Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
How did an English artist in Japan become one of the most influential figures in modern ceramics?
In the first of our three-part series on Bernard Leach, we explore the extraordinary early years that shaped his life and work. From his return to Japan and his first encounters with pottery to his friendship with Shōji Hamada, we discover how Japanese culture transformed Leach's understanding of what a pot could be.
This is the story of the meeting of East and West — and how the ideas Leach discovered in Japan would eventually help change the course of modern ceramics.
Featured Artwork:
Bernard Leach and bookcase, Tokyo, 1917-1919
Bernard Leach, A Potters Book, 1940
Bernard Leach with grandparents in Japan, c. 1890
Frank Brangwyn, by Reinhold Thiele, c 1900
John Ruskin, by W. & D. Downey, 1863
William Morris by Frederick Hollyer, 1887
Leaping Salmon Vase, c.1950, Bernard Leach; Okinawa Style Teabowl, c.1970, Shōji Hamada, Oxford Ceramics Gallery
Harmony in Blue and Gold, The Peacock Room, by James McNeill Whistler, 1834-1903, Public Domain
Temple of Heaven, Peking, 1916, printed signature in the plate Bernard Leach 1916, Public Domain
Photograph of rural Japan, C.1900, Public Domain
Early Raku Vase, Bernard Leach, c.1925
Raku Firing Kiln
Portrait of Ogata Kenzan VI, by Bernard Leach, 1924
Mokko-shaped Food Bowl, by Uruno Shigekichi, 1881-1923
Cup, Ogata Kenzan, 18th Century
Photo of Shõji Hamada, 1894-1978
Photo of Sõetsu Yanagi, 1889-1961
Photo of Bernard Leach with Shõji Hamada & Sõetsu Yanagi, Dartington 1952
Cup and Signed Box, Shõji Hamada
Large Dish, Shõji Hamada
Stoneware Bottle, Shoji Hamada
Hamada’s Kiln in Moshiko, Creative Commons License, CC3.0
Unknown Craftsman, Sõetsu Yanagi, 1972
00:00:00 Introduction: Bernard Leach - The Making of a Master
00:03:57 Early Life: Colonial Beginnings and Artistic Awakening
00:12:01 The Arts and Crafts Movement: Ruskin, Morris, and Moral Philosophy
00:15:15 Japan's Meiji Period: Transformation and Cultural Identity
00:18:10 Return to Japan: Teaching Etching and Finding Community
00:23:52 The Raku Party: A Life-Changing Moment
00:27:05 Training with Kenzan VI: Entering the Japanese Pottery Tradition
00:28:57 Hamada and Yanagi: The Birth of Mingei
00:30:57 Philosophical Foundations: Arts of the People
00:33:30 The Bold Decision: Sailing for St. Ives
How did an English artist in Japan become one of the most influential figures in modern ceramics?
In the first of our three-part series on Bernard Leach, we explore the extraordinary early years that shaped his life and work. From his return to Japan and his first encounters with pottery to his friendship with Shōji Hamada, we discover how Japanese culture transformed Leach's understanding of what a pot could be.
This is the story of the meeting of East and West — and how the ideas Leach discovered in Japan would eventually help change the course of modern ceramics.
Featured Artwork:
Bernard Leach and bookcase, Tokyo, 1917-1919
Bernard Leach, A Potters Book, 1940
Bernard Leach with grandparents in Japan, c. 1890
Frank Brangwyn, by Reinhold Thiele, c 1900
John Ruskin, by W. & D. Downey, 1863
William Morris by Frederick Hollyer, 1887
Leaping Salmon Vase, c.1950, Bernard Leach; Okinawa Style Teabowl, c.1970, Shōji Hamada, Oxford Ceramics Gallery
Harmony in Blue and Gold, The Peacock Room, by James McNeill Whistler, 1834-1903, Public Domain
Temple of Heaven, Peking, 1916, printed signature in the plate Bernard Leach 1916, Public Domain
Photograph of rural Japan, C.1900, Public Domain
Early Raku Vase, Bernard Leach, c.1925
Raku Firing Kiln
Portrait of Ogata Kenzan VI, by Bernard Leach, 1924
Mokko-shaped Food Bowl, by Uruno Shigekichi, 1881-1923
Cup, Ogata Kenzan, 18th Century
Photo of Shõji Hamada, 1894-1978
Photo of Sõetsu Yanagi, 1889-1961
Photo of Bernard Leach with Shõji Hamada & Sõetsu Yanagi, Dartington 1952
Cup and Signed Box, Shõji Hamada
Large Dish, Shõji Hamada
Stoneware Bottle, Shoji Hamada
Hamada’s Kiln in Moshiko, Creative Commons License, CC3.0
Unknown Craftsman, Sõetsu Yanagi, 1972
00:00:00 Introduction: Bernard Leach - The Making of a Master
00:03:57 Early Life: Colonial Beginnings and Artistic Awakening
00:12:01 The Arts and Crafts Movement: Ruskin, Morris, and Moral Philosophy
00:15:15 Japan's Meiji Period: Transformation and Cultural Identity
00:18:10 Return to Japan: Teaching Etching and Finding Community
00:23:52 The Raku Party: A Life-Changing Moment
00:27:05 Training with Kenzan VI: Entering the Japanese Pottery Tradition
00:28:57 Hamada and Yanagi: The Birth of Mingei
00:30:57 Philosophical Foundations: Arts of the People
00:33:30 The Bold Decision: Sailing for St. Ives
