Seiji Usami

• Category
  Ceramics
• Born
  1950 - 2024
• Based in
  Tochigi

About the Artist

Creating Gentle Light Using Original Techniques

Ceramic artist Seiji Usami received the Japan Kōgei Association Incentive Award at the 70th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition in 2023. After graduating from Musashino Art University, Usami worked as an industrial designer at a major consumer electronics manufacturer and received many Good Design Awards, which is the only official award in Japan to evaluate and promote designs. After retirement, he started learning ceramics in full swing, and in 2017, he was not only selected for the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition for the first time, but he also received the Japan Kōgei Association Chairman Award. Using layers of translucent engobe, Usami's ceramics have a soft color tone, but are colorful. Those who see his ceramics never get tired of his unique world where you can feel strength within the soft colors.

Biography

• 1950
  Born in Nagoya, Aichi
• 1974
  Graduated from Musashino Art University, Department of Industrial, Interior and Craft Design
  Joined a household appliance manufacturing company and received the "Good Design Award" 78 times and the German "IF Design Award"
• 2001
  Special lecturer for industrial design at Musashino Art University, Department of Design Informatics
• 2010
  Starts ceramic arts after retirement
• 2015
  Builds a kiln in Utsunomiya
• ＜Selected for the following＞
  The 65th, 66th, 67th and 68th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  The 22nd and 25th Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (Traditional Category)
  The 23rd Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (Free Category)
  The 10th and 12th International Ceramics Festival Mino (Ceramic Arts Category)
  The 6th, 8th and 9th Kikuchi Biennale
  Kobe Biennale 2015 Contemporary Ceramic Arts Competition
  The 31st Choza Award Tokoname Ceramic Exhibition (Free Molding Design Category)
  The 113rd Arita International Ceramics Competition
  The Hagi Taisho (Grand Prix) of Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition IV
  The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Tobiten
  The 55th, 57th, 58th, 59th, 0th and 61st East Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  The 45th Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten)
  The 1st and 4th New Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten)
  The 53rd, 54th, 55th and 56th Japan Contemporary Arts and Crafts Exhibition
  The 36th Nihon Shinkogei Exhibition
  The 43rd, 46th, 47th, 48th and 50th Zentoten Ceramic Art Exhibition
  2016 Itami International Craft Exhibition
  Craft Competition in Takaoka 2016, 2017
  The 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th Tableware Festival Grand Prix
  The 45th Choza Award Tokoname Ceramic Exhibition
  Beer Mugrankai 9
  The 55th and 56th Japan Crafts Exhibition
• Full Member of Japan Kogei Association
  Member of the Ceramic Art Society of Japan
  Director of Zentoten
  Specially Appointed Professor at Bunsei University of Art

Awards

• Received the Japan Kogei Association Chairman's Award at the 64th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Received the Choza Award at the 31st Choza Award Tokoname Ceramic Exhibition (Traditional Category)
  Received the Incentive Award at the Kobe Biennale 2013 Contemporary Ceramic Arts Competition
  Received the Saga Governor Award (2nd Place) at the 112th Kyushu Yamaguchi Ceramics Competition (current Arita International Ceramics Competition)
  Received the Yomiuri Shimbun Award at the 116th Arita International Ceramics Competition
  Received the Special Judges' Award at the 2016 Meshiwan Grand Prix
  Received the MEXT Award at the 49th Zentoten Ceramic Art Exhibition, artwork added to the collection of Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum (awarded 3 more times)
  Received the Art Festival Award at the 71st Art Festival in Tochigi Art Exhibition (awarded 1 more time)
  Awarded 5 times at the Utsunomiya City Art Festival

Public Collections

• Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum