Manabu Suehiro

Born in Osaka, Suehiro studied at the Bizen Ceramic Art Center, and later in his 20’s completed about 22-yard-long underground anagama kiln. He has held solo exhibitions in Ginza, Tokyo, and other prominent galleries.

Watching Suehiro's Instagram videos, even amateurs can be amazed by the consistency of his technique. Each piece is a work of art, the result of many years of devotion to mastering his control of the clay and trusting the flow of the flame.

Bizen ware does not use glaze, so the clay has a rich expression. Depending on where the piece is placed in the traditional anagama kiln, which does not use electricity, how the flames are manipulated inside the kiln can drastically affect the finished product.

Suehiro also plays a central role in activities to preserve the 1,000 years of Bizen history, and is currently on a mission to revive Sue ware, the predecessor of Bizen ware.