Kiyomizu Rokubei (渠水å Âå µè¡Â) is the name bestowed on the head of the Kyoto-based Kiyomizu family of ceramists. With over 240 years of history, the studio is now into its eighth generation. It is currently headed by contemporary ceramist and sculptor Rokubei VIII. The family was influential in the development and survival of Kyà  ware.
Born Kotà  Kuritarà  in Settsu, Osaka around 1735, Rokubei was the son of a farmer named Kotà  Rokuzaemon (å¤è¤å Âå·¦è¡ÂéÂÂ). Sometime between 1748 and 1751, he moved to Kyoto and began to study pottery under Ebiya Seibei (æµ·èÂÂå±Â渠堵è¡Â), acknowledged as the "first recorded potter of Kyomizu [sic] faience". In 1771, he opened his own studio in the Gojà Âzaka district of Kyoto, near Kiyomizu Temple, and took the name Rokubei. The three characters making up this name are a combination of those in his father's and teacher's names.
According to some accounts, the name Rokubei was given to him by the abbot-prince of Myà Âhà  Temple (å¦Âæ³Âé¢), who was very favourably impressed with a set of black Raku ware cups the potter made him. It is known that the abbot-prince gave him a seal to use as his mark: the character 渠(pronounced sei or kyo) bounded by a hexagon. The seal's character was written by a priest from Tenryà «-ji Temple, and is the first character in Kiyomizu. This mark, the rokumoku seal (å Âç®å°), has continued to be used through the Kiyomizu generations, although the second family head added a double line to the hexagon to distinguish the works of the first Rokubei.
Rokubei was active in Kyoto art circles and counted among his friends the painters Maruyama à Âkyo, Matsumura Goshun, and Tanomura Chikuden. He was known to have enlisted these friends from the Shijà  school of painting to decorate his pieces. He specialized in finely decorated faience, and remains particularly admired for his three-colour overglaze (iro-e) technique.
Born in 1790 in Kyoto, he was the son of Rokubei I. He studied under his father until the latter's death in 1799. At just nine years of age, he was too young to take over the family kiln. He continued his studies until 1811, when he became atelier head as Rokubei II. As such, he continued the traditions begun by his father, particularly the development of coloured, semi-transparent glazes. He produced pieces inspired by various types of pottery, including Seto ware and Shigaraki ware. In later life, he worked in blue and white porcelain, although it has been suggested this was not his strength.
In 1838, Rokubei II retired to be succeeded by his second son, Kuritarou. Rokubei II took the name Rokuichi (å Âä¸Â). In 1840 he was asked by the daimyà  of Nagaoka in Echigo (present-day Niigata) to open a kiln. He did in 1843, creating the Oyama-yaki pottery. He died in 1860.
Born in Kyoto in 1820, Kuritarà  was the second son of Rokubei II. He became head of the family business and assumed the name Rokubei III at 18 when his father retired in 1838. In 1868, he again changed his name, substituting the surname Kotà  with Shimizu, an alternate reading for the characters making up Kiyomizu (渠水). He used the same potter's mark as Rokubei I, however, substituted the latterâÂÂs square characters with cursive ones.
Rokubei III was responsible during this tumultuous time for maintaining the Kiyomizu kiln and for ensuring its resurgence while respecting family tradition. He also joined in efforts to revive Kyoto industry following the transfer of the capital to Tokyo in 1868. While preserving the techniques of his forebears, Rokubei III was also open to new, foreign influences. He was greatly affected by Modernism, and produced western items such as coffee cups. In 1879, he was one of the ceramists commissioned to make a tea service for use during the visit of former US president Ulysses S. Grant.
By the late 1860s, Kiyomizu Rokubei III, like other heads of the long-established Kyoto potteries, realized the advantages of modernization and of attempting to accommodate Western tastes. In 1868, together with potter Miyagawa Kà Âzan, he visited Yokohama to learn about western manufacturing and painting techniques. This shift in orientation was encouraged by government authorities, who awarded prizes to ceramistsâ including Rokubei IIIâ for excellence in western-style works. The Kiyomizu kiln, however, remained fairly conservative in its output, sticking predominantly to traditional pieces and styles.
Rokubei III traveled to Hikone to study Seto-yaki. He was admired for his skill with blue and white porcelain, celadon and red-glaze ceramics. He was also concerned with decoration, and studied with Nanga painter Oda Kaisen (å°Âç°海åÂÂ). His style has been described as "bold", "unique" and "daring". He frequently served on juries and won medals at domestic exhibitions, including the Kyoto Exhibition (1875), the Domestic Industrial Exhibition (1877), and the Nagoya Exhibition (1878). His works also featured in exhibitions in Paris, Sydney and Amsterdam.
