Masahiro Mori (1927–2005) achieved a small revolution in the Japanese ceramics industry with his 1958 design of the 'G-Type' soy sauce pitcher. With his designs intended for mass production, which were both functional and aesthetically pleasing, Mori made a significant contribution to the development of post-war Japan.
“My joy as a designer lies in creating forms for everyday use and objects for factory production, so that many people can enjoy them and use them with pleasure.” This quote is typical of Mori’s philosophy. Crowned with numerous successes, he could easily have pursued a renowned career with his own studio, designing exclusive creations. However, his credo—to make functional and aesthetically pleasing tableware accessible to as many people as possible at reasonable prices—compelled him to settle in industrial ceramic production. With great success.
Born in Saga Prefecture—the birthplace of Japanese porcelain—on the southern island of Kyushu, Masahiro Mori studied industrial design at Tama Art University in Tokyo and subsequently worked in a ceramics factory in Nagasaki before beginning his career as a ceramic designer at Hakusan Tōki in Hasami in 1956. Two years later, he designed the iconic 'G-Type' soy sauce pitcher, which became a symbol of Hakusan Tōki and found its way onto virtually every Japanese dining table. Mori's pitcher is considered a prime example of the designer's new, industry-driven task of creating high-quality yet affordable tableware for everyday use. The timeless design has enjoyed enduring popularity: the pitcher went into production at Hakusan in 1958, has since won numerous awards, and is still in production today, 65 years later, unchanged.
Masahiro Mori dedicated his life to designing tableware intended to enrich people's everyday lives. He brought the aesthetic sensibility of the artist into the ordinary Japanese household, thus making a significant contribution to the transformation of Japanese lifestyles and culture in the post-war period.
Mori's extensive repertoire includes Japanese and Western dinner services, tea services, coffee sets, rice bowls, sake cups and jugs, spice containers, cups, mugs, bowls, chopstick rests, vases, and much more. His work has been exhibited extensively and included in renowned collections, such as the German Porcelain Museum Hohenberg, the National Museum of Art in Tokyo, and the Matsuya Design Gallery in Tokyo. His last creation, 'Wano Shokki', was designed in 2004 for the international retailer Muji.
Images:
Nagaoka Kenmei: Mori Masahiro no Kotoba. Design no Kotoba. Bijutsu Shuppansha, 2012 Tokyo
Mori Masahiro Design Studio LLC Open Archives: https://www.morimasahiro-ds.org/
