Japanese potters

Matsubayashi Shosai 松林昇斎

1865-1932maleasahi pottery12th generation Asahi ware pottery artist. Born the first son of Heijiro, the 11th generation Asahi ware potter, Shosai inherited the family business in 1894 and inherited the 12th generation title.The business struggled from the end of the Edo period throughout the Meiji period, but Shosai worked hard with his father to rebuild Asahi ware, creating a wide range of pieces centered around gohon-style tea bowls and green tea ware, building the foundation for modern Asahi ware. (more…)

Matsumura Hachijiro 松村八次郎

1869-1937maleReal name Nishiyama Hachijiro. While at Tokyo Institute of Technology, he studied European ceramics under Dr. Wagner. Upon graduating in 1892, he was recognized for his talent in pottery research and was adopted by the pottery exporting businessman Matsumura Kyusuke in 1893, adopting the last name Matsumura.He continued studying French ironstone china and in 1895, established Matsumura Pottery in Shinsakae, Nagoya, creating Japanese and Western tableware called Azuma ware. Hachijiro went on to become one of the pioneers of ironstone china. (more…)

Matsui Koyo 松井康陽

1962-maleThe son of the pottery artist Matsui Kosei (designated living national treasure), Matsui Koyo began training in pottery in his father’s Gessoji Temple Factor in 1985 after graduating college. He was selected to exhibit for the first time in 1991 in the 38th Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition, and continues exhibiting in the Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition and other craft exhibitions. He was appointed as an official member of the Japan Kogei Association in 1994 , and won the 45th Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition Japan Kogei Association Honorable Mention in 1998 and the Second North Kanto Kogei Exhibition Mainichi Grand Prize (more…)

Matsumoto Sahei 松本佐瓶

1851-1918malekutani porcelainMatsumoto Sahei was a Kutani ware potter who was the first son of Matsuya Kikusaburo of Rendaiji kiln. He inherited the family business in 1868.He mainly worked in aka-e, which was extremely rare at the time, and ao-te, as well as detailed colored paintings once western paints began circulating, making Sahei one of the leading figures of “Japan Kutani.” In 1876, he received the artist name Shoundo from the nanga painter Tokuda Kansho, and started using this title the following year. By 1887, he had established factories in six towns and villages but by 1891, all of them had (more…)

Matsumoto Shigenobu 松本重信

1864-1950maletokoname pottery Matsumoto Shigenobu was a Tokoname potter and the third son of the 33nd generation Matsumoto Shigetoshi. The Matsumoto family gained its fortune in the cargo boat industry. Shigetoshi, the father, was the first in the family line to begin the pottery making business in Maruyama, Tokoname, and Shigenobu the son inherited the pottery business from his father. He was talented in pottery sculpture from a young age, and in the early days of Tokoname pottery, he created many pieces which were exported to the United States. He created not only pots and vessels but sculptural ornaments of figures (more…)

Masuda Donno 益田鈍翁

1848-1938maleMasuda Donno was the first son of Masuda Takanosuke, a director of the Sado magistrate’s office. In 1863, Donno traveled to Edo as the member of bakufu’s mission to Europe, and in 1872, he became the Fourth Class Ministry of Finance under Inoue Kaoru.In 1874, Donno established Senshu Company with Inoue Kaoru and was appointed the president.After Senshu Company was dissolved, he established the trading company Mitsui in 1876 and was appointed to become the manager (later the CEO), and began publication of Chugai Bukka Shimpo (currently known as The Nihon Keizai Newspaper, or Nikkei), making him one of the (more…)

Masaki Sozaburo 正木惣三郎

1800-1850maleseto potteryThe feudal retainer of Owari Domain, Masaki Sozaburo made pottery as a hobby between work duties and created vessels at Seto Kiln and Ofuke Kiln.Pieces that are signed and sealed as “Hoshizaki” are distinguished because they use clay using the soil from Hoshizaki, Aichi (Currently Hoshizaki, Nagoya).Sozaburo’s son, Hanjiro, also created pottery as the second generation potter and was skilled at making delicate incense containers and sculptural ornaments, creating works of a different style from his father’s.Hanjiro’s son Nanko also became a pottery artist but was not as skilled as his father or grandfather, and generally the term Masaki (more…)

Matsubayashi Hosai 15th 十五代 松林豊斎

1950-2015maleasahi potteryReal name is Matsubayashi Yoshikane. 15th generation Matsubayashi Hosai. After graduating Musashino Art University College of Art and Design, he learned potter’s wheel shaping techniques at the Kyoto Prefectural Ceramists’ Technical Institute and the basics of glazing at the Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute. He then became an apprentice to his father, Matsubayashi Hosai (Yukoan) the 14th, and trained in the traditional technique of asahi ware.He is known for the skin-colored glaze that is characteristic of asahi ware on gohon-style tea bowls and green tea ware. (more…)

Mashimizu Zoroku 1st 初代 真清水蔵六

1822-1877maleShimizu Tasaburo the First learned pottery techniques from his uncle, Wake Kitei, then opened his own kiln in Gojozaka. The Mashimizu Zoroku artist name began when he changed his name to Zoroku, took the letter “Ma” from Myoho-in Temple, and named himself “Mashimizu Zoroku.”Using techniques such as overglaze decoration, kinrade, and celadon ware, Zoroku the First mainly created matcha and green tea wares. For his potter’s mark, he used a mark that was gifted to him from Gengensai Soshitsu. (more…)

Mashimizu Zoroku 4th 四代 真清水蔵六

1933-maleApprenticed to Zoroku the Third to preserve the family business, Zoroku the Fourth is skilled at celadon ware, white slip ware, and overglaze decoration. He mainly creates matcha tea and green tea tools. He is also skilled at creating ornaments of Jurojin (god of longevity) and animals, and holds many solo exhibitions. (more…)

