1895-1985
male
karatsu pottery
living national treasure
He was the second son of the 11th generation Tarouemon, but his older brother went down a different path and Shigeo came to inherit the house. He gained a grasp of the basic rules of pottery at Arita Technical School, and then at Karatsu Kiln Industry Corporation and Karatsu Brick Corporation after graduation, where he worked as an engineer. After that, he temporarily became an adopted heir of the Mutsuro family, who were lumber dealers, but following his father’s death in 1924, he succeeded the name as the 12th generation Tarouemon in 1927, and in the following year of 1928, he reconstructed the Ochawan kiln that had been used since the feudal government era and built a new downdraft style coal kiln.
Additionally, in 1929, he began the excavation of the old Karatsu kiln remains. From that point onward, he researched old Karatsu ware, which had died out for a long time, and endeavored to revive it, completing the beating technique and being acknowledged as an Intangible Cultural Property for Karatsu ware in 1955 and receiving the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1967, the Fourth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1969 and the Western Japan Culture Award in 1970. Furthermore, he was acknowledged as an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for Karatsu ware in 1976.
Also, during this time, he entered the Buddhist priesthood at Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, was bestowed the name: Muan, and retired in 1959. In the same year, he had his eldest son, Tadao, succeed the name as the 13th generation Nakazato Tarouemon. From that point onward, he devoted himself to creating his original pottery.
