Motoyuki Tonoike is a Japanese ceramist based in Tokoname and the surrounding Chita Peninsula. His route to pottery began outside the field, working in advertising before completing the Tokoname Tounomori Ceramics Research Institute in 2019. In one of Japan’s historic pottery regions, he has developed a material-led practice centered on unrefined clay, natural ash, and firing.

Tonoike varies wood-ash recipes, clay bodies, and surface treatments from one firing to the next. Each kiln opening is something like a laboratory, where he examines the results of individual clay and glaze tests and determines which combinations to pursue further. From matcha bowls and teapots to serving pieces and sculptural vessels, the coarse grain of the clay remains palpable beneath the ash glaze, giving his work a strong physical presence.