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for Gagyu
Gagyu
1894-1961
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyYokoishi Gagyû, the 12th was born in Nagasaki prefecture in 1894. He is most famous for reviving the lost art of Utsutsugawa-yaki, a style extremely popular at the end of the Edo period. In 1935, he was awarded for his work at the Japanese Ministry of Commerce exhibition and in 1942 at the Japanese Export exhibition. In 1957, Gagyû was named an “Intangible Cultural Treasure” (the state version of a living national treasure) of Nagasaki prefecture. Three years prior to his death in 1961, he was honored at the National Traditional Arts and Crafts Exhibition in 1959. His legacy lives on in the prolific career of his son, Yokoishi Gagyû the 13th, (b.1935) who in 1975, was named an important cultural property of Nakagsaki prefecture. He, like his father, is also credited with the revival of the Utsutsugawa style and remains an important figure in modern Arita.
