(calligrapher; 1899–1968)

Calligrapher from Hyōgo Prefecture. Sōkyū studied calligraphy with Ibara Ungai and Hidai Tenrai. In 1933, he co-founded Shodō Geijutsusha (Art of Calligraphy association) and became the chief editor of their journal Shodō Geijutsu. With his work spanning the pre- and postwar eras, Sōkyū was an important mentor for Inoue Yūichi and Morita Shiryū of Bokujinkai and is regarded as a leader of postwar avant-garde calligraphy in Japan.

(painter; b. 1970)

Ellen Altfest was born in 1970 in New York, where she currently lives and works. She received an MFA from Yale University, New York (1997), attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine (2002) and was awarded a studio at the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, New York, NY (2004–05). Since leaving Yale School of Art Ellen Altfest has developed her own distinct and devoted approach to figurative and representational painting. The writer and artist David Humphrey has remarked that ‘her paintings celebrate the way objects become engulfed by their surroundings and simple acts of identification multiply and transform’. Altfest always paints from life, drawn towards domestic plants, vegetables and more recently, male models. Altfest immerses herself in an intense analysis and personal engagement with the subject that pushes her vision beyond the real.

(sculptor; 1840–1917)

French sculptor. Rodin was born in Paris. At the age of 14, he entered the Imperial College of Drawing and Mathematics, where he first studied painting and later became interested in sculpture. To pursue his dream of becoming a sculptor, Rodin took the entrance exam for the National Academy of Fine Arts three times but was denied entry. Rodin later became an apprentice to Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse where he was involved in various types of work ranging from small busts to decorations for museums and opera house. When Carrier-Belleuse’s studio moved to Belgium, Rodin remained in Belgium for six years and exhibited his work for the first time as a sculptor. During a trip to Italy in 1875, Rodin was impressed by the works of Michelangelo. Rodin went on to create notable pieces such as “The Gates of Hell” and “The Thinker,” and became known as the father of modern sculpture.

(calligrapher; 1910–2001)

Calligrapher from Gunma Prefecture. Okabe studied with Hidai Tenrai, and together with Ikeda Suijō established the Sōjinsha art association. After leaving Sōjinsha, Okabe found the Sōrō group (later Sōrōsha), directing his efforts to teaching the younger generation. He participated in numerous international exhibitions.

(ceramist, 1946–2021)

Ceramist from Shiga Prefecture. Kuroda studied with the Canadian potter Geatan Beaudin and was a fellow student of Shimaoka Tatsuzō. After working as a designer at the Canadian ceramics company SIAL, Kuroda established his own kiln in St. Gabriel in Quebec. In 1981, he moved to Matsuzaki on Izu Peninsula. Since 1991, Kuroda operates his kiln in the town of Itō on Izu. His delicate white ceramics have been widely exhibited.

(nihonga painter; 1887–1971)

Nihonga painter from Kyoto. A graduate from Kyoto City Technical School of Painting, Shihō attracted attention at the Bunten exhibition, and in 1918, he co-founded the Kokuga Sosaku Kyokai (National Painting Creation Association) with Tsuchida Bakusen and Murakami Kagaku. After the dissolution of the association, he ceased exhibiting in exhibitions and quietly continued his artistic endeavors, distancing himself from the art scene. He was named a professor at Kyoto City Technical School of Painting and Kyoto City University of Arts. Shihō received the Imperial Prize of the Japan Art Academy in 1962.

(ceramist; 1926–2001)

Suzuki was born in Kyoto to a family of ceramists. With like-minded artists Yagi Kazuo and Yamada Hikaru, he co-founded the avant-garde ceramic group Sōdeisha (Crawling through Mud Association) in 1948. Suzuki challenged the utilitarian attitude of traditional ceramics with his non-functional objects which he termed deizō or deishō (“clay figures” or “clay forms”). He served as a professor at the Kyoto City University of the Arts and was honored with the Asahi Award of Excellence in 1999.

