1848 – 1918
male
seto pottery
Zenji is a name passed down through the generations of a family of potters in Owari.
The first-generation potter was named Zenemon, who took on the artist name of Sobaitei and primarily created tea ware that paid homage to older works during the Bunka-Bunsei period from 1804 to 1830. He was also known for producing around 2,000 Kobo Daishi statues, which he distributed to the common people of the area, earning him the nickname “Kobo Zenji.”
After Zenji I went into seclusion during the Tempo era (1830 to 1844), he passed his titles of Zenji and Sobaitei down to Zenji II, who continued to protect the house even through during the turbulent period between the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the early-Meiji era. Whereas Zenji I focused on making homages to older works, Zenji III furthered his training in porcelain and began creating Seto porcelain tea pots, helping elevate ceramic ware from Seto to a form of art together with artists like Kawamoto Masukichi. In 1974, he passed down the titles of Zenji and Sobaitei to his first son, Zenjiro, and then went into seclusion.
