In the ceramic world of early 20th-century Kyoto, Chinese ceramics, not Kyo-yaki (Kyoto-style pottery) were the rage of the day, and any potter worth a spin on the wheel strove to emulate them. In form and color, the ability to perfectly copy an ancient Sung dynasty vase was held up as the highest peak a Kyoto potter could climb. Kyoto was to remain bound in a Chinese spell for at least four decades, until World War II changed everything.
Against this backdrop, Kazuo Yagi (1918-1979), one of Japan's most influential ceramic artists of all time, was born and matured. Known as the father of modern Japanese ceramics, Yagi not only changed the way Japan thought about clay art with his groundbreaking ideas and creations, but he also brought about a revolution in the studios of Kyoto that has continued to this day.
In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of his death, a large retrospective has been traveling Japan since last year and has now made it to the capital. Showing at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum until Aug. 21 is "Kazuo Yagi -- A Retrospective," a rare chance to see a broad range of clay art from the man who shook the conservative mid-20th century Japanese clay world to the core.