Taiheiunrinin Hozan – A Historic Kyoto Kiln Lineage of Tea Bowl Makers
The pottery lineage of Taiheiunrinin Hozan traces its roots back to the Unrinin (雲林院) family, a distinguished line of Kyoto potters specializing in tea ceramics for generations.
During the time of the fourth-generation head, Unrinin Yasubei, the family relocated to Kiyomizu-zaka in Kyoto and began producing tea bowls for ceremonial offerings to the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden).
In 1645 (Tenpō 2), under the seventh-generation Unrinin Bunzō, the family established a kiln in Awataguchi Higashiwakicho, further expanding their production and relocating their base of operations.
By the era of the eighth-generation Unrinin Kyuzaemon, the family began producing tenchawan (matcha tea bowls) by order of the Tokugawa shogunate, a tradition that continued annually for generations.
The ninth-generation head, Unrinin Yasubei, served as a Shinto priest at Awata Tennōsha Shrine, while also continuing the pottery tradition. He received the art name "Hozan" from Hōzan Tankai, the abbot of Hōzanji Temple on Mount Ikoma in Yamato Province. From that point on, each successive generation adopted the name "Hozan", and their works were marked with the seal 宝山 (Hozan).
In the time of the sixteenth-generation Unrinin Bunzō, the kiln was moved to the grounds of the Hachiman Shrine on Gojō-zaka. During the Ansei era (1854–1859), the family received the honorary title "Taihei (泰平)" from the Miya family of Shōren-in, leading to the full name and title "Taiheiunrinin Hozan" for the lineage.
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