Tokuda Yasokichi III

  • Exhibitions

  • biography

    Tokuda Yasokichi III was born in Ishikawa Prefecture as the eldest son of Tokuda Yasokichi II. After having withdrawn from the Kanazawa Arts and Crafts College, he helped his father to pursue the traditional family ceramic business. He learned the traditional methods of kutani glaze preparation and decoration from his grandfather, Tokuda Yasokichi I. At first Tokuda confined himself to traditional style pieces with a modern flavor. However, after 1973, he was prompted by his peers to develop a personal style. He invented a technique that enabled him to control the suffusion of kutani color glazes, creating a starburst effect that is, according to the artist, “somewhat in the manner of modern color-field painters such as Mark Rothko.”

    1933 Born in Ishikawa Prefecture, the eldest son of Tokuda Yasokichi II
    1954 Studied at Kanazawa College of Art, Ceramic Department.
    Studied under his grandfather (Yasokichi I) and father (Yasokichi II)
    1978 Juror at Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition
    1988 Succeeded to the name, Tokuda Yasokichi
    1997 Designated as a National Living Treasure

    Awards:

    1960 Komatsu-city Mayor's Award, Contemporary Art Exhibition, organized by Ishikawa Prefecture Art & Culture Association (also Mayor's award in 62, Governor's award
    in ‘61)
    1964 Shizuoka Prefecture Governor's Award, Asahi Ceramic Exhibition (also Ishikawa Prefecture Governor's Award in ‘66, ‘68, ‘72, and Excellence Award in ‘70)
    1971 NHK Chairperson Award, 18th Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition (annually since then winning several important prizes)
    1977 Japan Art Crafts Association Patron's Prize, 24th Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition (invited artist in ‘78)
    1984 Work acquired by The Ministry of Cultural Property
    1985 Northern Country Cultural Award, 400 Years of Japanese Porcelain, organized by Asahi Newspaper
    1986 Japan Ceramic Association Prize
    Designated as a Cultural Property of the Ishikawa Prefecture for Kutani ware
    1988 The 3rd Fujiwara Kei Memorial Award
    1990 Grand Prize, 1990 International Ceramic Exhibition
    1991 Prince Chichibu Trophy, 11th Japan Ceramics Exhibition
    1992 Received prize from Prince Mikasano Miya
    1993 Received Purple Ribbon Medal from Emperor
    1997 Grand prize,10th Mokichi Okada Competition, MOA Museum, Atami
    Made an Honorary Citizen of Komatsu city, Ishikawa Prefecture

    Selected Public Collections:

    British Museum, London, United Kingom
    Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
    Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
    Ministry of Culture, Japan
    National Museum, Tokyo
    National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.

  • Tokuda Yasokichi III 徳田 八十吉

    Tokuda Yasokichi III 徳田 八十吉

  • bio pt 1

    bio pt 1

    (1933-2009)

    TOKUDA YASOKICHI III was born in Ishikawa Prefecture as the eldest son of Tokuda Yasokichi II. After having withdrawn from the Kanazawa Arts and Crafts College, he helped his father to pursue the traditional family ceramic business. He learned the traditional methods of kutani glaze preparation and decoration from his grandfather, Tokuda Yasokichi I. At first Tokuda confined himself to traditional style pieces with a modern flavor. However, after 1973, he was prompted by his peers to develop a personal style. He invented a technique that enabled him to control the suffusion of kutani color glazes, creating a starburst effect that is, according to the artist, “somewhat in the manner of modern color-field painters such as Mark Rothko.” Tokuda was designated National Living Treasure in 1997 for porcelain with colored glazes. 

     

    Selected Public Collections:

    Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
    Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
    British Museum, London, UK
    Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, WI
    Indianapolis Museum of Art, IN
    Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
    Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
    Ministry of Culture, Tokyo, Japan
    Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
    National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, D.C.
    National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan
    National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
    National Museum, Tokyo, Japan
    Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
    Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT