's favorite

He embraces the element of chance overall. Notice the pool of blue at the center, that was created by gravity's action on the glaze.

Thank you!

I was wondering if there was a greater meaning to this plate looking fractured?

The artist favors clays that are very difficult to work with, so the jagged edges and the element of chance, such as the ceramic shattering in the kiln, are welcomed elements of his work.

The work really capitalizes on that. It feels dangerous and vulnerable, like it could cut you up if you hold it wrong.

It looks very pure. Was this piece fired in a wood kiln?

Yes! The artist keeps the pieces clean in a sagar, a ceramic box which protects the pieces from wood ash and smoke.

How was this made? Did they break the edges?

Thank you!

Did people eat off of this?