Bernard Leach - The Making of a Master - Part 1 - Japan

How did an English artist in Japan become one of the most influential figures in modern ceramics?

In the first of our three-part series on Bernard Leach, we explore the extraordinary early years that shaped his life and work. From his return to Japan and his first encounters with pottery to his friendship with Shōji Hamada, we discover how Japanese culture transformed Leach's understanding of what a pot could be.

This is the story of the meeting of East and West — and how the ideas Leach discovered in Japan would eventually help change the course of modern ceramics.

To see images of the ceramics being discussed in this podcast, please switch to video in your podcasting app.

Featured Artwork:

Bernard Leach and bookcase, Tokyo, 1917-1919 

Bernard Leach, A Potters Book, 1940

Bernard Leach with grandparents in Japan, c. 1890

Frank Brangwyn, by Reinhold Thiele, c 1900

John Ruskin, by W. & D. Downey, 1863

William Morris by Frederick Hollyer, 1887

Leaping Salmon Vase, c.1950, Bernard Leach; Okinawa Style Teabowl, c.1970, Shōji Hamada, Oxford Ceramics Gallery

Harmony in Blue and Gold, The Peacock Room, by James McNeill Whistler, 1834-1903, Public Domain

Temple of Heaven, Peking, 1916, printed signature in the plate Bernard Leach 1916,  Public Domain

Photograph of rural Japan, C.1900, Public Domain

Early Raku Vase, Bernard Leach, c.1925

Raku Firing Kiln

Portrait of Ogata Kenzan VI, by Bernard Leach, 1924

Mokko-shaped Food Bowl, by Uruno Shigekichi, 1881-1923

Cup, Ogata Kenzan, 18th Century

Photo of Shõji Hamada, 1894-1978

Photo of Sõetsu Yanagi, 1889-1961

Photo of Bernard Leach with Shõji Hamada & Sõetsu Yanagi, Dartington 1952

Cup and Signed Box, Shõji Hamada

Large Dish, Shõji Hamada

Stoneware Bottle, Shoji Hamada

Hamada’s Kiln in Moshiko, Creative Commons License, CC3.0

Unknown Craftsman, Sõetsu Yanagi , 1972

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Bernard Leach - The Making of a Master
• 00:03:57 Early Life: Colonial Beginnings and Artistic Awakening
• 00:12:01 The Arts and Crafts Movement: Ruskin, Morris, and Moral Philosophy
• 00:15:15 Japan's Meiji Period: Transformation and Cultural Identity
• 00:18:10 Return to Japan: Teaching Etching and Finding Community
• 00:23:52 The Raku Party: A Life-Changing Moment
• 00:27:05 Training with Kenzan VI: Entering the Japanese Pottery Tradition
• 00:28:57 Hamada and Yanagi: The Birth of Mingei
• 00:30:57 Philosophical Foundations: Arts of the People
• 00:33:30 The Bold Decision: Sailing for St. Ives

Credits:
Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene
Editor: Sam Bond
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac