Bowl
1912 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This bowl was given to the V&A by Bernard Leach (1887-1979), one of the founders of Britain’s studio ceramics movement, shortly before he died. It was made by Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963), an architect and designer whom Leach met near the beginning of his stay in Japan from 1909 to 1920. Tomimoto accompanied Leach to the pottery decorating party that inspired him to become a potter. He also acted as an interpreter when Leach started taking pottery lessons in the autumn of 1911. Tomimoto, who also became a famous potter, started experimenting with ceramics the following summer and made this bowl when he visited Leach in Tokyo that autumn. Leach, to whom Tomimoto gave the bowl, recollected towards the end of his life that it was Tomimoto’s ‘very first pot’. While this is not strictly true, it is a famous story often recounted by aficionados of Japanese studio ceramics.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Raku type earthenware, thrown, with clear glaze over decoration painted in coloured enamels |
| Brief description | Japan, modern crafts, studio, ceramics; Bowl, Raku type earthenware with clear glaze over decoration painted in enamel colours, Japan, Tokyo, by Tomimoto Kenkichi, 1912 |
| Physical description | Decoration: Nightingales, foliage and two characters; outside, poetic inscription of seven characters divided by trellis, 'The nightingale in the plum tree sings Hokekyo, Hokekyo once again.' |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | ? check for maker's mark |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Bernard Leach |
| Object history | Said by the donor to have been the maker's first pot, made on the former's wheel at his house in Sakuragi-cho, Tokyo. |
| Production | Artist: Tomimoto Kenkichi [Kenzan VII] (1886 - 1963) Biographical reference: Hamada Shoji, 'Gendai no togei', Vol 17 (1977), p.104 (NAL JK 17) TOKYO Factory: Leach kiln |
| Summary | This bowl was given to the V&A by Bernard Leach (1887-1979), one of the founders of Britain’s studio ceramics movement, shortly before he died. It was made by Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963), an architect and designer whom Leach met near the beginning of his stay in Japan from 1909 to 1920. Tomimoto accompanied Leach to the pottery decorating party that inspired him to become a potter. He also acted as an interpreter when Leach started taking pottery lessons in the autumn of 1911. Tomimoto, who also became a famous potter, started experimenting with ceramics the following summer and made this bowl when he visited Leach in Tokyo that autumn. Leach, to whom Tomimoto gave the bowl, recollected towards the end of his life that it was Tomimoto’s ‘very first pot’. While this is not strictly true, it is a famous story often recounted by aficionados of Japanese studio ceramics. |
| Bibliographic reference | Bernard Leach, 'Kenzan and his Tradition' (London, 1966), plate 94.
See biogref |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.66-1977 |
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| Record created | February 12, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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