Akio Niisato was born in 1977 in the Chiba prefecture. After withdrawing from his studies at the Philosophy Department, School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Waseda University, he went on to study at the Tajimi City Ceramic and Design Center where he received his Diploma 2001. His selected awards include, the Award for New Artist, Premio Faenza 54^th Edition (2005, Italy); Grand Prize, Paramita Museum Ceramic Competition (2008); Jury’s Special Award, International Ceramics Festival MINO; Incentive Award, Kikuchi Biennale (Tokyo, 2009); and Award for New Artist, MOA Mokichi Okada Award (Tokyo, 2014). He continues to receive high acclaim for his works, with participation in numerous exhibitions both in Japan and overseas including the US, Italy, and Romania. His representative work “Luminescent” consists of vessels created by making perforations in translucent white porcelain, and filling each of the holes with clear glaze before firing. The works which give the impression of emitting light in themselves are conceived through independently developing the Chinese technique of ‘hotarude,’ which enable translucent patterns to emerge when it carries the light, with their luminescent appearance likened to a firefly. In addition to this technique that attempts to explore ways of vessels that transcend contexts of the everyday, in recent years he has engaged in producing works that while rooted in tradition, give form to the natural traces that are born out of the dialogue between the materials and his own body.

(artist and craftsman; 1881–1964)

Fujii Tatsukichi hailed from Aichi Prefecture and gained renown for his versatile work across diverse genres and mediums. He excelled not only in crafting various traditional crafts such as cloisonné, ceramics, lacquerware, Japanese paper, and dyeing and weaving but also left remarkable works in painting and calligraphy. As an advocate of the reformation of arts and crafts in Japan, he exerted a lasting influence. Jury member of the Bunten exhibition.

(Tōzan III; ceramist; b. 1935)

Ceramist from Kyoto. Miyanaga graduated from the Sculpture Department of Kyoto City University of Arts. He studied under Tsuji Shindō, Horiuchi Masakazu, and Yagi Kazuo. In 1959, Miyanaga traveled to the United States and enrolled at the Art Students League. After his return to Japan, he joined the ceramics art group Sōdeisha (Crawling through Mud Association). He counts among Japan’s eminent ceramists.

(calligrapher; 1912–1998)

Avant-garde calligrapher from Hyōgo Prefecture. Like fellow artist Inoue Yūichi, Morita studied under the calligraphy master Ueda Sōkyū. He co-founded the avant-garde group Bokujinkai together with Inoue and was the founder and editor of the journal Bokubi (“Beauty of Ink”), both of which revolutionized traditional Japanese calligraphy and spread knowledge of Japanese avant-garde calligraphy to an international audience. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor with Dark Blue Ribbon.

(ceramist; 1918–1979)

Ceramist from Kyoto. As a co–founder of Sōdeisha (Crawling through Mud Association), Yagi was largely responsible for establishing and popularizing non–functional objects as a major category of postwar Japanese ceramic art. Working in Shigaraki clay for much of his career, Yagi later turned to kokuto (“black pottery”). He taught at the Kyoto City University of the Arts.

(ceramist; 1923–2001)

Ceramist from Tokyo, eldest son of Tetsu Yamada. Yamada graduated from Kyoto Higher Technical School (currently Kyoto Institute of Technology) in the Ceramics Department. His work was selected for the Nitten exhibition the year after graduation. Yamada participated in the formation of the group ‘Young Pottery-makers’ Collective,’ and after the dissolution of the group, he co-founded the avant-garde ceramic group Sōdeisha (Crawling through Mud Association) with Kazuo Yagi and Osamu Suzuki.

(painter; 1791–1864)

Late Edo-period painter of the Shijō school. Born in Kyoto, Seiki studied under Matsumura Keibun, excelling in depictions of flowers and birds, landscapes, and figures.

(nihonga painter; 1920–1973)

Nihonga painter from Niigata Prefecture. Yokoyama initially studied oil painting under Ishikawa Gazan but later shifted to Japanese painting, learning at the Kawabata school of Painting. After the war, he depicted his experiences of being detained in Siberia in his artworks. Despite his active participation in the Seiryūsha exhibitions, he incinerated numerous pieces of his work. Subsequently, he engaged in solo exhibitions and ventured into ink painting. He co-founded Todoroki-kai with Ishimoto Tadashi and Kayama Matazō. He was appointed Tama Art University professor. In his later years, he became paralyzed on the right side due to a stroke but continued to paint using his left hand.