Bernard Leach
H32.1 × W24 × D22.2 cm
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Born in Hong Kong in 1887 to British parents, Bernard Leach spent part of his early childhood in Japan before returning to England for his education. Initially training in fine arts and etching in London, he developed a deep connection to Japan through his friendships with figures such as Takamura Kōtarō and Yanagi Sōetsu.
Leach’s journey into ceramics began in 1911 when he studied under the sixth generation of the Ogata Kenzan lineage. In 1917, he built a kiln at the home of Yanagi in Abiko and fully devoted himself to pottery. It was during this period that he formed a lifelong friendship with Hamada Shōji.
In 1920, Leach returned to England, accompanied by Hamada, and established the Leach Pottery in St Ives, Cornwall, where he built the first traditional Japanese climbing kiln in the West. His work, blending Japanese and British ceramic traditions, played a pivotal role in the development of the studio pottery movement and the global appreciation of mingei philosophy.