edo period

Tanzan Seikai 丹山青海

1813-1887malekyo potteryBecoming the son-in-law of Kumano, Kyoto potter Shinriki Rikizo, he learned to paint from Nakamura Chikuto and others. In 1848, he established a kiln in Nakanomachi, Awataguchi. Becoming a potter, he changed his name to Tanzan Seikai, and in 1854 he worked as a potter for Shorenin Nomiya when they opened a ceramic products hall.He exhibited at the 1st Kyoto Exhibition in 1872, won the silver medal at the 1st National Industrial Exhibition in 1877, and won the silver medal at the Paris World Expo the following year. (more…)

Takita Chinkei 瀧田椿渓

1853-1932maletokoname poteryAfter learning ceramic techniques at an early age from Tokoname potter Inaba Kodo II and studying in Enshu, he started a collaborative kiln in Nishibata Village, Hekikaigun where he developed Seitan ware.He had superior techniques for both the potter’s wheel and hand work, and he created tea wares, sake sets, vases, hibachis, etc. In particular, he left behind a number of excellent Nanban technique tea sets. In his later years, he made his name in firing matcha bowls with salt glaze. He is famous as a master Tokoname craftsman from the Meiji Era through the Showa Era. (more…)

Takegawa Chikusai 竹川竹斎

1809-1882malebanko potteryBorn in Matsusaka as the son of Masanobu VI, a wealthy merchant who worked for the Shogunate exchange business, he left Edo for Osaka from the age of 12 to study currency conversion for the family business for 6 years.In addition to the family business, he was also interested in Japanese studies, agricultural engineering, astronomical geography, and tea cultivation and irrigation system renovations. He made efforts to advance local cultures, also receiving teachings on tea ceremony and tea wares from the tea ceremony school Urasenke’s Gengensai, founding Izawacho Banko ware. (more…)

Tashiro Seijiuemon 田代清治右衛門

?-1658malesoma potteryA potter named Toshiro Seijiuemon, he moved to Kyoto in 1648 under the order of Soma, the Nakamura feudal lord of Iwaki Province (Fukushima Prefecture). Following 7 years of training under Nonomura Ninsei of Omuro, he returned to his hometown and received a letter from his teacher. After this, he began calling himself Seijiuemon. In 1867, at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Seijiuemon XI received the pen name Hokkyo from the feudal lord. The current head of the family is Tashiro Hideto XV. (more…)

Takifuji Manjiro 瀧藤萬次郎

1847-1922maleAround 1868, he invited around a dozen Ishikawa Prefecture Kutani ware painters to Nagoya to create Nagoya kinrande (gold-plated porcelains).He produced tableware and vases for overseas export. (more…)

Takatori Buhei 高取武平

1830-1907maletakatori potteryThe 9th generation of the Fukuoka Clan kiln and the Kamei family of the Takatori ware Sarayama Kiln, which was founded by the Korean potter Hachizan.In this era, he moved away from the clan’s kiln and began making pottery, mainly tea wares and other miscellaneous wares. (more…)

Takegoshi Zenpei 武腰善平

1843-1907malekutani porcelainKutani ware potter. From the age of 13, he trained at the Kutani ware kiln of the prestigious Iidaya Hachiroemon. Afterwards, following his sister’s marriage to Kutani Shoza, he studied under Shoza for 12 years. Following Shoza’s passing, he became a master of finely-painted colored gold leaf, creating wares and vases with motifs of people, flowers, and birds. Through instances such as his exhibiting a large plate with delicate, extra-fine line drawings at the 3rd Paris Exposition, he earned a reputation that surpassed that of his teacher. (more…)

Tanzan Rikuro 丹山陸郎

1852-1897maleBorn as the second son to Awataguchi, Kyoto potter Tanzan Ome, he began working in the family business from childhood and took over the family headship from his older brother when he was around 14 years old.When the new Meiji government announced that it would be officially participating in the Vienna World’s Fair, he took apprenticeship with Wagner in order to learn how to produce work for other countries, and he also participated in the World’s Fair as a trainee. At that time, he brought back plaster technique, liquid gold pigments, and glaze methods, using them to research products for (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 12th Konyu 十二代 楽吉左衛門 弘入

1857-1932maleraku potteryBorn as the first son of Keinyu, Raku the 11th. Inherits the family estate at age 15, passes the estate to his eldest son Seinyu at age 63 and retires. He dies at age 76. Konyu is said to have had a mild temperament and exerted all his effort for the survival of the Raku family. He enjoyed poem, and led a secluded life at the summer house in Ishiyama in Shiga Prefecture, indulged in art as he created potteries. He has left many poems such as “as I play around with soil, my 76th autumn arrives”, “time has (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 11th Keinyu 十一代 楽吉左衛門 慶入

1817-1902maleraku potteryBorn as the third son of Naohachi Ogawa, a sake brewer from Tamba Province, in what is present-day Kokubu, Chitose-cho in Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture. He first went by the name Sokichi, and he was later renamed Yoshitsura. At the age of 11, he was adopted by Tannyu X, later taking Tannyu’s daughter Myokoku as his wife. At the age of 29, he succeeded Tannyu as patriarch of the family, taking the name Kichizaemon. At the age of 55 he went into retirement, and passed away at 86. His period as an active ceramicist was second only to Ryonyu (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 10th Tannyu 十代 楽吉左衛門 旦入

1795-1854maleraku pottery9th generation, Ryonyu’s second son. His father, Ryonyu retired at the age of 56, but since his older brother died young, Tannyu succeeded as the family head at the age of 17. He retired at the age of 51 and changed his name to Tannyu, taking the “Tan” character from Soutan from the Omotesen family 10th generation Kyukosai. Tannyu and the Kishu Tokugawa family came to have a deeper connection than ever before. In the second year of the Bunsei era when Tannyu was 25 years old, the 10th generation of the Kishu Tokugawa family, Lord Harutomi opened an (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 9th Ryonyu 九代 楽吉左衛門 了入

