Hiroshi Kondo

Kondo Hiroshi 1936–2012 Japan. Hiroshi was born in Kyoto as the second son of Living National Treasure Kondo Yuzo (1902–1985), inheriting a deep tradition of sometsuke (blue‑and‑white porcelain) developed by his father and grandfather.

He trained in the family atelier and was recognized early for his skill, receiving major awards such as the Kyoto Shimbun Prize and the Tomimoto Prize at the Shinshokai Exhibition, as well as the Kyoto Shimbun Grand Prize in arts and sciences.

Hiroshi built on the robust formal language of Kondo sometsuke, developing a distinctive style that balanced elegance and functionality in porcelain vessels while expanding the expressive range of traditional blue‑and‑white decoration.

He exhibited widely in Japan and internationally, including Twentieth Century Japanese Blue & White: Three Generations of Ceramic Achievement at the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK, 1993) and Chinese Blue & White and Japanese Kondo Sometsuke at the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Hiroshi’s works are held in notable public collections such as The British Museum, The Museum of Kyoto, and Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, reflecting his standing as a major figure in late‑20th‑century Japanese ceramics.

He was also the father of ceramic artist Takahiro Kondo (born 1958), who continues the family’s innovative approach to the medium.