1905-1989
male
Real 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 working in the military in China, Kozan had the opportunity to study Chinese pottery on the side, an experience which is said to have influenced his masterpieces. He went on to create both original and replicated pottery with Chinese influences such as the Ro uniform glaze using his own glaze formula, Chinese and aka-e images using ultramarine and copper green glaze, overglaze decoration and other types of decorated pottery, as well as hakudei and torizara glaze. Kozan became known as a pioneering bonsai pot artist, along with Heian Tofukuji.
