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Born the second son of Chõnyu. When his brother, Tokunyu retired in1770 at the age of 25, he succeeded as the 9th generation when he was only 14. He assumed the name, Ryõnyu, at is retirement in 1825. Ryõnyu's 65 years of prolific producton were dedicated to various stylistic developments according to his age and the particular importance of his achievements lies in the use of trimming to the advantage of modelling made by the hand-forming method.The pursuit of the individualist expressionin tea bowls, restricted by their format as well as by Chõjirõ's tradition wherein the decoration and variation of form were minimalized , is only made possible when de potter emphasizes the effect of trimming for its own sake in the process of modelling. Ryõnyu's trimming, boldly applied vertically, horizontally and obliquely, added dynamism as well as decorativeness to the form and at the same time was a manifestation of his mentality, a creative stance which transcended his lifetime. It was a innovation newly added to the Raku tradition. |