Kawai Kanjirō

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Kawai Kanjirō

Kawai Kanjirō ( Japanese 河 合 寛 治郎 in Yasugi , Nogi County , Shimane Prefecture ; * August 24, 1890 , † November 18, 1966 ) was a Japanese potter of the Shōwa period .

Life

At Kawai's house

Kawai completed a degree in ceramics at the "Higher Technical School Tokyo " ( 東京 高等 工業 学校 , Tōkyō kōtō kōgyō gakkō ). He then worked at the " Kyoto Ceramic Testing Institute", where he met Hamada Shōji . In 1920 he opened his own kiln in Gojōzaka in Kyoto. At first he produced pieces according to old Chinese and Korean tradition and became known at a solo exhibition the following year.

In 1924 he met through Hamada Yanagi Muneyoshi (1889–1961) know and supported him in his efforts to found a "Museum of Folk Art". He himself joined his folk art movement and changed his style accordingly. So he and Hamada formed the two pillars ( 双璧 , sōheki ) of folk art ceramics. In 1929 he was able to show his pieces at a solo exhibition in the Takashimaya department store .

Typical color schemes of Kawai are combinations of black-brown ( 黒 褐 釉 , kokkatsu-yū ), iron ( 鉄 絵 , tetsue ), vermilion ( 辰砂 , shinsha ), slightly heated lead ( 鉛 釉 , en-yū ) and other colors with which he Grasses and flowers or animals sketched on ceramics for everyday use. In doing so, he made an unmistakable contribution to folk art. A number of his pieces are clearly shaped by the Art Deco style .

The National Museum of Modern Art Kyoto has a collection of over 500 pieces, a gift from the late Takashimaya Department Store owner , Kawakatsu Ken'ichi. - The Ōhara art museum , which Kawai, together with Hamada and Bernard Leach , is dedicating its own wing in the museum, offers a good overview . - Kawai's workshop in Kyoto can be visited.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Today Tōkyō Kōgyō Daigaku .
  2. ↑ The Japanese term mingei ( 民 芸 ), which is reproduced here with “folk art”, was coined by Yanagi.

literature

  • Yabe, Yoshiaki: Kawai Kanjiro . In: Nihon daihyakka zensho (Denshibukku-han) , Shogakukan, 1996.
  • National Museum of Modern Art Kyōto (Ed.): Kanjiro Kawai . Catalog of the Kawakatsu Collection. 1983. 135 pages.
  • Tazawa, Yutaka: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art . Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .
  • Laurance P. Roberts: A Dictionary of Japanese Artists. Weatherhill, 1976. ISBN 0-8348-0113-2 .

Web links

Commons : Kawai Kanjirō  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Kawai, Kanjirō
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 河 合 寛 治郎 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese potter and author of books on pottery
DATE OF BIRTH August 24, 1890
PLACE OF BIRTH Yasugi
DATE OF DEATH November 18, 1966