Kamoda Shōji 加守田 章二 1933-1983

Long considered by many experts to be the greatest Japanese ceramic artist of the 20th century, KAMODA SHŌJI was able to accomplish in half a lifetime what other artists struggle to partially attain in double the time. In an unrivalled period of productivity from 1967-78, Kamoda transformed the aesthetic appreciation of modern ceramics in Japan. Always nominally functional, his stoneware "vessels" are ever imaginative in form, line, balance, glazing and decorative adornment. Form, surface and pattern are created in unison as a single unit. To this day, after his premature death at age forty-nine, clay artists continue to imitate and reinterpret his numerous inventive forms and surface designs. Enormously popular in his own lifetime, his shows typically sold out within hours of opening.

Born in 1933, Kamoda Shōji became one of Japan's most celebrated potters. His groundbreaking approach to surface decoration and its sympathetic relationship to the form of his vessels helped revolutionize the way Japanese artists approached ceramic production. Inquisitive, thoughtful, and tireless, Kamoda was driven to innovate and experiment. In an interview conducted in 1980 he said, "When I change a method, it's because I want to feel something new and fresh. In other words, I don't like complacency." By the time a particular body of work would receive critical acclaim, he would have already moved on, creating radically different works in rapid succession. This astonishing creativity garnered him a considerable following in Japan, with enthusiasts lining up to purchase his works as soon as they went on display. Despite his untimely death in 1983 at the age of 49, this admiration continues with well-attended public exhibitions and passionate collectors of his work even today. In recent decades, American collectors, too, have taken note of the beauty of his work and his monolithic importance to the field of Japanese ceramics.