“The Story of Nin’Ami Dōhachi”
Nin’Ami Dōhachi (1783-1855, the second-generation Takahashi Dōhachi) was one of the leading potters of *Kyo-yaki* and *Oniwa-yaki* from the mid to late Edo period. With his keen aesthetic judgment and exceptional technical skill, he gained renown as a genius potter. Historical sources suggest that he supplied works not only to feudal lords, wealthy merchants, and temples around Kyoto, but also to patrons throughout Japan.
Born in 1783 as the second son of the first-generation Takahashi Dōhachi, a potter of Kyoto’s Awataguchi district, his given name was Mitsutoki. In addition to studying under his father, he is said to have apprenticed with Hōzan Bunzō, the 11th head of the long-established Unrin’in Hōzan family of Awataguchi ware, as well as Okuda Eisen, known for his works in the style of Chinese ceramics.
In 1804 (Bunka 1), upon the death of his father, he inherited the family kiln and assumed the name of the second-generation Dōhachi. In 1811 (Bunka 8), he relocated the kiln from Awataguchi to Gojōzaka, where he later worked alongside the third-generation Dōhachi. In 1826 (Bunsei 9), at the age of 44, he received the titles “Hokkyo 法橋” and the character “Nin 仁” (or “Nin’a 仁阿”) from the Imperial Prince of Ninnaji, and the character “Ami 阿弥” from the Imperial Prince of Daigoji’s Sanbō-in. Combining these, he began using the art name “Nin’Ami 仁阿弥”.
Late Edo Kyoto is often described as the “second golden age” of ceramics, following that of Nonomura Ninsei, and Dōhachi was one of its representative masters. In 1842 (Tenpō 13), he retired after handing over the kiln to the third generation, established the “Momoyama Kiln” in Fushimi-Momoyama, and continued producing works until his death in 1855 (Ansei 2) at the age of 73.
Nin’Ami Dōhachi frequently incorporated auspicious Zen motifs into his works. His famous *Black Raku Tea Bowl with Crane and Tortoise Design* (Tokyo National Museum) features a white-outlined crane on the exterior and a leisurely walking tortoise depicted inside the bowl. Cranes and tortoises are traditional symbols of longevity, and such motifs were favored by Dōhachi, who was influenced by late-Edo literati potters such as Okuda Eisen, as well as by Ninsei and Kenzan.
The bowl in the photograph – an interpretation by Sasaki Shoraku – features only the crane on its exterior, with no tortoise painted inside the well of the bowl. Accordingly, its inscription reads “Dōhachi Reproduction: Crane Design.”
The photo shows a reproduction work by 3rd Sasaki Shoraku born in Kyoto in 1944.
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