Potter: Yoshiaki Dobuchi, Touan kiln

Approximate size: W4.3″ by H3.2″ or 10.8 by 8.2 cm

This is hand-painted Kyo ware chawan or tea bowl by Yoshiaki Dobuchi, the owner and managing director of the Touan Kiln. The Touan kiln is one of the largest and most famous producers of Kyo ware pottery and their speciality is hand-painted designs with underglaze pigments such as this piece. The pattern that is seen on the inside of the bowl is one of their tell tale characteristics that almost all their works have. Furthermore this work really shows their expertise in the designs they employ. Excellence is demonstrated in the layout and visual weight of the flower design.

Founded in 1922, Touan is one of Kyoto’s distinguished kilns specialising in Kyo ware and Kiyomizu ware. As one of the largest workshops in Kyoto, all stages of production are meticulously carried out by hand. Touan is dedicated to crafting exquisite and usually seasonally inspired design. Employing underglaze painting – in which intricate and bright colours are applied before glazing. This process ensures that each creation retains its delicate hues and is resistant to wear, embodying both beauty and durability.

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1980 Born in Kyoto, as the first son of Yoshihide Dobuchi, the 3rd head of Touan
2003 Graduated from the Department of Aesthetics and Art Theory of the Faculty of Literature, Doshisha University in Kyoto
Learned about ceramic, porcelain and glaze under his father, Yoshihide
2010 Appointed as the 4th head of the Touan kiln
2018 Succeeded in reproducing the youhen tenmoku
2019 Started to show his works as an independent ceramic artist dedicated a youhen tenmoku tea bowl to Tofuku-ji Temple (the headquarters temple of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism, Tofuku-ji School)
One of his youhen tenmoku tea bowls was stored by Miho Museum
Received the METI Minister Prize at the 41st Kyo yaki & Kiyomizu yaki Ceramic Exhibition
Opened his independent gallery
2020 His ceramic work was accepted by the 49th Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition, Kinki Division

Kyo yaki or Kyo ware refers to a kind of ceramics that spread from the Higashiyama area in Kyoto during the early Edo period of the Tokugawa rule (henceforth this family line continually ruled Japan for more than 250 years). It was around this time that the art of Chanoyu or the Tea ceremony became popular and widespread in Japan. By contrast, the pottery produced along Gojo-zaka, a street leading to Kiyomizu Temple was called Kiyomizu yaki. Nowadays all pottery produced in Kyoto is commonly referred to as Kyo or Kiyomizu ware.

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