YOZAN, Tokoname Green Glaze9.2cm
Product Details:
Region: Tokoname 常滑市
Kiln: YOZAN (耀山窯)
Potter: YOZAN 耀山Real name ( Masakazu Shimizu 清水 正)
This Mame 糸東 pot features a rectangular form with upright walls and clean, sharply defined lines, conveying a sense of balance and precision. The corners are square and unrounded, further emphasising the geometric discipline of the form.
Is resting on cut-edged corner feet (隅切り足, sumikiri-ashi), is finished in a rich Oribe glaze, named after Furuta Oribe (古田織部), a 16th-century tea master and tastemaker. This glaze is traditionally associated with Japanese ceramics and is prized for its deep, mossy green hues with subtle variation and pooling, often giving a natural, almost landscape-like quality to the surface.
External dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 3.5cm
This pot has been stamped by: Yozan 耀山
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Real Name: Shimizu Masakazu ( 清水 正 ), better known by his studio name Youzan or Yōzan (耀山).
He began crafting bonsai pots relatively later in life, starting around 1963–1964 at the age of approximately 41 – 52, after a career as a mold-making craftsman in Tokoname, a prominent ceramic centre in Japan
Artistic Contributions
Yozan is celebrated for pioneering vivid and innovative glazed bonsai pots, particularly in reds and blues—a notable departure from traditional unglazed Tokoname ware
His work often features hand‑pressed circular bowls, lending a distinctive organic feel and refined texture; the red glazes are especially popular among collectors
He is credited with launching the Yōzan kiln, laying the foundation for his family's pottery legacy
Legacy & Family
His son, Shimizu Hideaki, is a well-regarded potter working under the name Eimei. Hideaki continues the artistic lineage with innovative glaze work and forms, often exhibiting at bonsai exhibitions and gaining recognition for his craftsmanship
Recognition
Within bonsai and pottery communities, Yozan/Eimei are frequently mentioned as leading figures in modern glazed bonsai pottery. His transition from utilitarian mold work to expressive ceramics demonstrates both technical mastery and creative evolution
