{"id":103657,"date":"2024-08-16T14:28:29","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T05:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=103657"},"modified":"2024-09-03T09:16:18","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T00:16:18","slug":"kanjiro-kawai-life-work-ceramicist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/kanjiro-kawai-life-work-ceramicist\/","title":{"rendered":"The Life, Work, and Kyoto Home of Celebrated Ceramicist Kanjiro Kawai"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Just a short walk from the Gojo Bridge, site of the warrior-monk Benkei\u2019s fateful 1,000th duel, there is a typically unassuming Kyoto side street that runs quietly between rows of two-story <em>machiya <\/em>houses. Here, amongst the tastefully subdued and organic ambiance of these earthwork, wood, and koshi latticed frontages, is <strong>the former home and studio of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kyoto-museums.jp\/en\/museum\/east\/3875\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Kanjiro Kawai<\/a> \u6cb3\u4e95 \u5bdb\u6b21\u90ce the personally humble but rightfully celebrated potter, philosopher, craftsman, and poet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ht-block-toc  is-style-outline htoc htoc--position-wide toc-list-style-plain\" data-htoc-state=\"expanded\"><span class=\"htoc__title\"><span class=\"ht_toc_title\">Table of Contents<\/span><span class=\"htoc__toggle\"><\/span><\/span><div class=\"htoc__itemswrap\"><ul class=\"ht_toc_list\"><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#htoc-a-new-and-important-figure\">A New and Important Figure<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#htoc-a-return-from-the-artistic-wilderness\">A Return From the Artistic Wilderness<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#htoc-a-spirit-of-simple-authenticity\">A Spirit of Simple Authenticity<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Kawai\u2019s self-made sanctuary, preserved as a memorial to his quietly expressive existence, is open to the public, offering visitors the chance to step into the creative haven of this deeply committed artist. Colorful and calm in equal measure, this beautiful museum has a still-tangible atmosphere of Kawai\u2019s thoughtfulness and satisfaction in simplicity that is inspiring to take in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-a-new-and-important-figure\">A New and Important Figure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Born in what is now Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, in 1890, Kanjiro Kawai began his study of ceramics at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1910. Until this period, systems of apprenticeship marked by rigidly observed master-and-disciple relationships had been the only path to a creative career in Japan, and the study of crafts in a purely educational setting was a new and somewhat against-the-grain idea. Kawai\u2019s training under<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Itaya_Hazan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Itaya Hazan<\/a> \u677f\u8c37\u6ce2\u5c71<\/strong>, the pioneering ceramicist known for blending Japanese techniques and Art Nouveau stylings, placed him amongst the first members of a <a href=\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/7-artists-of-the-japanese-20th-century\/\">new generation of academically trained Japanese artists and craftspeople<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"748\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25130003\/Kawai_Kanjiro_01-748x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Kanjiro Kawai\" class=\"wp-image-103697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25130003\/Kawai_Kanjiro_01-748x1024.jpg 748w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25130003\/Kawai_Kanjiro_01-365x500.jpg 365w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25130003\/Kawai_Kanjiro_01-150x205.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25130003\/Kawai_Kanjiro_01.jpg 935w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 748px) 100vw, 748px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kanjiro Kawai, a pioneering ceramicist, was one of the initial members of a new wave of academically trained Japanese artists in the early 20th century. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shigeru_Tamura_(photographer)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Shigeru Tamura\/ Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Exhibiting his work in 1921 at the prestigious Takashimaya department stores in both Tokyo and Osaka, Kawai received extensive acclaim for both the style and technique of his impressive creations. <strong>The artist\u2019s scientific research, conducted at the Kyoto City Ceramic Research Center, had inspired the use of new methods in creating these Chinese and Korean-influenced pieces which won him immediate recognition as a new and important figure in contemporary Japanese ceramics.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This early career success, however, triggered something of a creative crisis-of-confidence in Kawai, who began to question the quality and validity of his own work. A visit to an exhibition of Yi Dynasty ceramics, where he was deeply struck by the simple and even practical beauty of works made by anonymous craftspeople, awakened in him a new sense of purpose, leading to a change in his artistic ambitions and a move towards work with a timeless and meaningful authenticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-a-return-from-the-artistic-wilderness\">A Return From the Artistic Wilderness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The inherent beauty of simply crafted utilitarian items constructed with natural materials, and for the most part the work of unnamed craftspeople, was the cornerstone of a then-burgeoning artistic movement centered around the <strong>art critic and philosopher <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yanagi_S\u014detsu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Soetsu (Muneyoshi) Yanagi<\/a> \u67f3\u5b97\u60a6<\/strong>. Giving new focus to Japan\u2019s own cultural heritage, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yanagi_S\u014detsu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mingei<\/a><\/em>, which