Toru Hatta is a powerhouse ceramicist based near Osaka, Japan.

His work is instantly recognisable - clean lines and resplendent surfaces manifest in an understated aesthetic that speaks directly to his background in design and engineering, while his variety of glazing techniques reveal a discerning contemplation of cross-cultural ceramic traditions.

Inspired by Korean techniques that permeated the Momoyama period and ancient Jomon earthenware of Japan, and choosing to fire his work in an anagama kiln, Toru’s works stand as a contemporary fusion of Japanese, Korean and Chinese ceramic history, expert craftsmanship and a focus on the spiritual character of clay.

Pursuing the endless possibilities of his material, he produces mainly shirokake (white),  kurokake (black), matsukake (pine-ash) and mishima-te finishes. 

He has however refined and extended this process, including the addition of finely ground stone, to produce the complexity and depth of the signature finish he calls shirokake.

His other kake glazes are kurokake - similar to shirokake but with dark slip with high iron content, producing a rich black finish - and matsukake - an ash glaze made from burning pine needles, producing a textured, matte finish of subtle greens, yellows and greys.

In his mishima-te works, bamboo or iron tools are used to carve intricate patterns which are then inlayed with slip and wiped back. It is a cumulative process that requires immense skill and patience, one where the hand of the maker is ever present and never replicable.

His shirokake range emanates from within - luminous surfaces that shift in the light are not only beautiful but speak to the importance of artistic and scientific ingenuity. 

The beauty of the kiln is revealed in Hatta’s non-glazed works, the surfaces of which are determined by the history of firings that preceded them. When left bare, chemical residues within the kiln form an atmospheric glaze – the resulting works act as psychical archives of the volatile processes undergone in their becoming.

Born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1977, Toru Hatta graduated from the Department of Environmental Design, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Sangyo University. In 2003 Hatta became solely focussed on ceramics and it's been his passion ever since. 
He is now based in a town near Osaka, that still retains the look of a 450-year-old Edo-era settlement, and four years ago he built a house and studio there. It is close to the sea, and Kongo, the highest peak in Osaka, can be seen from the front window. His wood-fired kiln is in the same location where kiln technology was first introduced to Japan from the continent 1500 years ago.