1886-1963
male
living national treasure
After graduating from Tokyo School of Fine Arts’ Design Department, he gained the favor of Howard Leach, thus starting his aspirations to become a ceramic artist. The following year, he opened his own kiln in his hometown of Ando City.
He began with a focus on hand-molden earthenware replicas and other earthenware, then proceeded to research Japanese antique kilns such as those of Shigaraki and Seto. Further, he traveled to Korea and included Joseon dynasty pottery molding in his works. In 1927, he moved his kiln to Soshigaya, Tokyo, and had his works featured the following year in 1928 at the The Fine Arts Department of the National Artists’ Patrons’ Association. He would change the world of porcelain by mainstreaming the overglaze enamels, blue and white ceramics, and white porcelain of the Joseon dynasty replicas.
In 1935, he became a member of the Imperial School of the Arts, in 1944 he became a professor at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, and he would continue to assume a number of other positions. However, in post-war 1946, he retired from office, declaring his withdrawal even from the Artists’ Patrons’ Association. He thereafter resided in Kyoto.
In 1947, he established the non-governmental Shinsyo Kogei-kai (New Artisans Association of Fine Arts). In 1949, he once again took on pupils as a professor at the Kyoto Municipality Vocational School of Fine Arts (presently the Kyoto City University of Arts, which he became the president of in 1963).
At this time, he also developed the ceramic paintings that would define his Tomimoto Style, making use of aka-e, sometsuke, and gold and silver pigmented striations. Moreover, he established a dignified literary style, announcing work after work which consistently combined utility with beauty and displayed a freedom of expression unique to molding. Then, in 1955, he became the first person to be designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) in overglaze enamel porcelain making. In 1961, he received the Order of Cultural Merit.
