MORI Tōgaku

Tōgaku Mori is one of the most influential figures in the history of modern Bizen ceramics. Born into the Mori family (one of Bizen’s six historic pottery lineages), he is the son of Shūji Mori and has devoted his life to both preserving and revitalizing ancient Bizen traditions. After graduating from Okayama University in 1959, Mori began full-time ceramic practice in 1962 and quickly gained national recognition through the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition and the Japan Crafts Association.

Renowned for his unprecedented scale, Mori has constructed some of the largest wood-fired climbing kilns ever built, including an 85-meter Momoyama-inspired ogama, completed and fired between 2008 and 2015. Through these monumental kilns, he revived Muromachi- and Momoyama-period firing techniques long thought lost, redefining the expressive and material possibilities of Bizen ware. Deeply informed by ancient Bizen and Sue ware, his work emphasizes clay texture, form, and spiritual intensity, earning him major honors including the Japan Ceramic Society Gold Award and designation as an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture.