Isami Enomoto Ashtray

1960’s

American, Hawaii

Sold 1/8/2022

Fabulous mid century studio pottery ashtray with brown/cream drip glaze. Decorated with incised pinstripes over a dark clay body and three applied and glazed feet. The ashtray has several places to ash-out or hold cigarettes, incense etc. The piece is marked “Cermaics Hawaii” on the bottom, and was made by the master potter Isami Enomoto in Honolulu in the 1960’s.

The piece was coil-built on a wheel and finished with a lovely fluted neck and three simple feet with cork bottoms. After the base clay was dry, a glaze was added. Glaze was firstly poured inside the piece utilizing the hole in the neck. The piece was then held by its feet as the excess glaze ran out of the interior. It was then dunked into the glaze upside down and turned rightside up. At this point, the potter incised lines around the piece, exposing the dark clay below and gliding the still-wet glaze down the sides of the piece. Later, the potter came back and cut out the ashtray compartments as well as the two cigarette/incense holders on the third side. This left the edges of those areas with a clean line between the drip glaze and the clay below. These cutouts also reveal the interior glaze with ribbing from the coil body. Lastly, the feet of the piece were glazed in the brown drip and a simple white glaze wiped across the bottom , highlighting the etched Hawaii Ceramics mark.

The bulbous-shape with narrow neck and the incised details remind me of ancient Japanese ceramic pots, but with a uniquely mid-century “Googie” twist. In the 1960’s University of Hawai‘i professor Claude Horan and his student, Isami Enomoto started Ceramics Hawai‘i to provide locally made tiles and other interior and architectural ceramics. Enomoto came of age during the 1960’s and was a bedrock for ceramic artists until his passing in 2016. Enomoto is well-known in Hawai‘i for the murals he made for the Bank of Hawaii Kapahulu. Additionally, he did work with Val Ossipoff to create tiles for the Honolulu airport and worked with Jean Charlot on other public murals. He also did signs at public parks, the zoo and community work, as well as being celebrated in the Japanese mingei, or arts and crafts, movement.

A very fun and functional piece demonstrating great artistry. A great gift for any Mid Century Modern, tobacciana, Hawai‘i or mingei studio ceramics collector.

Condition is excellent with no chips, scratches, cracks or crazing. 7 1/2” tall, 8” diameter.