may be translated as \u201cfolk art,\u201d was the name used by Yanagi for this category of handmade artisanal ceramics, carvings, or textiles with their instantly recognizable unshowy-but-elegant and somewhat roughhewn style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Becoming influential through his membership in the <strong><em>Shirakabaha <\/em>\u767d\u6a3a (White Birch) literary society<\/strong>, an idealistic assortment of young and creative minds connected to the Gakushuin School, Yanagi\u2019s ideas were given free rein through the group\u2019s eponymous magazine. This hugely influential monthly journal which covered many philosophical and artistic topics, helped incubate interest in Yanagi\u2019s ideas and addressed subjects including the Western arts and crafts movement and the then-under-appreciated work of domestic craftspeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1015\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"103710\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05-1015x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Artwork of Kanjiro Kawai\" class=\"wp-image-103710\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05-1015x1024.jpg 1015w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05-496x500.jpg 496w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05-50x50.jpg 50w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05-140x140.jpg 140w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05-150x151.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151557\/Kawai_Kanjiro_05.jpg 1269w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1015px) 100vw, 1015px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"986\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"103711\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151636\/Kawai_Kanjiro_07-986x1024.jpg\" alt=\"vase made by Kawai\" class=\"wp-image-103711\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151636\/Kawai_Kanjiro_07-986x1024.jpg 986w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151636\/Kawai_Kanjiro_07-482x500.jpg 482w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151636\/Kawai_Kanjiro_07-150x156.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151636\/Kawai_Kanjiro_07.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 986px) 100vw, 986px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"103712\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151725\/Kawai_Kanjiro_08-602x1024.jpg\" alt=\"japanese ceramic artwork\" class=\"wp-image-103712\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151725\/Kawai_Kanjiro_08-602x1024.jpg 602w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151725\/Kawai_Kanjiro_08-294x500.jpg 294w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151725\/Kawai_Kanjiro_08-150x255.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151725\/Kawai_Kanjiro_08.jpg 753w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"777\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"103713\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151749\/Kawai_Kanjiro_06-777x1024.jpg\" alt=\"japanese ceramic artwork by Kawai\" class=\"wp-image-103713\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151749\/Kawai_Kanjiro_06-777x1024.jpg 777w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151749\/Kawai_Kanjiro_06-379x500.jpg 379w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151749\/Kawai_Kanjiro_06-150x198.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25151749\/Kawai_Kanjiro_06.jpg 971w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Ceramic artwork made by Kanjiro Kawai. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Round_lidded_box_by_Kawai_Kanjir%C5%8D,_stoneware,_Honolulu_Museum_of_Art.JPG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Hiart\/ Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Followers and like-minded associates of Yanagi included the <strong>charmingly colorful printmaker <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shik\u014d_Munakata\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Shiko Munakata<\/a> \u68df\u65b9 \u5fd7\u529f<\/strong>, the <strong>textile designer <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Keisuke_Serizawa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Keisuke Serizawa<\/a> \u82b9\u6ca2 \u9288\u4ecb<\/strong> (designated as a Living National Treasure), and the &#8220;Father of British studio pottery\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bernard_Leach\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bernard Leach<\/a>. But the movement was, for the main part, molded into shape by its core trio of Yanagi, the potter <strong>Shoji Hamada \u6ff1\u7530 \u5e84\u53f8<\/strong> (also designated a Living National Treasure), and Kanjiro Kawai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"671\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"103716\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161320\/Bernard_Leach-671x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Bernard_Leach\" class=\"wp-image-103716\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161320\/Bernard_Leach-671x1024.jpg 671w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161320\/Bernard_Leach-328x500.jpg 328w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161320\/Bernard_Leach-150x229.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161320\/Bernard_Leach.jpg 839w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 671px) 100vw, 671px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"695\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"103717\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161343\/Muneyoshi_Yanagi-695x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Muneyoshi_Yanagi\" class=\"wp-image-103717\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161343\/Muneyoshi_Yanagi-695x1024.jpg 695w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161343\/Muneyoshi_Yanagi-339x500.jpg 339w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161343\/Muneyoshi_Yanagi-150x221.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25161343\/Muneyoshi_Yanagi.jpg 869w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 695px) 100vw, 695px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Left: Bernard Leach photographed by Tadahiko Hayashi. