Chawan Arakawa Setoguro

Arakawa Toyozō 荒川 豊蔵

One of the most celebrated potters in 20th-century Japanese ceramics, Arakawa Toyozō (1894–1985) was born in Tajimi, Gifu prefecture – historically Mino province: the home of Mino-yaki, and the style he is famed for reviving.

Beginning his training under Miyanaga Tozan (1868–1941) in Kyoto, he would then become an apprentice to the inimitable Kitaōji Rosanjin (1883–1959) at the renowned Hoshigaoka Kiln in Kamakura. During this time, Arakawa discovered true Shino ware shards at the ancient Mutabora kiln site in Mino, where he later established his own kiln in 1933.

This discovery not only shaped his personal practice, but also rewrote the history of Japanese ceramics, as Shino wares were long believed to be from Seto. Along with his contemporary Katō Tokurō (1897–1985), Arakawa successfully reproduced various long lost Mino-yaki glazes of the Momoyama period (1573–1603), including Shino and Oribe.

In 1955, Arakawa was recognised as the first Living National Treasure for Shino and Setoguro wares. Decades later in 2010, his pupil, Katō Kōzō (1935–2023), would earn the same accolade for his Setoguro.