Mashimizu Zoroku 2nd 二代 真清水蔵六

1861-1936maleBorn the first son of Mashimizu Zoroku the First, Zoroku the son inherited the family business and toured various cities around Japan, then to China and Korea to study celadon, Korean Yi Dynasty and Goryeo ware. After returning home, he opened his kiln in 1917 in Yamashina, Kyoto, and established the Mashimizu style.In the beginning of his career, Zoroku used his father’s hyakuju mark as a potter’s mark, but started using his own Zoroku mark around the age of 25. (more…)

Honda Gen’emon 2nd 二代 本多源右衛門

1845-1906malekutani porcelainHonda Gen’emon was a Kutani pottery painter that worked from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period. Honda Gen’emon the First, his father, had reportedly studied under Kutani Shoza, and his son inherited his father’s painting style. Most noted for his vivid red and gold aka-e kinrade paintings, Gen’emon exhibited a Watano-made large plate at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Gen’emon is a popular artist not only in Japan but overseas as well. (more…)

Horie Biko 堀江美功

1939-maleBorn in Fukushima. Horie Biko started working in the family business of selling Mino ware from 1958, but started creating own pottery in 1963, borrowing a friend’s kiln at first. However, in 1965, Horie received instruction from Heian Kozan, a master craftsman in bonsai pots, and became independent in 1966, establishing Biko’s kiln. Biko has then continued to specialize in bonsai pots, and received the award of excellence in the National Pot Masterpiece Gallery in 1975.Biko is known as the leading figure of modern bonsai pot artists in the Tohoku region. (more…)

Hosokawa Morihiro 細川護煕

1938-maleHosokawa Morihiro was born the first son of Hosokawa Morisada, the 15th generation head of the main Hosokawa family, which had been the feudal lord of Kumamoto for many generations. Hosokawa worked at the Asahi Newspaper after graduating college, was elected into the House of Representatives for the first time in 1971, and took on roles such as the Parliamentary Vice Minister of Finance. From 1983, Hosokawa worked as the prefectural governor of Kumamoto for eight years, then relocated to Tokyo where he formed a new parliamentary party in 1992. He was appointed as the head of the party and (more…)

Hon’ami Koho 本阿弥光甫

1601-1682maleraku potteryshigaraki potteryBorn in Kyoto. Studied under Hon’ami Koetsu and Raku Ichinyu.Born as the son of Hon’ami Kosa (and grandson of Hon’ami Koetsu), Koho inherited the family business of appraising katana and swords along with the artistic talents of the Koetsu style, becoming a master of ceramics, painting, calligraphy, and tea.Koho especially advanced in his pottery skills by studying under Raku Ichinyu, ordering potter’s clay from Shigaraki and creating tea bowls called Kuchu Shigaraki. Koho also gifted a book titled “Pottery Techniques” that was passed down to him from his grandfather to Kenzan Shinsei. (more…)

Henmi Abou 逸見あ坊

1938-maleAbou is a self-educated pottery artist who also created his own kiln and set it up in the yard of his own home.Abou mostly creates practical pottery pieces such as tea bowls, sake ware, and tableware in the yakishime style, as well as worshipping pieces and ornaments such as jizo statues and doso-shin statues. (more…)

Heian Kozan 1st 初代 平安香山

1905-1989maleReal name Koike Kazuo. Called himself Heian Kooh. Heian Kozan was born to a pottery household in Seto, learned pottery from his father, and began creating bonsai pots from 1924.Kozan was enlisted in the war in 1940 and entered military service in China, and stopped creating pottery after the war due to the unstable economy. In 1964, he rebuilt his studio with an electric kiln and began to create.Moreover, he changed his artist name from Kozan to Kouo in 1973, passing on the Kozan artist name to his son Katsunobu. However, Kozan the Second later closed the pottery business. While (more…)

Heian Tofukuji 2nd 二代 平安東福寺

1917-1995maleReal name Mizuno Yu. Born to Heian Tofukuji the First (Mizuno Zenzaburo) as his father, Tofukuji the son began creating pottery himself while assisting his father, but became distant from the family business as he was summoned to fight during World War II, and worked different jobs after the war. However, he began creating pottery again after his father’s death, and inherited his father’s artist name as Tofukuji the Second.Though it is said that the first Tofukuji was his master, he was never taught technical skills in pottery, as he learned by watching his father work. He developed his own (more…)

Heian Tofukuji 平安東福寺

1890-1970maleReal name is Mizuno Kizaburo. Heian Tofukuji was adopted by Kyoto’s comb craftsman Mizuno Zenzaburo (artist name: Anrakuen), and began his career as an assistant to Zenzaburo. However, he took an interest in bonsai due to the influence of his adoptive father.However, as the material celluloid became widely circulated, the family was forced to shut down the comb-making business, and Tofukuji made the decision to switch to making bonsai pots.Tofukuji rented a kiln near Tofukuji Temple in Higashiyama, Kyoto, and started creating under the name “Anrakuen Kisan,” a combination of his father’s artist name and real name. However, at the (more…)

Fukushima Zenzo 福島善三

1959-malekoishiwara potteryliving national treasureBorn into the family who started the Koishiwara ware kiln, which has a history of over 300 years. After attending Asakura High School and then graduating from the Department of Economics in the Faculty of Economics at Fukuoka University in 1982, succeeded the family business and became the 16th generation.Selected for the first time for the 35th Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition. Sold works to the Imperial Household Agency in 2000. Won the Top Prize at the 1991 and 2001 Seibu Craft Exhibition and the 2003 Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition. Won the Fukuoka Prefectural Culture Award (Honorable Mention (more…)