Shoji Hamada
(Japanese, 1894–1978)
Biography
Shoji Hamada was a Japanese ceramicist and an important member of the mingei folk-art movement. His simple designs convey an elegant beauty, focused on utility as much as aesthetic. “Even a bad pot has some use, but with a bad painting there is nothing you can do with it except throw it away,” Shoji once said. Born on December 9, 1894 in Tokyo, Japan, he was trained in pottery at Tokyo Technical College. While in school, he visited an exhibition of ceramic art that deeply impressed him. The show he saw, included the work of a British ceramicist named Bernard Leach. Shoji befriended Leach, and later accompanied him back to St. Ives, United Kingdom. After three years living and working in St. Ives, he returned to Japan to establish his own studio in the town of Mashiko. Notably, his studio only used locally sourced clay, and made glazing brushes from the hair of neighborhood dogs. In 1955, the Japanese Minister of Culture declared him a “Living National Treasure.” The artist died on January 5, 1978 in Mashiko, Japan. Today, Shoji’s works are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Shoji Hamada Artworks
Shoji Hamada
Square jar in underglaze iron and persimmon glaze
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
Flask with wax resist design in persimmon glaze
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
Flask in persimmon glaze and overglaze enamel
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
Vase with wax resist design in persimmon glaze
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
Flask in persimmon glaze and underglaze iron
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
Flask with circular design in persimmon glaze
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
Water container with circular design in...
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
Vase with wax resist design in persimmon glaze
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
Ryukyu faceted tea bowl in overglaze enamel
Sale Date: September 15, 2023
Auction Closed
.jpg "Sake cup and decanter (a set of 7)")
-/-tea-cup-.jpg "Sake cup (a set of 2) / Tea cup")
.-a-stoneware-bottle.-shōwa-era-(1926-1989),-mid-20th-century.jpg "HAMADA SHŌJI (1894-1978). A Stoneware..., 1930–1969")
Shoji Hamada
HAMADA SHŌJI (1894-1978). A Stoneware..., 1930–1969
Sale Date: September 20, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
A Japanese ceramic vase decorated with green...
Sale Date: September 18, 2023
Auction Closed
Shoji Hamada
A Japanese ceramic vase decorated with green...
Sale Date: September 18, 2023
Auction Closed
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