Japanese potters

Nagata Akihiko 長田明彦

1943-maleBorn in Beijing. Studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school. Studied under Kato Hajime, Tamura Koichi, and Fujimoto Yoshimichi. Later participated in the establishment of ceramics association in Mexico, and worked to develop Mexico as a place where ceramics were produced. Set up a kiln in Beppu, Oita Prefecture in 1972 after returning to Japan. Has held solo exhibitions in Mexico City and Oita Tokiwa. Assistant professor at Oita University. Focuses on glazed ceramics and ceramic walls. 別府市堀田5組 (more…)

Nakase Yukie 中瀬幸枝

1946-femaleFrom Kyoto. Graduated from Hiyoshigaoka High School’s ceramics course. Studied under Yamada Hikaru. Won the Governor’s Prize at the first public-recruitment Women’s Ceramics Exhibition and became a member; left in 1970. Later studied under Kawakami Rikizo. Has had her works exhibited at the Kyoto Craft Exhibition and elsewhere. Won the Honor Award at the World Triennale Exhibition. 向日市鶏冠井町沢西2-15 (more…)

Nagasue Ryuhei 永末隆平

1951-malebizen plotteryFrom Fukuoka Prefecture. Second son of Nagasue Harumi of Toyosaki Kichiemonkama Kiln. Dropped out of Meiji University and later completed training at Seto Ceramics Training School. Was drawn to unglazed Bizen ware in 1975 and entered Bishugama to train for over seven years. Learned the potter’s wheel from Yamamoto Toshu and Yuichi. Set up a half-underground cave kiln there independently in 1982. Has won the Okayama Mayor’s Prize in the Traditional Crafts branch Exhibition, the Okayama Prefecture Tsuyama Mayor’s Prize, the Sanyo Newspaper Prize, etc. Selected for the Japan Ceramics Exhibition and others. Focuses on scarlet tea bowls and (more…)

Nagasue Harumi 永末晴美

1917- 2005maleagano potteryAlso know as Buzen Kichiemon. From Tagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture. Served in the military and returned wounded. Learned pottery in Kyoto after the war. Studied under Miwa Yanosuke and Matsubayashi Hosai, who makes Asahi ware. Returned to his hometown in 1949 and set up his own kiln, Buzen Kichiemon kiln. Focuses on blue-and-white ceramics with nail engraving, blue earthenware, Goryeo-style designs, inlay work, etc. (more…)

Nakajima Rikudo 中島六道

1958-From Kyoto. Entered Sumiyama Craft Village in Uji from 1976 to train. Set up Kusegama Kiln independently in Toki, Gifu Prefecture in 1980. Focuses on elegant patterns and colored glaze. Focuses on solo exhibitions. (more…)

Nakashima Masao 中島正雄

　1921-?malemino potteryActive as a craft designer. Focuses on Shino ware, Setoguro (black Seto) ware, overglaze enamels, and Goryeo-style celadon porcelain. (more…)

Ogawa Bunsai 小川文斎

1809–1885malekaseyama potteryotokoyama potteryIn the beginning, during the Bunsei era (1818–30), he went all over Japan touring various kilns to hone his pottery skills, and established his own kiln in 1839 at Tenma, Osaka. In 1847, he was invited by the head of the Ichijo clan to teach the Kaseyama ware technique, and in 1870 he was invited to teach the Otokoyama ware technique. In the latter years of his life in 1878, he established a kiln on the Kiyomizu hills, and his pottery style was subsequently inherited by the 2nd–5th generation (Ogawa Kinji).His particularly excellent wares are dyed porcelain, true (more…)

Okada Kyuta 岡田久太

?-1832malesakuraisato pottery The founder, Okada Kyuta (birthdate unknown–1832) also worked under the pen name Sakura Kyuta, and is said to have originated from Kaga, but this is currently unclear, and there are records of him working as a master ceramicist for Aoki Mokubei in Kyoto, earning him the title of Master of the Potter’s Wheel, and he mostly made thin teapots from white mud. Additionally, together with Ogata Shuhei, he also worked at the Sakuraisato ware kiln in Settsu. He passed away on 20 August.The name of Kyuta the 2nd (birthdate unknown–1877) was Kyubei and he inherited the founder’s potter’s (more…)

Ono Gishin 小野義真

1839–1905maleBorn as the eldest son of Ono Yasue Yoshinobu, the village headman of Sukumo in the Tosa region, he studied at the “Tekijuku” of Ogata Koan in Osaka, served in the new government formed after the Meiji Restoration, and worked under Okuma Shigenobu but retired from being a government servant in 1874.After his retirement, he became an advisor for the Mitsubishi Foundation, creating lasting legacies in the business world together with the likes of Iwasaki Yataro. For example, in 1891, Ono, Iwasaki, and Inoue Masaru established the Koiwai Farm, which is a combination of the first character of their family (more…)

