Selected Experiences
2007- 2008 Mineo Okabe: A Retrospective, traveling to: Matsuzakaya Art Museum,
Nogoya/ Museum of Modern Art, Gifu, Tajimi/Hagi Uragami Museum, Hagi/Museum
of Ceramic Art, Hyogo, Sasayama/ Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Kasama, Japan
1989 Solo exhibition, Matsuzakaya, Nogoya, Japan
1981 Solo exhibition, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Tokyo/Matsuzakaya, Nogoya, Japan
1971 Solo exhibition, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Tokyo, Japan
1970 Completed beishokuji glaze
1965 Completed funseiji (celadon) glaze
1963 Began total personal devotion on the study of celadon making
1957 Exhibition of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts, Japan
1955 First time Solo exhibition, Maruzen Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1954 Hokuto Award, The Japan Fine Arts Exhibition. Completed straw-rope motif.
1950 Selected for the first time in The Japan Fine Arts Exhibition

Long-Necked Bottle with Funseiji (Celadon), Yôhen
Okabe began making celadon ware late in 1962 when he test-fired a piece of clay and brought forth the color of celadon glaze, but his earliest completed celadon used the funseiji glaze (opaque celadon with a soft gloss). At first he made many bottle-shaped works in imitation of ancient Chinese pottery. This work, which shows a faint glossy green color, is one of Okabe's celadon masterpieces.
Long-Necked Bottle with Beishokuji Glaze ,Yôhen
Beishokuji refers to celadon glaze with a yellowish cast. A glaze similar in substance to that of funseiji (opaque celadon with a soft gloss) is applied to the surface of the clay, and an oxidation process in the kiln transforms it so that a yellowish color like this is produced. In this work, one can see that the artist managed the two-layered glaze technique with beishokuji just right. These soft-gloss celadon works were completed around 1967.
Double-Eared Long-Necked Bottle with Beishokuji (Celadon), Yôhen
Okabe made celadon the focus of his work, and in 1969 he visited the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, where he actually managed to get the opportunity to touch some of the masterworks. In 1970, he also built a kiln at his home that was dedicated to firing beishokuji wares as he sought to prepare an environment dedicated to the making of celadon. The attachment of two ears on this straight, erect work is an attempt to blend the classical with the contemporary, thereby affording us a glimpse into Okabe's creativity.