The plaque at the entrance of the main building was made by the 5th head of the Shibukusa Ryuzo Pottery.

 

Blue and white porcelain vase by Tetsunosuke (4th generation). Porcelain fired by deironing the clay of the Kamioka Mine in Okuhida.

 

Vase with overglaze decoration by Sobei (5th generation). The portraits with perspective are splendid.

 

A large jar by Ryuzo 6th, filled with weeping cherry blossoms in full bloom. The workmanship, in which even the smallest details of the cherry blossoms are accounted for, is nothing short of spectacular.

 

 

Meaning Behind Ryuzo 6th’s “Continue Firing”

 

 

The motto of the Toda family, which has been running Shibukusa Ryuzo Pottery for 180 years and seven generations, is “Custom is to decline, but tradition is to continuously innovate.” Simply repeating the same thing over and over again would only lead to the studio’s waning, and tradition is when the latest generation creates something new on the foundation of what has been built up to now. In fact, each generation has a different style: Toda Ryuzo 1st was a master at the wheel, the 2nd began painting the pottery, and the 3rd mostly made sculptural pottery. The theme of Soshiro Toda’s works, who succeeded the name Shibukusa Ryuzo 6th in 1981, was to incorporate Japanese painting into pottery painting. Indeed, his paintings of cherry blossoms, children, autumn leaves, and other soft Japanese-style designs continue to be highly acclaimed today.
Ryuzo 6th emphasizes that basic techniques and fundamental knowledge are the key to continuing the studio’s history. “It is a real struggle to make a living with pottery. I think every studio has its difficulties. But that is why the basics can help us. It is of course valuable just to continue a practice, but it will be even more valuable if we continue to innovate with it.” The words of Ryuzo 6th carry a lot of meaning, as he experienced the rise and fall of the studio, including relocations and downsizing, due to the times and other circumstances.