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Bernard_Leach_1953.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Wikimedia<\/a><br>Right: Muneyoshi Yanagi photographed by Shigeru Tamura. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Muneyoshi_Yanagi_by_Shigeru_Tamura.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It was his important place amongst this group and his shared role in helping to codify the mingei<em> <\/em>concepts of authentic creation that gave Kawai the impetus to finally make work that gave him personal satisfaction. Making a return from the artistic wilderness, in 1929 he staged a solo exhibition at Takashimaya in which he showed works of uncomplicated and everyday beauty. In keeping with the movement\u2019s admiration for the labor of anonymous craftspeople, he no longer added his name to his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"htoc-a-spirit-of-simple-authenticity\">A Spirit of Simple Authenticity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kawai\u2019s home and studio in Kyoto, completed in 1937, was based on the traditional structures of his hometown and designed to incorporate a <em>noborigama<\/em> (climbing) kiln. Featuring a series of cave-like enclosures sequenced along an incline, this style of kiln uses gravity to ensure an even temperature when firing. It is especially good at providing a uniformly satisfactory finish to glazed ceramics, a feature thereafter of Kawai\u2019s often cheerfully colorful work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"103704\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150148\/Kawai_Kanjiro_02-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Interior of Kanjiro Kawai's house with cat\" class=\"wp-image-103704\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150148\/Kawai_Kanjiro_02-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150148\/Kawai_Kanjiro_02-375x500.jpg 375w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150148\/Kawai_Kanjiro_02-640x853.jpg 640w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150148\/Kawai_Kanjiro_02-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150148\/Kawai_Kanjiro_02.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Kawai_Kanjiro%27s_House,_Kyoto_(4607488911).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"726\" data-id=\"103705\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150250\/Kawai_Kanjiro_04-1024x726.jpg\" alt=\"Tatami room with table and a vase\" class=\"wp-image-103705\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150250\/Kawai_Kanjiro_04-1024x726.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150250\/Kawai_Kanjiro_04-500x355.jpg 500w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150250\/Kawai_Kanjiro_04-150x106.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150250\/Kawai_Kanjiro_04.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Interior_Soetsu_Yanagi%27s_house.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">David Earl Young\/ Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" data-id=\"103706\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150334\/Kawai_Kanjiro_03-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Interior of a traditional Japanese house\" class=\"wp-image-103706\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150334\/Kawai_Kanjiro_03-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150334\/Kawai_Kanjiro_03-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150334\/Kawai_Kanjiro_03-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150334\/Kawai_Kanjiro_03-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150334\/Kawai_Kanjiro_03-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/s3.voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/25150334\/Kawai_Kanjiro_03.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Kawai-san%27shouse.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Rory Rory\/ Wikimedia<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Scenes from Kawai\u2019s home and studio in Kyoto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It was here that Kawai chose to live out the days of his intensely productive life, moving eventually away from strict adherence to making purely \u2018useful\u2019 objects and embracing more abstract sculptural forms. His restless, creative spirit never left him. As well as experimenting with new methods of glazing, he also became a keen woodcarver and wrote a great deal of poetry. <strong>It was completely in character that, in later life, Kawai refused the Japanese Order of Culture, membership in the Japan Art Academy, and declined to become a Living National Treasure<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The artist\u2019s surprisingly spacious dwelling is decorated in an appropriately down-to-earth style with natural colors and wooden fixtures throughout. Light filters through <em>shoji<\/em> windows from the simple garden, where, in season, wisteria grows. Today, every corner of the house is used as a colorful showcase for Kawai\u2019s personal possessions and his exquisitely irregular works. This charmingly casual and decidedly non-grand style of display is perfectly suited to objects that were formed in a spirit of simple authenticity. It allows for a straightforward sensual appreciation of their beauty, a concept that would surely have won the approval of their creator.<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just a short walk from the Gojo Bridge, site of the warrior-monk Benkei\u2019s fateful 1,000th duel, there is a typically&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":103722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pgc_meta":"","_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1412],"tags":[1309,1328,1713,2154,1284],"class_list":{"0":"post-103657","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"category-kansai","9":"tag-art","10":"tag-ceramic","11":"tag-local-crafts","12":"tag-culture","13":"tag-kyoto"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kanjiro Kawai: Life, Work, &amp; Kyoto Home of Celebrated Ceramicist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the life, work, and 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