Kitaoji Rosanjin

Ceramicist and calligrapher. His real name was Fusajiro. He was born on March 23, 1883, as the second son of a family that owned Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. He initially opened a shop that painted Western-style signs. In 1904 (Meiji 37), he moved to Tokyo, and in November of the same year, he entered a calligraphy piece on the Thousand Character Classic at the Japan Art Exhibition, winning first prize. From then on, he devoted himself to calligraphy, and at the age of 29, he also began learning seal carving. He started working in pottery in 1912 (Taisho 4), but in 1914 he started an antiques dealership, and in the spring of the following year he started a members-only "gourmet club" on the side, and in 1925 he became an advisor and head chef at the Hoshigaoka Saryo in Kojimachi, Tokyo, where he was involved in the presentation of food and tableware. He continued to live a carefree life, indulging in an aesthetic lifestyle. He showed particular talent in calligraphy and ceramics throughout his life, and opened up new horizons in the world of witty designs that only a hobbyist who was not a professional potter could create. However, his basic style did not stray from the realm of ancient Chinese, Korean, and Japanese ceramics. He built a kiln in Yamazaki, Kita-Kamakura (1926), and called it Hoshigaoka Kiln. He died on December 21, 1959.

[Yoshiaki Yabe]

"The Collected Works of Rosanjin, 2 volumes (1980, Satsuki Shobo)" ▽ "Complete Works of Modern Japanese Ceramics 2: Kitaoji Rosanjin, edited by Yoshida Kozo (1980, Shueisha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

陶芸家、書家。本名房次郎。明治16年3月23日、京都・上賀茂(かみがも)神社の社家(しゃけ)の次男に生まれる。初め西洋看板のペンキ屋を開く。1904年（明治37）東京に移り、同年11月、日本美術展覧会に千字文(せんじもん)の書を出品して一等賞を受け、以後書に打ち込み、29歳からは篆刻(てんこく)も習い始めた。陶芸に手を染めたのは15年（大正4）からであるが、19年には古美術商を営み、翌年春にはそのかたわら会員制の「美食倶楽部(くらぶ)」を発足させ、さらに25年には東京麹町(こうじまち)の星岡(ほしがおか)茶寮の顧問兼料理長として料理・食器の演出に携わるなど、天衣無縫の生活を続け、美的生活に耽溺(たんでき)していった。生涯のなかで書と陶磁器にとりわけ鬼才を発揮した彼は、専門陶工ではない趣味人ならではの当意即妙な意匠の世界に新境地を開いた。しかし基本的には、中国・朝鮮・日本の古陶磁の様式の範囲を離れるものではなかった。窯は北鎌倉の山崎に築き（1926）、星岡窯と称した。昭和34年12月21日死去。

［矢部良明］

『『魯山人著作集』全2巻（1980・五月書房）』▽『吉田耕三編著『現代日本陶芸全集2　北大路魯山人』（1980・集英社）』

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