Sokyo Gallery

Living An Aesthetic Life With Art

Kyoto, the thousand-year old capital of Japan, highly values tradition and formality; its culture is said to have reached the pinnacle of sophistication. Kyoto is the source and inspiration of Japanese traditional culture. It’s no wonder that in Kyoto a whirlwind of change enveloped and refined the world of pottery, until then a traditional craft which had developed slowly with the tea ceremony.

In 1920, a number of potters including Yaichi Kusube and Isso Yagi formed the group “Sekido.” The group advocated an expression of individual personality in ceramic works, transforming the potter from a nameless craftsman into a true artist.

Thirty years later, early in the post-war period, “Sodeisha” was formed by Kazuo Yagi, Osamu Suzuki, and two other artists. These artists created ceramic works which combined the figurative expressionism of sculpture with the earthy attractiveness of pottery, suggesting new directions to the world of ceramic art.

“SOKYO”, a gallery of contemporary art, displays ceramic pieces and other figurative forms that have been created from the Meiji era (20th century) onward. By showing young artists with the potential to collaborate and grow together, SOKYO aims to elevate the ceramics firmly into the realm of the so-called “fine arts.” SOKYO has a global audience and is a leader in spreading knowledge of the excellence of Japanese ceramic arts to the rest of the world.

Living a life appreciating beauty, a life surrounded by beauty, and a life with excitement is abundant.
Living an aesthetic life with art —It is our wish that our customers recognize that happiness consists in loving the beauties and caring for the beauties in their daily lives.

Founder: Yuichi Fujita