Rokubei IV was born in 1848, the oldest son of Rokubei III. He took over the headship in 1883 upon his father's death. He was known for his subtle, intellectual works, which contrasted with his father's dramatic style. Most of his pieces were Raku-yaki, Seto-yaki, Shigaraki-yaki, and other traditional ceramic styles. He was especially skilled at crab decorations, a trend of the period. He studied painting with Shiokawa Bunrin, a Shijà  school painter who was strongly influenced by Western art.
Rokubei IV was active in Kyoto art circles, helping to establish the Gojà Âzaka Ceramics Union, the Yutà Âen (éÂÂé¶åÂÂ) ceramics organization, the Society for Ceramics Appreciation (京é½é¶ç£Âå¨åÂÂè©Âä¼Â), and the Kami Kai (ä½³ç¾Âä¼Â) with painter/ designer Kamisaka Sekka (ç¥ÂÃ¥ÂÂéª佳). In 1895 he co-founded the Kyoto Ceramic Research Institute. He participated in initiatives to popularize Japanese arts abroad. During the 1880s, he participated in art exhibitions as a competitor and judge.
He retired in 1913 in favour of his son, and took the name Rokui. He died in 1920, leaving a legacy of having synthesized the techniques of the Kiyomizu family and truly defined the Rokubei style. A porcelain tà Ârà  lantern made by Rokubei IV donated by Rokubei V in 1938 stands on the grounds of the Tokyo National Museum garden.
As an adolescent, Rokubei V studied painting under Shijà  master Kà Âno Bairei (幸éÂÂ楳嶺), and at the Kyoto Municipal School of Painting (京é½åºÂçÂȌ¦校). After graduating, he apprenticed with his father, Rokubei IV. Following Bairei's death in 1895, he also studied with Takeuchi Seihà  (竹å æ Âé³³). In 1895, he exhibited his first ceramic piece at the National Industrial Exposition (å å½å§æ¥ÂÃ¥ÂÂ覧ä¼Â). Stylistically, Rokubei V was open to various influences. He took inspiration from Chinese porcelain, the Rinpa school of painting, Art Nouveau and Maiolica. He was particularly skilled at celadon and traditional overglazed enamel.
Due to his father's ill health, Rokubei V was a leading figure at the family kiln from 1902, although he did not officially take over until 1913. In 1928 he changed the family surname to Kiyomizu and applied it retroactively to previous generations. In 1945 he retired and took the name Rokuwa (å ÂÃ¥ÂÂ). He continued, nonetheless, to produce ceramics throughout the 1950s.
Throughout his career, Rokubei V was highly active in art associations. He was a co-founder of the Yutà Âen (éÂÂé¶åÂÂ) study group, the Ceramics Studies Association (é¶è¸ç Â究å£ä½Â), the Kyoto Ceramics Research Facility (京é½å¸Âé¶ç£Âå¨試é¨Âå ´), the Japan Crafts Association (æÂ¥æÂŒᴏ¸ä¼Â), and the Gojà  kai (äºÂæ¡ä¼Â). He was also awarded numerous prizes from the mid-1910s on, including at the National Fine Art Exhibition (å ¨å½ç¾Âè¡Âå±Â) and the annual Nà Âshà Âmushà  Exhibition (è¾²åÂÂÃ¥ÂÂçÂÂå±Â). In 1930 he was made a member of the Imperial Art Academy (å¸Âå½ç¾Âè¡Âé¢ä¼Â), and in 1931, he received a medal from the French president. Rokubei V died in 1959. In 2001, he was voted 21st Most Important and Most Popular Japanese Ceramist in the Last 100 Years by Japanese art magazine Honoho Geijutsu.
Rokubei VI, the eldest son of Rokubei V, graduated from the Kyoto City School of Art and Craft (京é½å¸Âç«Âç¾Âè¡Âå·¥è¸å¦校) and Kyoto Municipal College of Painting (京é½å¸Âç«Âçµµç»å°ÂéÂÂå¦校) before apprenticing with his father from 1925. That same year, he entered his first competition. His career was to be marked by success in exhibitions including numerous awards at the Bunten (æÂÂå±Â), Teiten (å¸Âå±Â) and Nitten (æÂ¥å±Â). He was later frequently selected as a judge and director of these national exhibitions. He enjoyed international acclaim, showing pieces at exhibitions, having his works join museum collections and winning awards in Belgium, the USSR, France and Italy. He was made a member of the Japan Art Academy (æ¥揸è¡Âé¢ä¼Â) in 1962 and awarded the Order of Cultural Merit (æÂÂÃ¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂå´) in 1976.
