23407 The legendary Kyokushin ware, purveyor to the Imperial Household Agency, the Imperial kiln maker, 14th generation Hitachi Tsuji (blue and white paulownia flower vase with double phoenix design)

Height 27.0cm Diameter 21.8cm

  He was born in Arita, Saga Prefecture, the birthplace of white porcelain, to the Tsuji family, a historic pottery manufacturer with 350 years of history.
The Tsuji family originated from Tsunamune Date, the feudal lord of the Sendai domain, and was recognized by the 112th Emperor Reigen for the beautiful porcelain they produced, and since then they have been given the official title of Hitachi Daijo (a direct vassal of the Emperor) and, as a pottery manufacturer for the Imperial Court (a pottery manufacturer for the Imperial family only), have presented numerous porcelain pieces to the Imperial family. They have also exhibited their porcelain at world expositions both in Japan and abroad.
Since receiving its first order from the Imperial Family in 1951 (Showa 26) after the Second World War, the company has been involved with the Imperial Family throughout its lifetime as a purveyor to the Imperial Household Agency, receiving orders at every important milestone in the family's life, including the accession to the throne of the current Emperor in 1990 (Heisei 2) and the birth of Princess Aiko.
He made a great contribution by realizing the revival of the "Kyokushin-yaki" technique, a secret technique of the Tsuji family invented by Yashiro Kihei, which is even called a legendary secret technique .
However, as mentioned above, because the Tsuji family was a pottery manufacturer for the Imperial household, there were very few opportunities for the Tsuji family's pottery to be seen by the general public throughout its history.
For this reason, even today, although it is one of the highest-ranking Arita ware kilns, it is not as widely known as Sakaida Kakiemon or Imaizumi Imaemon.