About the Kyoto Traditional Ceramic Artists Association
Certificate of a Qualified Technician (Maru-Gi)
The circle (Maru) with the character “Technique” (Gi) at the beginning of the title of this website, the Kyoto Traditional Ceramic Artists Association, is an abbreviation for “Craft Technique Preservers,” 570 of whom were designated in the first phase of the designation in 1943 during World War II. Also known as “Maru-Gi,” these Kyoto ceramic designators became the parent organization for the establishment of our association after the war. In these turbulent times, it is no exaggeration to say that our traditional pottery is in danger of continuing. However, there was a time when it was even more critical. The previous generation of one of our members was included in the small number of units that remained in the mainland when the Kyoto regiment went to war. This was because he was a designated successor to this Maru-Gi. I have not heard that my father was also exempt from going to the battlefield because he was a Maru-Gi, but we have heard that he was exempt from going to the battlefield because he was a successor to the work of his ancestors. The battle in Kyoto was very fierce and many people were killed in action. Furthermore, by receiving the Maru-Gi, we were able to easily obtain controlled items at the time, such as raw materials for glazes, even during wartime. Our work has not continued until now only because of the efforts of our ancestors. It is thanks to the desire and efforts of society at the time that we must preserve our work for the next generation when we were truly in danger that we are here today. However, even the full extent of the designated people is unclear now. Furthermore, the work of the designated people who remained with that desire has been gradually going out of business after the war. Unfortunately, this number will continue to decrease. The designation of Maru-Gi was not limited to pottery, nor was it limited to Kyoto. However, our association is the only group that has Maru-Gi as its base. As the only group of successors, we believe that we are in a position to pass on the wartime system, and the thoughts and efforts of our predecessors at that time, to the next generation. We don’t think that preserving something means just protecting it. Preserving something means living with the times. Surviving means that we ourselves change. However, we believe that there are things that must remain unchanged even as generations pass and change, and that passing these down is what tradition is all about.
Website Committee
From the 1974 publication "15th Anniversary Exhibition Purpose Statement"
Our association was established in 1960, centered around ceramic artisans designated by the government during the wartime control period. At the time, from the end of the war until recent years, there was a sense of vagueness in its presence, and works that truly faithfully inherited the traditional techniques of Kyoto ware were mixed up with inferior commercial products, and famous traditional artists were left out of ceramic-related publications. In this situation, we felt that it was urgent for traditional arts preservation artists to come together and promote the original form of Kyoto ware and its emergence, especially in order to introduce the original techniques and taste of Kyoto ware to the so-called new purchasing class due to the recent remarkable economic recovery. Therefore, we, Kyoto ware ceramic artists, came together to form an association, and the “Kyoto Traditional Ceramic Artists Association” was born with the aim of being truly devoted to tradition and contributing to the development of traditional Japanese ceramics, which is world-renowned.
From the "Greetings" by the late Eiraku Sokuzen, first chairman, in the catalogue of members
“Kyoto ware was cultivated by the founders of Kyoto ware in the Momoyama and Edo periods, Chojiro, Ninsei, and Kenzan, and blossomed at the end of the Edo period with Eisen, Mokubei, Dohachi, and Hozen. It was also the introduction of new ideas from the Meiji and Taisho periods, and the extraordinary efforts of the ancestors of our association that created the Kyoto ware we know today.”
From the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Magazine "Afterword" by Matsubayashi Hosai XV, Chairman of the Commemorative Magazine
The weight of 50 years of history is also the cooperation of generations. For me, it was my grandfather who was designated to preserve the technique 68 years ago, and my father who founded the Traditional Ceramists Association. The association no longer has the designated members, nor the original members, and it is now only their successors. In 1943, the country was in the middle of the war, and it was on the brink of destruction, and in the midst of the national situation where the nation was on the brink of destruction and the people’s strength and resources had to be concentrated on the war, 570 people from various fields were designated for the first time to preserve Japan’s traditional techniques for future generations. I was once again moved by the feelings of that time towards traditional techniques, which were determined to be preserved even though it was unclear what would become of the country of Japan. Now, as their successor, my primary responsibility is to devote myself to my own work, but I am keenly aware that I have a responsibility to “not let the feelings of that time become forgotten history.”
