Time & Style Amsterdam is pleased to present Beauty Through Use, a solo exhibition by Karatsu pottery artist Kentarou Murayama. Featuring approximately 1,000 works, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience pottery deeply rooted in the landscape, materials, and traditions of Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. 

Rooted in the 450-year history of Karatsu ware from Saga Prefecture, Kentarou Murayama creates pottery deeply connected to the natural landscape of Karatsu, pursuing the essence of the material and its form. 

His process begins by walking the mountains to gather clay, stone, and iron by hand. From these raw materials, he refines his own clay and glazes from scratch. Even today, when clay can easily be sourced ready-made, Murayama chooses to work closely with local raw materials. This direct engagement with the earth deepens his understanding of the land and the traditional craftsmanship of Karatsu ware. 

Murayama values an “eighty percent” completion in his work. He believes the true character of Karatsu ware is revealed through daily use, as the surface gradually develops richness, sheen, and expression over time. Once the pieces enter a home, they begin to adapt to their environment and grow together with the user, completing the remaining “twenty percent” through lived experience. 

The forms are simple and restrained, reflecting his pursuit of yō no bi (“用の美”) — the beauty of utility shaped around contemporary lifestyles and dining culture.  

For this exhibition, around 1,000 works born from the nature of Karatsu will be presented. We warmly invite you to experience these pieces — to feel the materials and process behind them, and to discover how they gradually grow into everyday life and the home.