53. Kanjiro Moriyama  森山寛二郎

Moriyama Kanjiro was born in 1984 in Koishiwara, Fukuoka prefecture as the eldest son of Motomi Moriyama, founder of the Moriyama kanzan kiln. He received his education at Kyoto Saga University of Arts. He developed into a master of carving and shaping unique asymmetrical works, highly stylized and contemporary in appearance, yet still rooted in tradition, making him particularly beloved by a wide variety of groups. Moriyama Kanjiro embraces the clay of his birthplace which gives his work a traditional aesthetic, but pushes the boundaries of materials and techniques to new heights. In particular, Moriyama is a pioneer in the use of the potter's wheel, a tool used primarily for the mass production of pots, and transforms his perfectly shaped round pots by cutting razor-sharp shapes from the still-moist clay and deconstructing them into dynamically oscillating silhouettes that are never symmetrical, yet look very balanced.  "Still movement," as it has sometimes been described, and this sense of movement is heightened when light and shadow mix in and around the object with its unique metallic texture on the surface, created by his special method of firing. 

Moriyama Kanjiro has won numerous awards for his work. In 2007, for example, he was the youngest prize winner ever to win the Grand Prize at the Asahi Ceramics Exhibition, and he also received the Grand Prize at the TOBI Ceramic Art Exhibition in 2016. Kanjiro Moriyama's works are part of such important museums as the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Asian Art Museum San Francisco.