Eiraku Zengoro/Wazen 1823-1896

This potter family goes back around 1540 in Nara where a potter named Nishimura Soin and familiarly called Zengoro was quite famous.

Before talking about Eiraku Wazen the 12th generation of potter, it is very important to describe the activities of his father Zengoro Hozen (1795-1854) the 11th who has mastered the secret of the porcelain of the Ming Dynasty. He was extremely good at several techniques such as sometsuke blue and white, under the glaze porcelaines copies of Chinese Kochi and also kinrande which is a gold decoration on red ground. He was also good at copies of Celadon and Korean wares. He is known as the first Japanese to master the technique of kinrande. He is also the first Zengoro to be named Eiraku.

He devoted the end of his life and most of his fortune in trying to improve the technique of porcelaine. At that time he instructed his son Wazen and transferred the family business to him. He died in 1854.

Zengoro the 12th is born in 1823, and inherited his father business in Kyoto in 1853. He adopted the name Eiraku during Meiji period.

Wazen was excellent both at painting and at calligraphy but he inherited a business which had some financial problems due to his father research in perfecting his art.

In 1860, Maeda Toshika the 14th Lord of Daishoji established the Bussan Office in order to expand the local business. At the same times he bought the Miyamoto kiln which had been closed few years ago and renamed it Kutanihon.

But the result was not very good and Lord Maeda decided in 1862 to invite Eiraku Wazen the 12th from Kyoto.

But it tooks some time, and Wazen came to Yamashiro village with his brother in law called Nishimura Sozaburo only in 1866.

Wazen was very active in the kilns in Etchutani in Yamashiro. He made there a lot of pottery as well as in the kiln of his pupil Manki in the Kisaki kiln. He works also at Matsuyama Kiln just before going back to Kyoto. Wazen trained also Okura Juraku.

From this period where Wazen was living in Yamashiro, they are many things remaining. Wazen stayed at Tokuya Inn who belonged to Mitsufuji Bunjiro and did pottery and painting.

He had a very special character and was a very goodmaster but he only concentrated on his work and did not worried about any material consideration.

When his 3 years contract was completed, the money which he had received at the begining was all spent and he could not return to Kyoto. It is said that he could not even by rice to return!

Therefore he had to stay longer and finally, in 1869, after 5 years, he returned to Kyoto. He had stayed only a short period in Yamashiro area, but he has left many marks, as he had an individual testy style for Iga, Nanban, copies of Korean wares, Kinrande, Gosuakae red paint, Manteki which is a chinese style, some-tsuke etc.

Among the traditional Kutani painting, he has introduced a new style as he was a master of Kyoyaki.

But Wazen as a manufacturer and teacher of pottery was certainly superior, but as said before for Kutanihon kiln and for the production in general, he did nothing special. He died in 1896, he was 73 years old.

The names used for Wazen production are made at Kasugayama by Zengoro, made by Eiraku at Kasugayama, made at Kutani by Eiraku.

He also used stamps such as Kasugayama or Eiraku.

Also for making of wood boxes, he came from Kyoto with a master in wood boxes. At that times, there were many boxes which are marked with burning stamp as Chin Sai.

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