Seiji Itou

1949 Born in Tokoname City

1968 Graduated from Nagoya Municipal Technical High School

1970 Started making ceramics

2003 Awarded the Choza Gold Prize at the 26th Choza Award Exhibition of Ceramics "A Time of Rest”

 

Seiji Ito is the second generation of Jinsyu Toen, which was founded after World War II and mainly produces teapots.

One of his characteristic styles is to use oyster shells, a byproduct of the "mo-kake" or neighborhood process of wrapping algae around unglazed pottery and then firing it again.

One of the representative shapes of kyusu is the super flat kyusu. The tea leaves are spread evenly to bring out the full aroma and flavor, and it was awarded the 41st Choza Prize at the Choza Prize Tokoname Ceramic Art Exhibition, which is open to ceramic artists from all over the country.

Tokoname-yaki is a type of pottery produced mainly in Tokoname City on the Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture, which is the oldest pottery production area in Japan.

Tokoname is one of the leading tile production areas, and the red bricks used in the Marunouchi Station Building of Tokyo Station are made of Tokoname tiles.Not only that, Tokoname boasts the largest production of beckoning cats in Japan.

Normally, when clay contains iron, it darkens or swells during firing and is difficult to handle, but Tokoname ware took advantage of this weakness and succeeded in producing a uniform reddish-brown pottery. At the end of the Edo period, Jumon Sugie I, who was famous for his red clay ware, created the foundation of the modern kyusu form.

 

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The 26th Choza Award Ceramics Exhibition - Choza Gold Prize

The 30th Choza Award for Ceramics, Choza Gold Prize

The 6th Taiwan International Gold Pot Ceramic Art Exhibition, Award of Excellence

Minister of International Trade and Industry Encouragement Award

Imperial Household Agency Warrant