Rays of Light in Celadon
Taruta Hiroshi
Taruta Hiroshi is a Seto ware artist specializing in hotarude, an openwork technique in which cutouts are carved in clay, then filled with translucent glaze before firing. Working with porcelain and pale celadon glaze, Taruta thus creates landscapes of light with each delicate incision. He brings an innovative approach to his work, seeking out new modes of expression as he pushes the boundaries of hotarude. His elegant vessels foster interactions between space and light that bring a sense of wonder and quiet mystery.
The Grace of Linear Hotarude
Although the hotarude technique is better known in other Japanese ceramic traditions such as Kutani ware, Taruta effortlessly adapts it to Seto ware, bringing out the lustrous beauty of both porcelain and glaze. Inspired by motifs like rays of sunlight through clouds, Taruta introduces linear cutouts in his hotarude—a new direction for a technique mostly known for its circular designs. Through a steady pursuit of new forms, Taruta continues to expand on hotarude’s possibilities, discovering fresh modes of expression with each steady round of creative experimentation.
Light and Sculpture
Each of Taruta’s hotarude pieces creates a dialogue between illumination, user, and physical place. With changes in the light source, season, and time of day, new surface landscapes emerge. Luminosity slides across the vessel; beams of radiance illuminate shadows. In each delicate form rests an invitation for the viewer to appreciate the unique interplay between elements—one that exists only within each transient moment.
Biography
Born in 1987 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Taruta Hiroshi graduated from the Advanced Course in Ceramics at Aichi Prefectural Seto Ceramics Senior High School in 2007. He then apprenticed with Seto ware artist Hatano Masanori. In 2015, he conducted a 10-month study tour in Germany, Sweden, and other European countries. In 2017, he completed a three-month residency at Aw Pottery Studio in Malaysia.
Taruta’s work with the hotarude technique has earned him a number of awards, including the Grand Prize in the Ceramic Art Section of the 65th Seto City Art Exhibition (2012), the TOKI Oribe Grand Prize of the 16th Exhibition of Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony (2024), and the First Prize in the 20th Tokyo-New York Friendship Ceramic Competition (2025). Today, he works from his studio in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, and regularly participates in exhibitions around Japan.
