We recently added two interesting, Japanese Blue and White porcelain works by Makuzu Kozan to our website, so we thought it an opportune (and long-overdue) moment to shine a light on the celebrated Japanese Imperial Ceramicist.

(As always with our blogs, you can click on any of the images to take a closer look at the piece in question.)

Born in Kyoto in 1842 and originally named Miyagama Toranosuke, Makuzu Kozan came from a long line of accomplished potters who were well known across Japan for making fine tea utensils.

Toranosuke trained with Bunjinga (an intellectual school of Japanese painting that had flourished during the Edo Period) and he brought this artistic flair to the family trade. He took over the business from his father at the tender age of just 18 and it was at this point that he took on the name Makuzu Kozan.

Ten years later in 1870, he moved the workshops to the recently opened “Treaty Port2 of Yokohama. The entrepreneurial Makuzu Kozan seeing the opportunity that lay with basing the ever-growing business at a gateway to international trade.

The first few years in Yokohama were difficult as there was no historic or established ceramic or craft tradition in the area but Makuzu Kozan persisted and eventually made a success of the business.

A wonderful depiction of the Makuzu Kozan studios in Yokohama {Reference: Yokohama Douban Sho No92}

During the 1860s and 1870s there was a shall we say, slightly underhand trend amongst potters of making new Satsuma-ware appear old and distressed in order to be sold as antique and there is evidence that suggests that Makuzu Kozan participated in this trade for a period of time in order to keep the company afloat during the challenging early years in Yokohama.

Once the business became more established, Makuzu Kozan was able to produce more artistic wares and as Japan opened more to international trade, he began exhibiting at Fairs and Expositions.

Early works are highly distinctive often featuring three dimensional elements used to impressive and great effect. This technique is known as “Takaukibori” and allowed for complex designs to be produced at a relatively low cost compared to earlier Satsuma techniques.

This early sculptural work was unapologetically Japanese in style and often drew inspiration from Japanese mythology featuring complex, applied sculptures of Deities, Oni, birds, Bears, Cats, Crabs, Sakura and Wisteria for example.

Many of these pieces featured at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 and caused a real stir with the world turning its eye to Japanese ceramics.

Makuzu Kozan also expanded to non-Satsuma ceramics and many of these pieces were shown at the Tokyo Exposition a year later in 1877. It was here where Emperor Meiji famously touched one of the vases propelling Makuzu Kozan to national recognition and celebrity,

As he entered the 1890s, Makuzu Kozan’s works continued to evolve as he began to experiment with different glazes, often combining multiple underglazes on the same piece. These works becoming more and more sophisticated as he perfected these new techniques.

He moved away from the “busy” , three-dimensional elements of his earlier work, perhaps motivated by Western tastes. These new flatter, simplistic pieces maintained the signature “Kozan” flare though and won him critical acclaim.

In his later years, Makuzu Kozan suffered health and financial problems but his works continued to be celebrated with one vase exhibited at the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910 described as “A perfect piece both artistically and technically.”

There is no doubt that the works of Makuzu Kozan were a massively influenced Western perceptions of Japanese art and design and these trademark flourishes can still be seen in Japanese art today.

A portrait of Makuzu Kozan {Reference: 1903 by Kinkodo Shoseki Kabushiki Kaisha, titled “Biographies of the Jurors of the 5th National Industrial Exhibition, Part 1”}

Makuzu Kozan was appointed as an artist to the Imperial Household in 1896, becoming only the second artist in the field of ceramics to earn this recognition. The appointment recognized his role as a leading, internationally acclaimed potter of the Meiji Era. His works won him prizes at 51 exhibitions including the Worlds Fair and the National Industrial Exhibition and to this day, pieces by Makuzu Kozan highly collectable and sought after.

If you believe you may have a piece by Makuzu Kozan, please feel free to Contact Us and we will be happy to offer a complimentary Appraisal.

We hope you enjoyed this article. If you have an interest in Chinese and Japanese Fine Art and Antiques, you will find over 150 blogs and short-read stories on our News page.