Makuzu (Miyagawa) Kōzan

History

From a family of Kyoto tea-ware makers; made Satsuma-style pieces before moving to Yokohama in the 1870s (p.240). Generally moulded or applied decoration into the 1880s, then a more refined Kyoto-style cream crackle earthenware in the Ninsei tradition; most production was fine porcelain with underglaze colours he helped develop (p.118). Teishitsu Gigei-in 1896 (p.240). Son Hanzan (1859–1940) ran the business from 1882 (p.240; p.118 says 'mid 1880s') and made it a limited company (p.118). Hanzan's son Katsunosuke (1881–1945) was killed in a US air raid that destroyed the factory (p.240); factory closed 1945 (p.118). Kozan died 1916; about 2,000 people lined his funeral route (p.118). Exhibited Philadelphia 1876, Paris 1878, Sydney 1879, Paris 1889, Chicago 1893, Paris 1900, Louisiana 1904, Liège 1905, London 1910 (p.240). Lawrence ranks him with Chin Jukan XII as the most important Meiji potter (p.118).

Marks & Signatures

Impressed 'Makuzu'; 'Go seki, Kozan' / 'Go seki Makuzu' (name split across a pair of vases) (p.240). Six different 'ko' characters were used by different Kozans (p.230).

Citations

history

Lawrence 2011, p.118, 240

marks

Lawrence 2011, p.230, 240