Both before and after he became Rokubei VI in 1945, he participated in efforts to promote young artists by founding a variety of organizations. He was one of "the first wave of 'individualist' potters in contemporary Japanese history", known for his unique pieces and innovations. He created new glazes in 1953 and 1971, and invented a new firing technique in 1955. He was skilled at various Japanese and non-Japanese styles of pottery and praised for his versatility.
In 1980, Rokubei VI collapsed while visiting an exhibition celebrating the Kiyomizu family's history. He died soon after.
In addition to critically acclaimed works of art, Rokubei VIIâÂÂs career was marked by changes of name and of specialty. Born the third son of Tsukamoto Takejirà  (å¡Âæ¬竹åÂÂéÂÂ) in Aichi Prefecture, he was adopted into the Kiyomizu family when he married Rokubei VIâÂÂs eldest daughter in 1951. At that time, he took the name Kiyomizu Yà Âji (渠水æ´Â士), which he shortened to Yà  (æ´Â) the next year.
In 1953, he graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts (æ±京è¸è¡Â大å¦), where he studied metal casting. He worked at the Kiyomizu kiln throughout the '50s, and won his first ceramics award at the 1957 Nitten exhibition. In 1963 he became an assistant professor of ceramics at the Kyoto City University of Arts. Two years later he again showed at the Nitten, this time as Kiyomizu Yà Âshi (渠水è£Âè©Â).
From the second half of the 1960s, Rokubei VII began following his true passion: sculpture. He exhibited his first sculpture in 1966 under the name Kiyomizu Gotà Âe (渠水äºÂæ±è¡Â). In 1967, he made the radical decision to specialize exclusively in sculpture as Kiyomizu Kyà «bei. Although he inherited the headship of the family kiln in 1981, he did not return to pottery-making until 1987, meaning a 20-year gap in works by a Kiyomizu Rokubei.
As Kyà «bei, he produced contemporary pieces in clay and metal. As Rokubei VII, he not only made abstract works, but also traditional, functional objects such as vases, tea bowls, sake sets, coffee cups and plates. Although he was prolific, according to his heir, Rokubei VIII, "When he began working as Kyà «bei, he destroyed his earlier pieces. As a result, very few works from that period remain."
In 2000, he handed over the Rokubei title to his eldest son, though he continued to produce sculpture as Kiyomizu Kyà «bei until his death in 2006.
Born in 1954, Kiyomizu Masahiro is the eldest son of Rokubei VII. In the mid-1970s and early 1980s, he studied architecture, sculpture and ceramics in Tokyo and Kyoto before joining the family pottery in 1983. From that time through the present, he has received various national and international prizes, including the Asahi Ceramics Exhibition (æÂÂæÂ¥é¶è¸å±Â), Kyoto Prefectural Culture Award (京é½åºÂæÂÂÃ¥ÂÂè³Â), Sidney Myer Fund International Ceramic Award (ã·ãÂÂãÂÂã¼ãÂȋÂÂã¤ã¤ã¼åºéÂÂå½éÂÂé¶è¸è³Âå±Â), and Ceramic Society of Japan Prize (æ¥掶ç£ÂÃ¥ÂÂä¼Âè³Â). In 2004, he was ranked 12th by art professionals in a survey of Japan's most important living ceramists.
In 2000, he succeeded his father as head of the Kiyomizu pottery, a position he continues to hold. In addition, he is presently an instructor of contemporary ceramics at the Kyoto University of Art and Design (京é½é 形è¸è¡Â大å¦).
Rather than inheriting the family headship, Rokubei II's eldest son, Takejirà Â, was the progenitor in 1839 of a new family branch as Kiyomizu Shichibei (渠水ä¸Âå µè¡Â). The reason is unclear, but apocryphally relates to the fact that he was a heavy drinker and not permitted by his father to use the Rokubei name. Lifestyle aside, Shichibei apparently inherited the family style and technique, with his works reputedly being easily mistakable for those of his father. He was succeeded by his eldest son, also Takejirà  (竹次éÂÂ), who took the title Kiyomizu Shichibei II. The Shichibei potters used a mark based on that of the Rokubeis: the character sei (渠) surrounded by a double heptagon.
The second son of Shichibei II, Kà Âzaburà Â, went on to head a new branch of the extended family: the Tsuchitani (Ã¥ÂÂè°·) kiln. This family is headed by Tsuchitani Zuikà  (Ã¥ÂÂè°·çÂÂå Â) III (b. 1928). His two sons, Makoto (誠) and Akira (å¾¹) are also active in the family kiln.