English potter-artist-writer Bernard Leach (1887-1979) was lucky to have lived in Japan — during his early childhood and on later occasions — when, even though change was coming rapidly, many centuries-old traditions continued unaltered.
Born in Hong Kong to the son of a judge, following his mother's premature death, Leach spent some of his childhood years living with his maternal grandparents, who were missionaries stationed in late Meiji Period (1868-1912) Japan. The lasting impressions made during these formative years are readily apparent in his ceramic works on show in a delightful, small exhibition at the Shiodome Museum, "Bernard Leach: Art for Life's Sake," that runs till Nov. 2. The exhibition is showing pieces on loan from the Japan Folkcraft Museum in Komaba, Tokyo, which has the country's definitive Leach collection.
Leach demonstrated a talent and flair for art at an early age and later studied at the prestigious Slade School of Art in England. (He also attended the London School of Art, where he mastered the techniques of etching.) In 1909, when he returned to Japan, he worked in Japanese potteries in order to learn from masters of the craft.