Munehiko MarutaMunehiko Maruta

Maruta Munehiko's father, Maruta Masami, produced folk crafts called Kuromuta ware in Takeo City, and was influenced by the folk craft potter Bernard Leach, and was a disciple of Hamada Shoji, a central activist in the folk craft movement. Munehiko grew up in Kuromuta as the second son of such a potter, but was fascinated by old Karatsu ware and now produces Karatsu ware at the Uchida Sarayama Kiln.

The trajectory of ceramics

Uchida Sarayama Kiln is a historic place where many Karatsu wares were fired during the Momoyama period, over 400 years ago. It is located in Takeo City, which is in a different area from Karatsu City, but many masterpieces of old Karatsu ware fired at Uchida Sarayama Kiln remain to this day. Pottery is produced in a kiln named after Uchida Sarayama.

He has created many copies, and the finished product is in his strong Munehiko style. The Karatsu Ido tea bowl in the photo is very large, and the feel of the firing is more similar to a Karatsu Oku-Koma tea bowl than an Ido, and it has a very strong Karatsu smell.

A collection of works that breathe new life into traditional pottery

A copy of an Ido tea bowl is instantly recognizable as a copy, but in the case of his work, even if it is the same Ido, he has digested it from his own unique perspective and created it with a new worldview. He expresses the tradition of old Karatsu with his own unique arrangement, and his works have established a unique worldview so that any sake cup or plate can be instantly recognized as a "Maruta Munehiko work" by its unique glaze tone and style.
Its uniqueness is also apparent in the strength of its firing. This Korean Karatsu jar has a very tightly packed base and strongly expresses the randomness of the fire that was fired at a very high temperature, and it clearly establishes the unique worldview of Munehiko Maruta.

Munehiko Maruta and Ichibankan

We were immediately attracted to his powerful style, which was unlike any other artist that Ichibankan had previously carried, and after visiting his pottery studio, we began carrying his works at Ichibankan.
We have been purchasing and selling his works for a long time, but it was difficult to hold a solo exhibition. A few years ago, we first proposed a parent-child exhibition of Munehiko Maruta, Soichiro Maruta Gallery, and Yu Maruta, and have continued to exhibit his works ever since.
He has a soft-spoken manner and speaks in a very calm and gentle manner, but his works exude a rough and powerful quality, creating a striking contrast.

He and the owner of Ichibankan are close in age and often get together to talk about pottery, and they also actively discuss the future of Karatsu ware and the activities of young artists.