Okada Beisanjin 岡田米山人

1744–1820Okada Beisanjin was well-known as a master of Nanga (which focused exclusively on landscapes, birds, and flowers), and it has also been confirmed that he was on close terms with many artists and literati of the time and was versed in a wide range of fields, and this might have been what led him to dive into pottery in the latter stage of his life, creating tea bowls, ornaments, images of people, and tea ware in the Raku ware style, and his works branded with the stamps “Beisanjin” and “Uji” have been discovered intact. (more…)

Ogawa Choraku 2nd 二代 小川長楽

1912–1991maleraku potteryThe eldest son of the first Ogawa (Choyuken) Choraku. Born in Kyoto. Graduated from the Department of Ceramics, Kyoto Municipal Second Technical School. Awarded a prize at the Kyoto Exposition of Arts and Crafts, France and Paris.With the passing of his father, the founder of Choraku, in 1936, he became Choraku the 2nd.He maintained the family business well, and mainly made tea bowls in the Raku ware style, being particular skillful at Red Raku and Black Raku ware, and also gained the trust of the Senke school. In 1939, after the founder’s passing, he was bestowed the pen name (more…)

Ohi Chozaemon 5th 五代 大樋長左衛門

1781 (or 1799)-1856maleohi potteryBorn as the eldest son of Chozaemon the 4th (Doan), he studied his father’s techniques and inherited the family business as Chozaemon the 5th in 1824.Patronized by the 13th Lord of the Kaga domain Maeda Narinaga, he presented the Opuku Tea Bowl to the court as is customary, and in 1850 demonstrated his skills in front of the 11th Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Ienari, at his main residence in Edo, maintaining his family’s legacy.Additionally, he was particularly good at making black tea bowls which use cut-out decorations and molds, and was said to be only second to the (more…)

Ohi Chozaemon 4th 四代 大樋長左衛門

1758–1839maleohi potteryBorn as the 3rd son of Chozaemon the 3rd, he inherited the family business and was well-known as a master artisan surpassing his predecessors, researching and developing the Ohi ware standard that include Ohi’s traditional candy glaze and Raku ware that used brown sugar glaze and white glaze. He made his mark with brilliantly made tea ware as well as artistic ornaments.In the year 1824, he retired and took on the name Doan. (more…)

Ohi Chozaemon 3rd 三代 大樋長左衛門

1728–1802maleohi potteryHe was born as the 2nd son of Ohi Chozaemon the 2nd, and inherited the family business. The 3rd’s branding stamp is different from his predecessors’ and uses a unique representation of Ohi, but he also preserved the works by the 2nd which were branded with oval-shaped branding stamps. (more…)

Ogawa Hansuke 小川半助

meiji periodmalebanko potteryHe was a master ceramicist of Banko ware in the Meiji period and beyond, and is known as one of the “3 Keepers” of Banko ware.In the beginning, he ran a tobacco store, but as his hands were dexterous, he started making hand molded tea sets and changed the store’s name to “Ensousha”, a wordplay on the Japanese word for tobacco.The clay he used was rough and more similar in texture to Bizen’s rather than Banko, and his strength when shaping left his fingerprints on them, and as the shape looked particularly like “a raccoon hitting its belly (more…)

Okumura Eisen 岡村英仙

1888–1971kutani porcelainKnown as an Aka-e art master, his exquisite works were created with outstanding artistic talent and were very popular. (more…)

Ono Don’a 大野鈍阿

1885–1951maleWhen he first moved to Tokyo in 1909, he made household goods like stoves and pots, but in 1913, he was scouted by the refined tea ceremony master, Masuda Don’nou, and influenced by the fine articles owned by Don’nou, he proceeded to make pottery for him at Mt. Gotenyama, taking the character “Don” from Don’nou’s name and used the name “Don’a” to brand his work.After that, he moved his kiln to Kami-Meguro in 1917, and Todoroki in 1934.As Don’a uses Don’nou’s fine articles as inspiration, his works are very diverse, using techniques that replicate unglazed ware, Raku, Hagi, Karattsu, and (more…)

Ohi Chozaemon 2nd 二代 大樋長左衛門

1686-1747maleohi potteryHe was born as the eldest son of the first Chozaemon when he was practicing in Kyoto, and his birth name was Choji. He inherited his father’s name, Chozaemon, and business, and as the 2nd practiced the trade only for a short time, there are very few of his works that still exist, but his skills stood out the most among all the Chozaemon. (more…)

Oe Bunsho 大江文象

1898–1979In the year 1940, he joined Kitaoji Rosanjin’s research lab. Skillfully incorporating brush mark techniques, he established his own style of pottery. In 1972, he won the CBC Cultural Award, and was designated as Aichi’s Intangible Cultural Property in 1975. (more…)

Obori Sama 大堀左馬

Early Edo periodmalesoma potteryHe established his kiln in Fukushima’s Obori. Later, he moved to Soma and rebranded his wares to “Soma ware”.During the Hoei era, he had 106 kilns. He drew pictures of horses on the teabowls and delivered them to be sold in the Kanto region. Later, in the Bunka era, he invited Kondo Tokichiro from Kyoto to learn and make even more sophisticated wares. (more…)