Hagi chawan

Hagi sandstone tea bowl and kintsugi restoration with gold dust

Saka Koreizaemon (1912-1981), 11th generation

At the end of the 16th century, the shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) invaded the Korean peninsula, causing seven years of war. Many hostages were kidnapped and among them a certain number of craftsmen, in particular potters. One of the shogun's generals, Terumoto Mōri (1553-1625), lord of the Mōri clan, brought with him to his domain of Yamaguchi, two brothers specialized in the art of pottery, Li Jak Kwang and Li Kyung. He settled them in his fortified city of Matsumoto, present-day Hagi, where they opened a furnace. In 1625, Li Kyung was appointed chief potter and took the Japanese name Saka Koraizaemon, passed down from generation to generation, currently the 14th.