Bernard Leach – Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Leach's career as a potter
June 19 - August 26, 2012

Bernard Leach (1887-1979) was one of the most important andinfluential craftsmen of the 20th century in the United Kingdom,
who produced not only ceramics but etchings, sketches, woodworks
and so on. Leach was born in Hong Kong and had lived in Japan
until he was 3 years old. Then at the age of 10, he returned tohis home country England to receive an education. He learned
drawings in an art school and got affected by Yakumo Koizumi orthe painter James McNeill Whistler. Leach spent his youth with adeep interest in Japan even though he was away from Japan.
It was in 1909 when Leach finally went back to Japan again. Hewas at the age of 22 then. To his fortune, he was welcomed andtreated well by the members of the literary magazine Shirakaba,artists and intellectuals. Among them was Soetsu Yanagi (18891961), who was the founder of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum andalso played a main role in the Shirakaba school. The encounter withYanagi was the most influential to the later works and thoughts ofBernard Leach. Yanagi was also inspired by ideas of aesthetics andthemes of creative works Leach represented. Later on Leach wasgetting deeply involved in the Mingei Movement which Yanagi
and other followers advocated. Thus, Bernard Leach and Soetsu
Yanagi respected each other as a lifelong friend, and developed
trust and friendship.
In 1911, aspiring to be a potter, Leach began to learn therudiments of making a pottery from Kenzan Ogata Ⅵ . It could
be said that his devotion to ceramics gave a chance for his friend
Kenkichi Tomimoto (1886-1963) to aim to be a potter. In 1920,
Leach set off for his home country England accompanied by Shoji
Hamada (1894-1978) as an assistant. Leach established a climbing
kiln in St. Ives, Cornwell and began to make pottery there. Since
then he continued his vigorous creative activities based on St. Ives
until he died in 1979.

The main characteristic of Leach’s works is pictures on pottery
and it is not too much to say that these works by Leach are as goodas drawings of early Imari in the beginning of the 17th century andthose of Holland pottery. Its beauty is nothing less than a miracle
viewing from the present, when abilities to create designs or skillsof paintings are rather declining.
Works produced in many kilns located in various places is also
Leach’s characteristic. As for England, Leach engaged in creative
works in St. Ives and Dartington. In Japan they ranged all over thecountry. In each place, Leach made most use of locally available
materials and methods of producing. Furthermore he produced
works with rich individuality of his own. Moreover, Leach playeda role as an important instructor for artists or main supportersof the Mingei Movoment who got acquainted with Leach, anenthusiastic seeker of beauty.
Bernard Leach considered it significant the mutual connection
between himself as an English man and East Asia especially Japanand he determined his principle ‘the marriage of the East and theWest’. Leach practiced and achieved his idea through both his
creative activities in his home country and as many as 15 times visit
to Japan including a stay in his childhood.
The year 2012 is a memorial year for Bernard Leach; the 125thbirthday of Leach and also the 100th anniversary of Leach’s career
as a potter. In this occasion as many as 170 pieces of representative
works by Leach including etchings from early years to ceramics
made in his late years are on display from the museum collection.
It would be a good opportunity to honor Leach’s creative activities
and achievements.
Through Leach’s works which are natural, warm and filled withpoetic sentiments, we could experience the ideas of Bernard Leachat present which is beyond the East and the West.

First floor
Glass Paintings and World Glasses

Museum Shop

Folk kilns in JapanTie Dying of Japan
Cobalt blue and Enameled–early Imari mainly-

Second floor
Pottery of Shoji Hamada
White Porcelain and Cobalt blue
from the Joseon Dynasty

Woodworks of Japan
Early & Middle Works ofBernard Leach
Special exhibition ‘Bernard Leach –Commemorating the 100th Anniversaryof Leach’s career as a potter’

The Japan Folk Crafts Museum

tel 03-3467-4527 / 4-3-33, Komaba, Meguro-ku TOKYO

http://www.mingeikan.or.jp/