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Born the eldest son of Kenyu, he succeeded as the 12th generation in 1871 at the age of 15.
He took the name of Kõnyu at his retirement in 1919. He was confronted with difficulties together with his father when he succeeded
to the house, since the tea cult was still in declineat the dawn of the modernization of the Meiji period. The use of trimming to render
variations of form, which has been a common practice since Ryõnyu, is equally characteristic of Kõnyu's work. The decorative effect is even more radically pursued, as seen in the example of his Raku tea bowl called "Rakan", wherein several Raku seals are impressed in a pattern. Particularly his red Raku glaze, varied in tone and shade, is characteristic of Kõnyu. |