5. Keida Masataro

KEIDA   Keida Masataro (1852-1924)

慶田

 

 

Keida Masataro was born in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1852. He succeeded his uncle at the Keida kiln in 1894 and tried to improve the quality of Satsuma ceramic wares that tended to decline at that time. He succeeded and became famous for his open work decorations. According to Charles Holmes (in Marcus Borne Huish: Japan and its art – 1912) Masataro Keida of Kagoshima, Satsuma had (in this time) the reputation of being the most skilled potter of his province. “His finely and delicately pierced and chiselled work is a marvel of technical skill, so much so, indeed, that one wonders at times if so much patience and dexterity is not almost misplaced when applied to material of such frangibility as soft past faience.”

His works were so fine that they were exhibited in the 1904 Saint Louis Exposition and  at the Japanese and British Exhibition of 1910 alongside those of famous artists such as Kinkozan, Tozan and Shozan. Subsequently they were also presented at the Panama Pacific International Exhibition in 1915. He died in 1924, aged 73.  

 

The Keida kiln was probably part of a larger trading company, the Keida Shoten, which traded in sugar, soy sauce and sake, among other things. Originally from Okinawa, the Keida family had made a fortune in trading there, then, to expand their business, they also turned to pottery, a thriving industry at the time. According to Watanabe Yoshiro (in a blog - 2011/11/5 based on Kenichiro Nomoto , " Satsuma Ware: Its History and Diversity, exhibition catalogue, 1985 ), Keida Mohei took over the Tanoura Pottery Company in Kagoshima in 1890 and established the Keida Pottery Company. In 1894, his nephew Masataro Keida took over and became one of the main producers of Satsuma pottery in the Meiji period.  However, the Keida Shoten also continued to trade in other products. The "Kagoshima Prefecture Guide" (1909) describes the "Satsuma pottery kiln" as part of the "sugar wholesaler Keida Honten (啓田本店 Keida main store)," and "Masataro Keida" is listed as a "sugar merchant," "ceramics merchant," and "ceramics manufacturer."

Keida Matsataro's signature with in red his kakihan

 

advertisement in rhe "Kagoshima Prefecture Guide" (1909)

Despite his fame in his time, his work is not well known these days. But there is no doubt that his work is of the best quality and has all the characteristics that can be expected from real Satsuma: a beautiful ivory cream color and very fine crackle and decoration that only contribute to the beauty of the body itself as seen on this beautiful vase and koro. However, the Keida kiln is still in operation today, and certainly not all of the work offered as "Masataro Keida"  on the internet can be attributed to him., and dates from much later. 

Two examples of the refined work of Keida Masataro