Background
He was born in Kyoto in a rich merchant family.
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Ogata Kenzan
Edit Profile尾形 乾山尾形 深省
Career
He learned from the famous potter Nonomura Ninnsei and made his own kiln. In 1712 a nobleman began patronizing his kiln, he moved to the east area of Kyoto. He was one of the greatest ceramicists of the Tokugawa era.
In 1713, he moved to Edo where he also spend the rest of his life.
Ogata Kenzan produced a distinctive style of freely brushed grasses, blossoms, and birds as decorative motifs for pottery. His pieces were noted for their perfect relation between design and shape.
Bernard Leach, the famous studio potter, wrote a book about Ogata Kenzan in 1966 entitled Kenzan and his Tradition, published by Faber & Faber in London.
