Kifumi Kawamura

Kifumi Kawamura was born in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan in 1959. The Kawamura family originally comes from Kyoto, and they have worked as ceramic artists for over one hundred years. Kifumi’s grandfather, Kitaro, had inherited the traditional climbing kiln in Kamakura, which once belonged to one of the most famous ceramic artists, Kitaoji Rosanjin. Kifumi took it over from his father, Matajiro, and works at the historic kiln. (Kichuyo)

Kifumi was trained under Matajiro and also studied sculpture at Nihon University College of Art. He is very particular about using clay from Sanage of Aichi prefecture, which has been inherited from Kitaro. Sanage clay is very different from other clays on the market. The clay is not easy to handle, and it is difficult to complete the work as planned. However, Kifumi is very intrigued by the power of the clay and aims to get the most out of the clay’s characteristics to create unexpectedly beautiful pieces. He holds solo exhibitions at various galleries, such as Takashimaya Galleries in Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama, and Sendai.