Kakurezaki’s work is rooted in the traditional materials and firing techniques of Bizen ware, while his use of unconventional clays has expanded the possibilities of the tradition. From the 1990s, he began using konkodo (mixed clay), combining clay that had traditionally been discarded during the extraction of tatsuchi, a fine and highly plastic clay used in Bizen pottery. The resulting surfaces, together with his bold forms and linear structures, became characteristic of his work. He has also experimented with shirokesho, a white slip decoration applied to Bizen vessels.
Kakurezaki has exhibited widely in Japan and internationally, including at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Mus.e Tomo, Tokyo; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and Japan Society, New York. His numerous awards include the Mainichi Art Award in 2014 and the Japan Ceramic Society Gold Award in 2015.
In 2019, Kakurezaki was designated a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property of Okayama. His work is held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; and Musee Tomo, Tokyo.
