Murata Gen 村田 元 Japanese, 1904-1988
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Murata Gen (1904–1988) was born into a farming family in Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan. He initially studied classical painting in Kyoto and entered the Kansai Bijutsu Gakuin (Kansai Art Academy) in 1922. His early ambitions as a painter were interrupted by the war, after which he turned to ceramics.
A formative moment in this transition was his encounter with a folk craft exhibition of Mashiko ware at Matsuzakaya in Tokyo in 1934. Following this experience, he relocated to Mashiko, where he became associated with the circle of potter Hamada Shōji, whose work he admired, and under whom he trained.
Murata held his first solo exhibition in 1955 at the Izumi Kōgei shop in Tokyo. His work is characterized by the use of traditional glazes, including nuka (rice-husk ash), kaki-yū (persimmon), and iron-based finishes, often applied in flowing or layered patterns on functional forms.
In 1985, he was recognized by Tochigi Prefecture as a Person of Cultural Merit (bunka kōrōsha) in acknowledgment of his contributions to the field.