Designated as a Living National Treasure in 1997 for his mastery of the fusion glaze technique for porcelain, Tokuda Yasokichi III (1933-2009) was one of Japan’s the most famous contemporary potters With techniques handed down from his grandfather and later his father, he created his own designs characterized by delicate shading and color contrasts by mixing traditional Kutani colors with glass frit, then repeatedly firing them to high temperatures in a gas kiln. The effect is seen by the luminous color contrasts of this sunrise plate, on exhibit at the British Museum.