Shimaoka Tatsuzō

(1919-2007)

SHIMAOKA TATSUZŌ was the foremost pupil of Hamada Shoji (1894-1978) and, until his death, was regarded as Japan's leading folk craft potter. Shimaoka's signature style, known as "Jomon-zogan" in Japanese, combines cord-impressed decoration and the white-slip inlay technique used in Punch'ong ware, popular during the Chōson Dynasty of Korea. Shimaoka's use of a variety of glazes enhanced the richness of his folk style tableware. He also successfully developed a Western-influenced salt glaze technique that Hamada had first introduced. For his mastery of the Jōmon technique of rope-impressed stoneware, he was named a Living National Treasure in 1996.  He was a remarkably influential teacher of a new generation of ceramists.