Bernard Leach was born in Hong Kong, British family, and his first steps in art were as a painter and watercolorist. In 1909 he traveled to Japan, where he studied ceramics with Ogata Kenzan VI (last of the Ogata Kenzan dynasty). It was the first European ceramist to fully assimilate the aesthetics and philosophy of ancient Japanese, Korean and Chinese ceramists, and a pioneer in the attempt to introduce these concepts into the West.
In 1920, after spending eleven years in Asia, he returned to England and founded Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall, with his Japanese disciple and colleague Shoji Hamada, who three years later would return to his country and be the main potter of his time. It is known that, still distanced, led a friendly exchange relationship for a long time.
