Tatsuzo Shimaoka
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese mingei
potter who studied under Hamada Shoji and later became the second Living National Treasure
of Mashiko, Japan. He was best known for his unique Jōmon zogan style of pottery, and was a master of many slip decorating and firing techniques for pottery. Throughout his career, Shimaoka worked collaboratively with a group of workers, students, and apprentices from Japan and abroad. After supervising the loading of what would become his last noborigama firing in late 2007, Shimaoka collapsed, and died several weeks later in late 2007 from acute liver failure at Mashiko
in Tochigi Prefecture
.
. At 19 he decided he wanted to become a mingei potter, after visiting the Nihon Mingeikan (Folk Museum) which he found very inspiring. At that time Shimaoka was attending the Tokyo Institute of Technology
, and after an accelerated war time graduation in 1942 he served as an officer in the Japanese army in Burma and spent some time as a prisoner of war
. It wasn't until 1946 that he was able to start his pottery apprenticeship with Hamada.
in Mashiko, Japan. The formal apprenticeship ended in 1949. After working for three years at the Tochigi Prefecture Ceramic Research Center, in 1953 Tatsuzō set up his own pottery next door to his former teacher Shoji. The following year he gave his first exhibition, it was held in Tokyo. 1963 saw the first of his yearly exhibitions in Tokyo's Matsuya Ginza department store
. He would later go on to also have yearly exhibitions at Hankyu department store
in Osaka
. Tatsuzō's first American exhibition was held in Boston
in 1974, his first European exhibition was at the Kunstgewerbe Museum (craftwork museum), Hamburg
in 1977.
Over the years Tatsuzō has frequently lectured and taught in the USA and Canada
. His work can be found in many museums around the world, some of which are: The Victoria and Albert Museum
, Metropolitan Museum of Art
and the Israel Museum
.
(Ningen Kokuho) by the Japanese Government. This honor was bestowed upon him for his unique contribution to the art of pottery.
Tatsuzō's Jōmon zogan pottery was inspired by two ancient processes. The Jōmon rope like process and the Korea
n Yi Dynasty process of adding white slip
to decorative indentations.
Jōmon involves using silk and other dense ropes (often obihimo, or cord to wrap the obi for Japanese kimono) to make impressions in leather hard clay, while zogan is a process whereby slip is applied and inlayed in multiple layers into the impressed pattern. The slipped pattern is then carved back to the clay, highlighting it and leaving patterns exposed. Hamada Shoji is reputed to have brought the technique for salt glazing to Japan after a visit to Europe in the early 1950s, and Shimaoka was also widely known for his salt glaze work. He designed one of the first noborigama kilns in Mashiko that had markedly different atmospheres in each chamber, and he was also a pioneer in importing clays from around Japan to Mashiko, such as clay from Shigaraki. His noborigama had separate chambers for ash covered ware, charcoal reduced ash covered ware, high temperature reduction feldspathic ash glazes, traditional Mashiko glazes such as seiji, nuka, kaki, and kuro, and a final chamber for salt glaze.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese mingei
Mingei
', the Japanese folk art movement, was developed in the late 1920s and 1930s in Japan. Its founding father was Yanagi Sōetsu .-Origins:In 1916, Yanagi made his first trip to Korea out of a curiosity for Korean crafts...
potter who studied under Hamada Shoji and later became the second Living National Treasure
Living National Treasure (Japan)
is a Japanese popular term for those individuals certified as by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as based on Japan's...
of Mashiko, Japan. He was best known for his unique Jōmon zogan style of pottery, and was a master of many slip decorating and firing techniques for pottery. Throughout his career, Shimaoka worked collaboratively with a group of workers, students, and apprentices from Japan and abroad. After supervising the loading of what would become his last noborigama firing in late 2007, Shimaoka collapsed, and died several weeks later in late 2007 from acute liver failure at Mashiko
Mashiko, Tochigi
is a town located in Haga District, Tochigi, Japan. As of October 1, 2009, the town has an estimated population of 24,760 and a density of 277 persons per km². The total area is 89.54 km².-Culture:...
in Tochigi Prefecture
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kantō region on the island of Honshū, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya.Nikkō, whose ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples UNESCO has recognized by naming them a World Heritage Site, is in this prefecture...
.
Early life
Shimaoka was born near Ikebukuro in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. At 19 he decided he wanted to become a mingei potter, after visiting the Nihon Mingeikan (Folk Museum) which he found very inspiring. At that time Shimaoka was attending the Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Institute of Technology
The Tokyo Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Tech enrolled 4,850 undergaraduates and 5006 graduate students for 2009-2010...
, and after an accelerated war time graduation in 1942 he served as an officer in the Japanese army in Burma and spent some time as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. It wasn't until 1946 that he was able to start his pottery apprenticeship with Hamada.
Career
In 1946 Tatsuzō began his apprenticeship with the potter Shoji HamadaShoji Hamada
was a Japanese potter. He was a significant influence on studio pottery of the twentieth century, and a major figure of the mingei folk-art movement, establishing the town of Mashiko as a world-renowned pottery centre.- Biography :...
in Mashiko, Japan. The formal apprenticeship ended in 1949. After working for three years at the Tochigi Prefecture Ceramic Research Center, in 1953 Tatsuzō set up his own pottery next door to his former teacher Shoji. The following year he gave his first exhibition, it was held in Tokyo. 1963 saw the first of his yearly exhibitions in Tokyo's Matsuya Ginza department store
Matsuya Co.
Matsuya Co., Ltd. is a Japanese department store in Tokyo. Founded in 1869, Two stores are in Ginza and Asakusa .-External links:...
. He would later go on to also have yearly exhibitions at Hankyu department store
Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group
is a Japanese keiretsu centered around Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, H2O Retailing and Toho. The keiretsu historically included Sanwa Bank, now part of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, and is still closely linked to MUFG....
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Tatsuzō's first American exhibition was held in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1974, his first European exhibition was at the Kunstgewerbe Museum (craftwork museum), Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in 1977.
Over the years Tatsuzō has frequently lectured and taught in the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. His work can be found in many museums around the world, some of which are: The Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
and the Israel Museum
Israel Museum
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
.
Pottery style
In 1996 Tatsuzō was designated a Living National TreasureLiving National Treasure
Living National Treasure or Living Human Treasure is a title awarded in several countries, and denotes a person or a group which is regarded as a national treasure while still alive....
(Ningen Kokuho) by the Japanese Government. This honor was bestowed upon him for his unique contribution to the art of pottery.
Tatsuzō's Jōmon zogan pottery was inspired by two ancient processes. The Jōmon rope like process and the Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n Yi Dynasty process of adding white slip
Slip (ceramics)
A slip is a suspension in water of clay and/or other materials used in the production of ceramic ware. Deflocculant, such as sodium silicate, can be added to the slip to disperse the raw material particles...
to decorative indentations.
Jōmon involves using silk and other dense ropes (often obihimo, or cord to wrap the obi for Japanese kimono) to make impressions in leather hard clay, while zogan is a process whereby slip is applied and inlayed in multiple layers into the impressed pattern. The slipped pattern is then carved back to the clay, highlighting it and leaving patterns exposed. Hamada Shoji is reputed to have brought the technique for salt glazing to Japan after a visit to Europe in the early 1950s, and Shimaoka was also widely known for his salt glaze work. He designed one of the first noborigama kilns in Mashiko that had markedly different atmospheres in each chamber, and he was also a pioneer in importing clays from around Japan to Mashiko, such as clay from Shigaraki. His noborigama had separate chambers for ash covered ware, charcoal reduced ash covered ware, high temperature reduction feldspathic ash glazes, traditional Mashiko glazes such as seiji, nuka, kaki, and kuro, and a final chamber for salt glaze.