Wednesday 24 June 2015
6:00pm – 7:00pm

The Power of Bizen

Drinks reception: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle (entrance facing Regent's Park), London NW1 4QP

Organised by The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

Bizen (named after the ancient province where it is produced, now part of Okayama Prefecture) became the most popular type of ceramic in Japan during the late 16^th century because of its superior clay and durability. Many teaware masterpieces were made in this period, and it became renowned for its red-brown hues and flourishes of melted ash. Shogun Hideyoshi Toyotomi and his tea master Sen no Rikyu were particular enthusiasts for Bizen ware and its popularity spread under their influence.

The talk was followed by a display of Japanese food in Bizen tableware to demonstrate the aesthetic beauty and practical uses of Bizen pottery.

About the contributors

Toshiaki Mori

Toshiaki Mori graduated from the Bizen Ceramic Center, Okayama in 2007 and started his pottery business soon afterwards. He has exhibited at many exhibitions, including the Okayama Prefectural Exhibition, Chozasho Contemporary Ceramic Art Exhibition and the Modern Tea Ceremony Arts Exhibition.

Ichiro Mori

Ichiro Mori was born in 1981 and completed his bachelors and masters degrees in sculpture at the Tokyo National University of the Arts. He was also a research associate there from 2009-2012. Ichiro has exhibited work in various exhibitions in Japan, Taiwan and China since 2008.

Kazuya Ishida

Kazuya Ishida is the son of Bizen artist Yasuhiro Ishida. He graduated from the Kyoto Pottery Technical Center and then studied under Jun Isezaki – designated as a Living National Treasure – for three years. In 2011, he moved to the UK to work at the Kigbeare Pottery in Devon, and then moved to the Whichford Pottery the following year. In 2013, Ishida moved back to Bizen to set up his own studio.

Yuta Shibaoka

Yuta Shibaoka followed his father Mamoru Shibaoka into the world of Bizen pottery. He graduated from the Bizen Pottery Technical Center in 2005, and has exhibited regularly at the Japan Traditional Art Craft exhibition and the Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition. He featured in the Chanoyu-no-Zokei (Tea Ceremony Shapes) Exhibition in 2013.

Takashi Baba

Takashi Baba inherited the business from his father, Shousuke Baba, and studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and the Kyoto Industrial Technology Research Institute. He was commissioned to produce a monument for JR Bizenkatakami Station in 2012, and he has subsequently had solo exhibitions in Tokyo and Osaka.

Masahiro Fujita

Masahiro Fujita is a graduate of the Kanazawa College of Art, where he studied sculpture. He then moved on to the Kyoto Industrial Technology Research Institute to study ceramics, graduating in 2012. In 2014, he was involved in the Bizen pottery and Italian Cuisine project at Riva degli Etruschi restaurant in Tokyo. He is the eldest son of Ryuho Fujita the third.