Toshifumi Watanabe
1984 Born in the seventh generation of Tokoname Pottery, descendant of Jumon Sugie, founder of Tokoname kyusu
2002-2005 Studied under Kasen Touen of Seto Akazu Pottery
2006 Prime Minister's Prize, Exhibition for the Promotion of Tokoname Ware
2015 Exhibited at the Japan Pavilion, Milano International Exposition, Milan, Italy
2015 AEON MALL Tokoname, Giant beckoning cat, kyusu cat object production and exhibition
2019 Production of vessels for the Heisei - 2021 Ceremony (His Majesty the Emperor's abdication and His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince's accession to the throne)
It is said that tea brewed in a kyusu made of Tokoname ware becomes mellower due to the ingredients of the clay.
He continues to search for the best kyusu in the hope that people can spend time brewing tea in their daily lives and enrich their lives as much as possible.
He is a Tokoname potter who founded his own studio, Gallery Toshi, when he was in his 20s. He is a young craftsman who values interaction with customers through Tokoname ware and continues to take on new challenges.
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.
2006 Prime Minister's Prize, Exhibition for the Promotion of Tokoname Ware