Miyagawa (Makuzu) Kōzan was one of the greatest potters of the Meiji era. A remarkable figure with outstanding business acumen, Kōzan had the ability to respond to changing circumstances, whilst exploring technical innovations and yet maintaining his fidelity to Japanese artistic traditions.

He came from a long line of potters based in Kyoto and took over the family business in 1860, at the age of nineteen. In the summer of 1871, he set up a kiln and a shop in Yokohamaand started to manufacture ceramics for the export market. This was a bold move for despite the obvious advantages of being close to the capital, Tokyo, and the tourist shops and trading houses of Yokohama, there was no tradition of porcelain manufacturing there.

Nevertheless, during the 1880s Kōzan started to concentrate on producing the high-quality porcelain for which he is best known today and the Kōzan Workshop introduced a vast range of new decorative effects drawn both from Japanese and Chinese ceramic traditions and from newly developed Western techniques and styles. His pieces were very popular in the West and he gained international recognition at the Paris International Exposition of 1889, where he won a gold medal. Part of Kōzan’s commercial success lay in his ability to absorb not just new approaches to design, but also elements of western ceramic technology. In 1896 he was awarded the position of Teishitsu Gigeiin (Artist to the Imperial Houshold). He was only the second potter to achieve this honour. He continued to exhibit successfully until his death in 1916. ­