"IEGNIM," a select shop for folk craft and crafts, will hold the solo exhibition "Plain and Karakusa" by ceramic artist Kengo Matsuda from Sunday, October 11 to Sunday, October 18, 2026. Its operator, Roaster, announced it on October 10.
The venue is the shop, a one-minute walk from Yoyogi-Uehara Station North Exit 1. The shop is open on 5 days during the exhibition: October 11, 12, 16, 17 and 18. It is not open every day, so take care when choosing the day you visit.
Vessels with restrained decoration, and vessels painted with karakusa
At the heart of the exhibition is Matsuda's yachimun, made at "Yomitanzan Yaki Kitagama Beiji Matsuda Studio" in Yomitan Village, Okinawa. In the plain vessels, color and painting are kept restrained, drawing attention to the form of the vessel itself.
The other, karakusa, is a traditional Okinawan pattern painted with brush movements like plants growing and spreading. With leaf shapes and line wavering that differ from piece to piece, you can compare the outlines of plates and bowls. Works other than plain and karakusa are also planned to be on display.
What Matsuda draws on for his work is the form and atmosphere of old yachimun, such as those from the Ryukyu Kingdom era. Rather than showing off with flashy decoration alone, he values shaping the underlying form of the vessel.
Work built up at Yomitanzan Yaki Kitagama
Kitagama is a communal kiln opened in 1992 by four ceramic artists. Matsuda joined the studio of his father Beiji Matsuda, one of the founders, in 2010, and from 2019 began making his own pottery alongside his work at the studio.
This solo exhibition is his first in Tokyo. IEGNIM is a shop that introduces handmade vessels along with the background of how they are made, and it carries folk craft and crafts in store and online. At the venue, you can see vessels as everyday tools together with the work of their makers.
The artist is scheduled to be present on the first and second days
Matsuda is scheduled to be present on Sunday, October 11 and Monday, October 12 (national holiday). From 19:00 on the 11th, a talk event with Yoji Terada, "The Lives and Expression of a Ceramic Artist and an Artist," will also be held.
How to take part in the talk can be confirmed through the shop's information. The latest information on regular business days and hours is announced on IEGNIM's official Instagram. You can check the business days and hours before heading out, to fit your plans to visit the works and the venue.
IEGNIM event information
- Name: Kengo Matsuda Solo Exhibition "Plain and Karakusa"
- Period: Sunday, October 11 to Sunday, October 18, 2026
- Open days during the period: October 11, 12, 16, 17, 18
- Venue: IEGNIM (Tokyo; one-minute walk from Yoyogi-Uehara Station North Exit 1)
- Artist present: Scheduled for October 11 and 12
- Talk event: October 11, 19:00, "The Lives and Expression of a Ceramic Artist and an Artist"
- Hours and participation info: Check the official Instagram for the latest business hours, and the shop's information for how to join the talk
Photo: courtesy of Junichi Ishado / Roaster Inc.
