KATORI Masahiko

Katori Masahiko (1899-1988) was born in Tokyo as the eldest son of the notable metal craftsman Katori Hozuma (1874–1954). He studied western style oil painting at the Pacific Art Research Institute before studying metalwork under his father. He graduated in 1925 from the metalwork department of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and in the same year won a copper medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle. He was a prolific artist, exhibiting many pieces at the official Teiten, Shin-Bunten, and Nitten exhibitions winning many awards. He taught a great number of students his craft based on ancient and traditional techniques mixed with the international modernist style of the time. In 1977, he was awarded the status of ‘Important Intangible Cultural Property’ (Jūyō mukei bunkazai), more commonly known as ‘Living National Treasure’. Together with his father he worked on a project known as ‘Peace Bells’ (Heiwa no Bonshō), and in 1967 Katori produced the massive bronze Bell for Hiroshima, where the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. He also spent much of his time and effort restoring the damaged Buddhist metal objects from the war. Furthermore he wrote several books.