25407 Tatsuzo Shimaoka (Yoneju commemorative teacup)

Height 9.3cm
Diameter 9.3cm
This teacup was made in commemoration of Yonekichi.

Born in Tokyo in 1919 as the eldest son of Yonekichi Shimaoka, a braided cord maker, Tatsuzo Shimaoka graduated from the Ceramics Department of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and at the age of 27, after enlisting in the military and being demobilized, became a student of Shoji Hamada in Mashiko.
After becoming independent at the age of 35, Tatsuzo Shimaoka used a unique technique called “Jomon inlaying” in the field of folk art and produced numerous works until his death in 2007 at the age of 88.
When he used the Jomon technique, he initially used braided cords produced by his father, Yonekichi, so we can imagine that the idea was born from the environment in which Tatsuzo was born.
In 1996, Tatsuzo Shimaoka was designated as a holder of the nationally important intangible cultural property (living national treasure). A leading Japanese ceramic artist who looked up to Shoji Hamada as his lifelong teacher, he established the Jomon Zogan method of inlaying by applying the braided cords created by his father.
He actively holds solo exhibitions and lectures abroad, spreading folk art ceramics throughout the world.