Koyama Fujio

Koyama Fujio was a ceramic historian, writer and potter whose work shaped the modern understanding of Japanese pottery traditions. Born in Okayama Prefecture, he began studying ceramics in Seto in the 1920s.

He worked with institutions including the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum and conducted extensive research into historic kiln sites and wares. Through his scholarship he helped define the historical framework of Japanese ceramics.

Koyama is widely credited with identifying the group of pottery centres now known as the Six Ancient Kilns: Bizen, Shigaraki, Tanba, Echizen, Seto and Tokoname. Later in life he returned to making pottery inspired by these historic traditions.