User:Joi/Zengoro

Zengoro (善五郎, Zengorō) is a Japanese pottery and porcelain master and is the sōke of a Kyō ware iemoto. He is a member of the Senke Jusshoku as a Clay Furnace and Pottery Master and is the 17th generation head of the lineage. The family name was Nishimura (西村) until the 9th generation, and focused on earthen braziers. After the 10th generation, they used the name Eiraku (永樂) and made tea bowls in addition to earthen braziers. The formally changed their name in 1871 when Tokumasa succeeded the as family head. Zengoro's earthen braziers include unglazed vessels overlaid with black lacquer and earthenware with polished surfaces.

During the Muromachi period, Sozen I lived in "Nishikyo Nishimura" in Nara and made offerings for Kasuga Taisha Shrine, taking the surname Nishimura. In his later years, he began to make earthen braziers at the request of Sakai's Takeno Shao'o, and took the name of Zengoro, an earthen brazier maker. The second generation Sozen lived in Sakai, and after Sozen III, he settled in Kyoto. When he was commissioned by Kobori Enshu, he was given the bronze seal of "Sozen" (宗全), and from then until the ninth generation, his works were stamped with the Sozen seal.

In 1788, the family lost its premises and seal in the Great Fire of Tenmei, but with the support of the Sanzen family, the tenth generation Ryozen rebuilt the temple. It is believed that it was after this time that Ryozen began to frequent the Senke family. Although Raku Kichizaemon, who also made tea bowls, was one of the ten Senke craftsmen, Zengoro mainly made copies of traditional Raku ware and was separated from the Raku family, which only made Raku ware.

In 1827, the eleventh generation of the Kishu domain lord Tokugawa Haruho was invited to the opening of the Oniwa pottery kiln at his villa Nishihama Goten, and received the silver seal of "Nagaraku" and the gold seal of "Kahin Shiryu" for his work. He was invited to the opening of the Oniwa Pottery at the Nishihama Goten, a villa of the Glorious Imperial Villa, and his works were awarded with the silver seal of "Nagaraku", the gold seal of the "Kahin Branch".

Family History

 * Sozen Nishimura (first generation) (? -1558)
 * Sozen Nishimura (2 generations) (? -1594)
 * Sozen Nishimura (3rd generation) (? -1623)
 * Soun Nishimura (4th generation) (? -1654)
 * Sousen Nishimura (5th generation) (? -1697)
 * Soutei Nishimura (6th generation) (? -1741)
 * Sojyun Nishimura (7th generation) (? -1744)
 * Souen Nishimura (8th generation) (? -1769)
 * Sougan Nishimura (9th generation) (? -1779)
 * Ryozen Eiraku (10th generation) (? -1841)
 * Hozen Eiraku (11th generation) (? -1855)
 * Wazen Eiraku (12th generation) (1822-1896)
 * Sozaburo Eiraku (Kaizen) (13th generation) - Two people in this generation
 * Tosaku Nishimura (Kyokuzen) (13th generation)
 * Tokuzen Eiraku (14th generation) (1852-1909)
 * Myōzen Eiraku (14 generations) - 14th generation of the chamber (1852-1927)
 * Shouzon Eiraku (15 generations) (1879-1932)
 * Sokuzen Eiraku (16 generations) (1917-1998)
 * Zengoro Eiraku (17th generation) (1944-)