Kawai Kanjiro
Japanese, 1880 - 1966
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyKawai Kanjiro was born in 1890 in Yasugi, Shimane Prefecture, the second son of a master carpenter. In 1910 Kanjiro entered the Ceramic Division of the Tokyo Technical College, where he became acquainted with Hamada Shoji, two years his junior. Since then Kawai and Hamada have been best friends for over 60 years. Although they were inseparable companions, they worked geographically far apart; Hamada established his kiln in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture and Kawai built his kiln in Kyoto. Kawai was a versatile potter, experimenting with different shapes, glazes, and decorative schemes. He even experimented with sculptural forms in clay.