Ohio Connections
Japan, Cincinnati, and the Arts: Kitaro Shirayamadani
With the opening of Japan in the mid-19th Century, Japanese art was introduced to the world. Spreading through the West by way of the great World’s Fairs, Western artists and collectors began to embrace the Japanese aesthetic, giving rise to a trend known as Japonism. One such artist was Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, granddaughter of Cincinnati businessman Nicholas Longworth. While her own work was displayed at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, she found herself by the ceramics from Japan. In 1880, she founded the Rookwood Pottery Company in Cincinnati, which was fast becoming a center for Japanese art in the United States.
Though Rookwood was home to several American artists who produced Japan-inspired works, it was Storer’s dream to bring Japanese artists to her company. The dream evaded her until the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition of 1886 brought the Japan Village to town. Organized by the Deakin Brothers and Company of Yokohama, the Japan Village was a group of over 100 Japanese men, women, and children who served tea, displayed kimono, performed acrobatics, and demonstrated crafts such as weaving—and ceramic decoration. It was here that Storer first met Kitaro Shirayamadani [1].
Though he traveled on with the Japan Village when their time at the Exposition ended, Shirayamadani would return to Cincinnati at Storer’s invitation six months later to work as a decorator at Rookwood. He is thought to be the first Japanese person ever to live in Cincinnati. With his contributions, the pottery company reached tremendous success. In 1900, Rookwood was awarded the Grand Prix at the Paris Universal Exposition, marking it as the finest pottery in the world.
Despite his noted contributions to the arts, little is known about Shirayamadani’s background. He originally came from a samurai family in Ishikawa Prefecture, and would move to Tokyo before emigrating to the United States, but his date of birth, education, and other key details about his life are unknown. He remained single until his death on July 19, 1948, devoting his life to his art, and his ceramics remain popular to this day, commanding impressive prices. In 2004, a Shirayamadani vase sold at auction for $350,750, setting a record for American art pottery. Despite his international impact on the arts, very few people in Japan know of him, but his work is visible at the Met in New York City [2] and at the Cincinnati Museum of Art, and his legacy remains strong in Southwest Ohio.
[1] Shirayamadani’s given name is often spelled Kataro in Western sources, but the Japanese name is Kitaro (喜太郎). His family name is Shirayama (白山), but he used Shirayamadani as his professional name.