Yasuhiro Kohara is a self-taught stoneware ceramist born in Shigareki in 1954. While having no formal training, Shigareki is one of the six ancient kiln sites in Japan and hundreds of potters have their home there. Undoubtedly, Kohara’s aesthetic and style are influenced by strong Shigareki tradition. Kohara simultaneously nods to that tradition while mixing in his own spontaneity by contrasting his style with the grainy, dense Shigareki clay. Another moment of contrast in his work is the quiet gentleness in his glazes that atop the strong, harsh forms he creates. These contrasts and his vessels are both self-portraiture and a portrait of the landscape around Shigareki.