Kawakita Handeishi 川喜田 半泥子 1878-1963

Born in Osaka, Japan

One of the artists to have the largest impact on the Japanese tea world was KAWAKITA HANDEISHI, a prosperous banker who held several important financial positions but who also found time for calligraphy, painting, poetry and photography.  At the age of fifty, Kawakita turned exclusively to the world of clay and breathed new life into the field. His very personal and delightful teabowls and other tea implements have influenced many young ceramists who in turn became masters themselves.