Tsuji Kiemon, a potter from Hizen Arita, was commissioned by Tsunamune Date, lord of the Sendai domain, in 1668 to make dyed porcelain through the Edo potter Imariya Gorobei, and delivered fine pieces. The Date family dedicated it to the imperial family, and from then on, the lord of the Saga domain ordered Kiemon to prepare and deliver a few pieces of porcelain for the emperor each year. Kiheiji V was further honored with a direct promotion and received the official title of “Hitachi-Daicho” (Kogei Shiryo, “Prefectural Pottery History and Pottery Traditions,” “History of Arita Porcelain Industry,” etc.).
Katsuzo Tsuji
A potter in Hizen Arita. In 1874, he established Koransha with Fukagawa Eizaemon and four others, but in 1879, they split off to establish a porcelain company and produced imperial articles under the name of Katsuzo. 1889, he established Kankoku-sha with Tokumi Tomonori and others, and in 1892, he became independent. （In 1889, he established Kankoku-sha with Tokumi Chikei and others, and became independent in 1892. In his later years, he built a kiln in Meguro, Tokyo, and produced fine tableware using Arita materials, but his financial resources did not last and he finally closed the kiln. He was elected mayor of Arita Town, and died in March 1929 at the age of 83. Some of his products are written “Tsuji-made” and sometimes “Hitachiniku”. (History of Japanese Ceramics in the Early Modern Period, Arita Old Ceramic Inscriptions, Biographies of Hizen Potters)
Tsuji Kiheiji
A potter in Hizen Arita. He is a descendant of Kiemon Tsuji, who assumed the name Kiheiji from the fourth to the tenth generation. In 1774, Kiheiji V received a favor from the Saga Clan to deliver directly to the court instead of going through the Saga Clan Office, which had been the prestigious position of the family for generations. He also received the official title of “Hitachi-ohana-danshaku,” which means “blue and clear” in Japanese, and among them, those with the chrysanthemum crest were used by the imperial family and other members of the imperial family. Kiheiji VIII was a master potter named Aijo Aijo (the name Aijo was also assumed by three generations after the sixth). The so-called Kyokushin-yaki pottery is said to be his invention. The 11th generation, Katsuzo, was also a purveyor to the Ministry of the Imperial Household. (Kogei Shiryo, Prefectural Pottery History and Potters’ Traditions, History of Japanese Ceramics, History of the Arita Porcelain Industry)
