Yuta Omori

Born in Tokyo in 1994, Yuta Omori graduated from Waseda University and went on to work for the advertising agency Hakuhodo, where he spent five years. Aspiring to become a ceramic artist, he relocated to Iga City in Mie Prefecture in 2023. He is currently working as an assistant to contemporary artist and ceramicist Masaomi Yasunaga, while also pursuing his own ceramic practice.

Iga ware, a high-fired ceramic tradition made without glaze, is known for its distinctive texture that blends raw strength with rustic simplicity. Free from strict adherence to traditional methods, this style values emotional expression born from spontaneity and chance. Omori’s decision to explore Iga ware—still undefined in his own expression, but deeply personal—suggests a strong sense of purpose. Though young and still developing, he is a promising emerging ceramic artist whose innate sense of balance shines through his work.

The Iga ware created by Yuta Omori originates from the area around Iga City in Mie Prefecture. With roots dating back to the Nara period, it flourished during the Momoyama period as ceramics for the tea ceremony. Characterized by the absence of glaze and high-temperature firing, its distinctive features include natural bidoro (glass-like) glaze and kiln effects created by ash from wood-fired kilns. The warped forms shaped by hand-building or beating techniques convey both strength and rustic beauty, which tea masters regarded as embodying the aesthetic of wabi-sabi. Although it once declined during the Edo period, Iga ware was rediscovered in the Showa era, and today many ceramic artists continue to work in the region. In addition to traditional tea wares, modern tableware and sculptural objects are now also produced, and the serendipitous beauty born of earth and fire continues to captivate people to this day.