A Kiln Shaped by Tea Ceramics | Nakamura Tousaien, Ryoji Nakamura

A Kyo Ware and Kiyomizu Ware Workshop Continued for Four Generations

Nakamura Tousaien is a pottery workshop quietly located in the Kiyomizu ware district of Yamashina, Kyoto.

Inside the spacious three-story workshop, tools and equipment bear traces of the many years of pottery making that have taken place here. Today, the workshop is run by fourth-generation potter Ryoji Nakamura together with his family.

The history of the workshop began with Taichi Nakamura, who moved from Ishikawa Prefecture to Kyoto and devoted himself to overglaze decoration for Kiyomizu ware.

The craft was passed down to the second generation, Ryoichi Nakamura, and then to the third generation, Koichi Nakamura. Ryoji Nakamura now represents the fourth generation.

For generations, the family has continued to produce Kyo ware and Kiyomizu ware in Kyoto, with a particular focus on overglaze decoration and tea utensils.

Pottery Making Cultivated Through the Way of Tea

Nakamura Tousaien has long specialized in tea utensils, including matcha bowls and water jars.

Its works have also been supplied to tea ceremony schools, reflecting a style of pottery making closely connected to utensils intended for actual use in the practice of tea.

Fourth-generation potter Ryoji Nakamura completed the Forming Course and Advanced Research Course at the Kyoto Prefectural School of Ceramic Arts before continuing to refine his skills under ceramic artists in Kyoto.

Alongside the decorative techniques passed down through the family, he also developed the forming skills required to create the vessels themselves, forming the foundation of his present approach to pottery.

For this reason, production at Nakamura Tousaien extends far beyond decoration alone.

From wheel throwing and glaze preparation to painting, the entire process is carried out consistently within the workshop.

Glaze and Painting as Part of the Entire Design

Many of Ryoji Nakamura's works feature painted motifs inspired by Japan's seasons and familiar living creatures.

Behind these designs lies the decorative tradition of Kyo ware and Kiyomizu ware, including styles associated with Kenzan and Ninsei.

From cherry blossoms, green maple leaves, and morning glories to goldfish and freshwater crabs, a wide range of seasonal plants and creatures are depicted across his vessels.

What distinguishes his approach is that a work is not conceived through painting alone.

He prepares glazes to complement each motif, forms the vessel, and then applies the painted decoration.

By handling the forming, glaze preparation, and painting himself, Nakamura designs each work as a whole, including its shape, surface, and decoration.

A Sense of Play Within Tradition

While Ryoji Nakamura values traditional decoration rooted in the lineage of Kenzan and Ninsei and has spent many years producing tea utensils, some of his works also reveal a distinct sense of humor.

Among the most characteristic examples are matcha bowls shaped and painted to resemble a cat's face, as well as bowls modeled after Daruma.

Over the years, he has also created designs inspired by soccer balls and golf balls.

These works are not simply conventional vessels decorated with unusual motifs.

The form of the vessel is considered in relation to the subject, the glaze is prepared accordingly, and the painting completes the work as a unified design.

He respects traditional techniques without allowing himself to be confined by them.

His willingness to introduce familiar subjects and a sense of play upon the technical foundation of a workshop that has produced tea utensils for generations is another defining aspect of Ryoji Nakamura's pottery.

Still at the Workshop, Still Making Pottery

Now over 70 years old, Ryoji Nakamura continues to work in his studio and make pottery.

Although his age has led him to consider retirement, he continues to take on a variety of works and appears to still find genuine enjoyment in the process of making pottery.

Four generations of inherited techniques and decades of experience producing utensils for the tea ceremony form the foundation of his work.

While respecting that tradition, he continues to explore playful subjects such as cats and Daruma.

For Nakamura, tradition is not simply something to preserve, but something within which he continues to enjoy creating.

Perhaps this attitude is one of the reasons his works retain such an approachable and familiar character.

Artist Profile | Ryoji Nakamura

Ryoji Nakamura is a Kyo ware and Kiyomizu ware artist who runs Nakamura Tousaien in the Kiyomizu ware district of Yamashina, Kyoto.

As the fourth generation of his family workshop, he carries forward its ceramic tradition while focusing primarily on tea utensils such as matcha bowls and water jars.

He handles the entire process himself, from wheel throwing and glaze preparation to painting. Building upon traditional Kyo ware and Kiyomizu ware decoration, his works depict plants, animals, and occasionally playful and humorous subjects.

Biography

1955　Born in Kyoto

Completed the Forming Course and Advanced Research Course at the Kyoto Prefectural School of Ceramic Arts

Continued to refine his ceramic techniques under potters in Kyoto and pursued his own pottery practice

The Lineage of Nakamura Tousaien

First Generation | Taichi Nakamura

Born in Ushijima, Ishikawa Prefecture, and later moved to Higashiyama, Kyoto. Devoted himself to overglaze decoration for Kiyomizu ware and continued to refine his techniques. Passed away in 1964.

Second Generation | Ryoichi Nakamura

Born in Kyoto in 1918. Studied ceramic overglaze decoration and regularly exhibited at overglaze ceramic exhibitions.

1968　Exhibition at Seibu in Tokyo
1973　Donated a decorative plate to Xi'an, China, Kyoto's sister city, at the request of the City of Kyoto
1974　Exhibited at the Frankfurt Messe in West Germany
1976　Passed away

Third Generation | Koichi Nakamura

Born in Kyoto in 1947. Graduated from the Ceramics Department of Kyoto Municipal Fushimi Technical High School and subsequently trained under his father.

1982　Began holding solo exhibitions throughout Japan; received the Kyoto Mayor's Award at the 5th Kyo Ware and Kiyomizu Ware Exhibition
1985　Donated a work to Xi'an, China, Kyoto's sister city
1994　Certified as a Traditional Craftsman of Kyo Ware and Kiyomizu Ware