Shoji and Masako Kamoda with their son Taro. Shoji

Kamoda was another ceramic artist living in Mashiko, and

one with a radically different approach. We first visited him

with Shimaoka-san in late 1965; later we became good

friends with Shoji and with Masako, his wife.

 

Kamoda-san received the Takamura Kotaro Award in March 1967, but at the time of our first meeting he had not yet

become very well known. It was a period when he was experimenting with all kinds of clay and with different ways

of firing, the period before he was  recognized  for his work.

He was our age and a very intense person, a very hard

worker. We admired his tenacity and creativity. Later, he

became one of the most important ceramic artists in Japan.

To our great sadness, he died young, at age 49. We miss him.

 

Date:

Photography:

 

Shoji Kamoda

1976

Gilles Derome