Artist Details
| Artist | Itaya Hazan |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1872–1963 |
| Field | Japanese Ceramics |
| Notable Works | - |
Itaya Hazan was a ceramic master representing Japan, active from the Meiji through the Shōwa periods. His real name was Itaya Kashichi; born in Shimodate-machi (now Chikusei City), Ibaraki Prefecture, he studied sculpture at Tokyo Fine Arts School (now Tokyo University of the Arts) before turning to ceramics.
Through original glaze research and a superb formative sensibility, he opened a new horizon for modern Japanese ceramics, becoming known as "the Sacred Master of Pottery" (Tōsei). In 1934 he was appointed Imperial Household Artist, and in 1953 became the first ceramicist to receive the Order of Culture.
As a giant who left a major footprint in the development of modern Japanese ceramics, he continues to be highly regarded today both at home and abroad.
Itaya Hazan's works are distinguished by their formative beauty refined to the utmost rigor, and by the original beauty of glaze expression earned through tireless research.
Through superlative formative sensibility cultivated as a sculptor, the beauty of the vessel and ornament are wonderfully harmonized; his unique technique of haiyū-saiji (ash-glazed colored porcelain) achieves vivid coloration on softness with depth, awakening in viewers a serene tension that exemplifies Hazan beauty.
Rather than ostentatiously decorated, his works elevate formation, sculpture, and glaze in higher dimension and fuse them — recognized today as the supreme pinnacle of modern Japanese ceramics.
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