Carbonized vase with inlay decoration, named "Hanabi" (Firework) 

After first encountering earth with a black luster and hard texture in Suzu, Noto Peninsula, Onodera Gen continued for many years to create black-colored ceramics. But from the 1980s new changes became visible in his work. He developed a technique of kneading together black and white clay to create landscapes reminiscent of mountains and coastal straits. He also used a scratching technique to create lines in the surface of his ceramics, and an inlay technique for embedding those lines with different colored clays. Although his work remained predominantly black, skillful application of these techniques allowed for a variety of output. This work, titled Hanabi (Firework), gorgeously depicts fireworks in a night sky by inlaying white clay in a shaded dark background.
(HASEGAWA Tamao)