Kutani Shoza 1816-1883
Shoza is born in 1816 from a family of rich farmers in the village of Terai. His
original name was Shoshichi.
He was 11 years old when he started learning pottery painting from the akae painter
Kozakaya Makoji from Mikawa city.
In 1828 he is 13 years old and he entered Wakasugi kiln. He learned there the
technic of "Akae" paint from Yujiro then in 1832 he went to Ono kiln where he
learned from the one of the top painter Aoya Genemon.
After this time he was invited by Saishoji from Notohasa district to work at the
Nashiya kiln and he did etsuke. He was always interested in research on overglaze
enamel. In 1839 he discovered a soft maganese mine called Notogosu in the near
village called Hiuchidani in Matsudani.
In 1841, he is 26 years old and he establishes himself as an individual painter
in Terai village and concentrate himself on paint work. At that time he started
using the name Shosa.
Kutani Shoza has started to develop a new style in the Kutani pottery. He tried
also to continue research on painting material. He mastered Aokutani, Akaekutani,
Ninsei style hiroe as well as Saishiki kinrande.
His style using very delicat painting lines had very good reputation and he had
many pupils. The most famous are Kasama Yaichiro from Kanazawa, Takegoshi Zenbei
1st and Tokuya Sanji from Terai, Nakagawa Jinsaku from Onagano, Iso Emon from
Takado, Nakano Chuji from Uwano.
Shoza style became very famous and at the place were Shoza lived pottery became
a good business. Today Terai and neibhouring villages are the center of Kutani
industrial production because Shoza stayed in Terai at that period. A memorial
has been built in Terai village in 1921. He died in 1883, he was 68 years old.
Shoza has not only established the style of multicolor and gold paint but he has
also given the basis of today's style of Kutani. He had taught more than 300 students.
autre
Kutai Shoza was born in Terai in 1816. He learned how to paint on porcelain
from Kosakaya Magoji and eventually worked as a pottery painter for Ono kiln.
He was significantly influenced by the work of Aoya Gen'emon. Later, he established
his own technique of polychrome, gold and silver painting onto Kutani porcelain.
Shoza was able to create neutral colors out of imported paints. Many of his
works were exported to foreign countries, which helped to make Kutani porcelain
famous.
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