Shoji Hamada

Shoji Hamada

Introduction

Shoji Hamada was born in 1894 Misonokuchi town in Tokyo Japan. He became one of the greatest potters in the history of pottery and had many admirers till twentieth century. The popularity of Shoji Hamada was able to give a small town Masikho as one of the renowned cities of the world. He studied ceramics at the University of Tokyo. In 1920 he met Bernard Leach with whom he went to England. He spends three years of his life under Bernard Leach and returned to Japan by 1923. On returning to Japan he established his own workshop in his hometown Masikho. Shoji Hamada while living Japan developed his ash glazes, build is kilns and enrobes from the oxide grounds out of the pebbles outside his house in Mishoko. From the birth of shoji Hamada many people surround him knew that he will become a potter and of a true class. He merged all his thoughts into creating teapots that are put on the table, vases that are decorated in living rooms, paintings that make walls beautiful and other pieces of arts. He blended mass, volume, shape, colour and designs into making ornaments that are simple and ordinary in use. In 1955 shoji Hamada was awarded by the Japanese government as the “A Living Treasure”. Shoji Hamada soon became an institution of the art work and was joined by many young students who wanted to learn art from Shoji Hamada. He not only became a legend at his home that was Japan but also had a lot of following in the west as well. In United States and United Kingdom his work became legendary and he was called as the archetypal 'Oriental' potter. It was in 1967 or 1968 that he was asked to come and teach at the Michigan State University. He dedicated whole of his lifetime in making pottery and his work got internationally acclaimed by many of the biggest potters of the world. The evidence of his popularity can be found by the fact that any exhibition is incomplete without his work and it is sold at the most expensive rates all around the world. (www.ceramicartsdaily.org)

Discussion

According to Larson, (1993), Shoji Hamada died at the age of 83 in his home town Mashiko, Japan in 1978. He had achieved a lot of success and was described by the New York Time's as the 'Milestone' and 'Transition' by ...