Nishioka Koju 西岡小十 (1917-2006) was a celebrated karatsu potter with a long career and considered the progenitor of modern karatsu ware. He drew upon the Karatsu ceramic tradition to create...
Nishioka Koju 西岡小十 (1917-2006) was a celebrated karatsu potter with a long career and considered the progenitor of modern karatsu ware. He drew upon the Karatsu ceramic tradition to create his own surface expressions. Interested in Korean import techniques in the Karatsu region, he researched the history of Karatsu ware extensively. This shines through in the iron-painted bird motifs and images of grass in these two plates. He studied under the famous potter and living national treasure Koyama Fujio (1900-1975), who was a scholar of ancient Chinese and Korean ceramics.
In his lifetime, Nishioka Koju opened three kilns. The Kojiro kiln in 1971; Koju kiln in 1981; and finally, Kaga Karatsu Tatsunokuchi Kiln in 1991.