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