1756-1834maleraku potteryRyonyu was the second son of Chonyu, the seventh generation head. Because his elder brother, Tokunyu the eighth generation, was in poor health, Ryonyu inherited the head of the household at age 15. From that point on he led a long life crafting ceramics, until his passing at the age of 79. He lost his father at age 15, his elder brother at 19, and when he was 33, all of the family’s works since the time of Chojiro were lost in the Great Tenmei Fire (also known as ‘Donguri Yake’ the Acorn Blaze) that burned most of Kyoto (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 8th Tokunyu 八代 楽吉左衛門 得入

1745-1774maleraku potteryHe was born as the eldest son of Chonyu, the 7th head. He was named Sokichi at birth and he was later renamed Eisei. He inherited the headship at 18, but when his father Chonyu passed away when he was 26, he also passed on the headship to his younger brother Sojiro (later Ryonyu), who was 15, because he had a weak constitution. He changed his name to Sabe and retired. He never married and passed away at the young age of 30. The name “Tokunyu” was given to him on the occasion of the 25th memorial service to (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 7th Chonyu 七代 楽吉左衛門 長入

1714-1770maleraku potteryBorn as the eldest son of the 6th generation Sanyu, he took over as the head of the family and didn’t retire until age 49, later passing away at age 57. Since taking on this new role, he worked tirelessly making pottery and ceramics for 40 years. His original name was Sokichi, and he was later renamed Eisei. After Chojiro started on the Raku tea bowls, they were followed up by potters Jokei and Donyu to give them a more modern decorative effect, changing them quite drastically. During the era of Ichiiri and Sonyu, there was a return to (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 6th Sanyu 六代 楽吉左衛門 左入

1685-1739maleraku potteryBorn as the second son of Odaya Kahei, he became the son-in-law of Sonyu. His original name was Sokichi, and he was later renamed Yoshiakira. His family home was in a town called Nijo Higashiiri, in Ajikoji, Kyoto Prefecture. It is still unknown when exactly he joined the Raku family as well as his specific relations with them. In 1708, as Sonyu retired, Yoshiakira married Sonyu’s daughter Myoshu, and took over the highly esteemed position as 6th generation Kichizaemon (tea bowl artisan). In 1728, Yoshiakira retired at age 44, passing on the Omotensenke 6th generation tea ceremony school to (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 5th Sonyu 五代 楽吉左衛門 宗入

1664-1716maleraku potterySonyu was the son of Sanemon, who ran a draper’s shop Kariganeya, and was adopted by Ichinyu at the age of 2. He eventually married Ichinyu’s daughter (Ozu). His original name was Heishiro, and he was later renamed Sokichi. Ogata Korin and Ogata Kenzan were his cousins, and his great-grandmother was Honami Koetsu’s sister. Ichigen was his brother-in-law who was 2 years older, and Sonyu took over as the head of the family at age 28, retired at age 45, and passed away at age 53. Between 1688 and 1695, he wrote “Sonyu Monjo,” which contained 2 sets of (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 4th Ichinyu 四代 楽吉左衛門 一入

1640-1696maleraku potteryIchinyu’s wife was the daughter of the maki-e painter, Kumagaya Muneaki (Soukan), and they lived close to her family home for a time during the Kanbun era. For a while, he and his wife were unable to bear any children, but when he was 23 years old, they had a boy (Ichigen) and in addition, they adopted a boy (Sounyu) from Kariganeya Sanemon. After that, they had a daughter, Otsu (Myotsu), who later became Sounyu’s wife. There was a period of time when Ichigen was taken in by the Raku family, and there are also records of Ichigen and (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 3rd Donyu 三代 楽吉左衛門 道入

1599-1656maleraku potteryDonyu, who was Jokei’s first son (Doraku being the 2nd) and a 2nd generation Raku-family descendant, went by the pseudonym or artist name Kichibe or Kichizaemon during his life, however, many people call him by his nickname ‘Nonko’.Nobody clearly knows when Donyu began pottery making, however, he had enough time to learn pottery from his father, Jokei, and it’s thought that he also learned it from Honami Koetsu (a famous potter). Donyu tried to develop a new raku ware style based on Rikyu-style tea bowls while incorporating his style and early Edo period trends.It was considered that Koetsu developed (more…)

Raku Kichizaemon 2nd Jokei ニ代 楽吉左衛門 常慶

1561-1635maleraku potterySons of Tanaka Sokei, Somi and Shozaemon were Jokei’s brothers. Jokei was running the raku pottery studio with Chojiro, Sokei and Somi. There, he taught Honami Koetsu, the method of making raku ware.It is considered that the success of Jokei’s works appeared after the death of Chojiro, establishing the solid foundations of raku ware, which are carried through to the present day and the fame of the raku family name. The rapport between the families of Rikyu, Chojiro and Sokei continued even after the seppuku (ritual suicide) of Rikyu. After the death of Rikyu, Shoan, a son of Rikyu, (more…)

Otagaki Rengetsu 太田垣蓮月

1791-1875femaleawata potteryShe was a Buddhist nun who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Japanese poets of the 19th century. She was adopted at a young age by the Otagaki family. It is said that she didn’t live a happy life because she lost her adoptive father and five brothers from illness. She married, but her husband died soon after. She remarried but lost this husband too from illness after only four years, as well as her young son and three young daughters. She joined the temple Chion-in and became a nun, taking Rengetsu (“Lotus Moon”) as her Buddhist (more…)