Shibukusa Ryuzo Pottery is a hand made / hand painted pottery studio in its 7th generation based in Hida Takayama (Gifu prefecture, central Japan).  About 180 years have passed since the first Ryuzo Toda established his furnace in Shibukusa, the western part of  Takayama, in the 12th year of the Tenpo era (1841).  Shibukusa ceramic has kept its tradition not only in the techniques of the wheel, painting and cooking, but it extends to the type of soil, wood ash and crystals as raw materials for the glazes and clays.

 

  “Transmitting the tradition means degeneration. Creating the tradition means continuity of innovation” is the motto of Shibukusa Ryuzo’s furnace and in this way, the style of the artworks is completely different in each generation. 

 

It can be recognized by 6th generation’s technique at the wheel and strong but delicate paintings. The cherry blossoms, a representative design, is a style that was achieved with long research and, while adopting a Japanese element as the pattern, it is a delicate and gorgeous representation of transparency and three-dimensionality that was not achieved till now.  Furthermore, he energetically threw himself into the wide-ranging tools for the tea ceremony, sencha ceremony, flower arranging, and incense ceremony. 

 

7th generation is run by the brothers Ryuhei (Manager) and Tetsuhito (Shibukusa Ryuzo 7th) Toda. Recently, they have gained great interest both in Japan and abroad, with exhibitions in many main cities every year. Whilst maintaining the traditional techniques, Ryuhei and Tetsuhito are open to new ideas and collaborations pushing the boundaries of what pottery can achieve.