Ken MatsuzakiMashiko, Japan

Biography

Ken Matsuzaki was born in 1950 in Tokyo, Japan. He studied at Tamagawa University School of Fine Arts, Tokyo and received a degree in Ceramic Art. In 1972 he moved to Mashiko to pursue an apprentice to Tatsuzo Shimaoka. At the end of a five-year apprenticeship, Ken established his own studio and kiln near Tatsuzo Shimoka in Mashiko. His kiln came to be known by the name Yuushin Gama.

Due to his lineage- apprenticing to Shimaoka, who had apprenticed to Shoji Hamada, he has a deep connection and understanding of the Mingei tradition. Ken Matsuzaki's aesthetics tend to be quite modern with a focus on the Oribe style with Yohen, Shino, and Oribe glazing.