Tradition Redefined: Rosanjin and His Rivals

Zoom Gallery Talk Tradition Redefined: Rosanjin and His Rivals Recorded March 10, 2021 Kitaōji Rosanjin (1883-1959) has long been hailed as one of the greatest ceramists of the twentieth century. While he forged a remarkable career, it was not without first crossing paths, and even colliding, with many of his contemporaries who were themselves renowned ceramic masters: Arakawa Toyozō, Fujiwara Kei, Kaneshige Tōyō, Katō Tokurō, Kawakita Handeishi, and Koyama Fujio. Our panel of experts re-examines the legend of Rosanjin as our concurrent gallery exhibition, TRADITION REDEFINED, places his oeuvre in dialogue with works by these other mid-century titans. They will discuss how some of his ’rivals’ were indispensable to the advancement of Rosanjin’s outsized reputation, and how most remain relatively unknown in the West today. 0:00 Introduction - Joan Mirviss 4:57 Brief history of ceramic serving vessels - Morgan Pitelka 14:28 Rosanjin, the man