Biography

1927

Born in Motomaki,North Saku,Nagano as a second son of Yoshiro Miyagi

1945

Learned pottery at Okuda pottery manufacturing in Sasama,Ibaraki where he was evacuated during the war

1952

Graduated from the Department Literature of Meiji University
Married with Shuko Matsui, a first daughter of the chief priest of Temple Gesshu, Sasama

1953

Studied Japanese paint under Toukyu Ebisawa,a trainee of Buzan Kimura

1957

Became the 23th chief priest of Jodo-sect Temple Gesshu

1960

Made a kiln inside of Temple Gesshu in Sasama
Researched old ceramics of China, Korea and Japan
Started the research of the skill of kneading

1968

Studied under Mr. Kouichi Tamura, a potter in Sano,Tochigi
After that he became to use only "Neriage"(kneading)

1969

"Neriagede bid bawl" received the Encouragement Prize at the 9th Traditional Crafts New works Exhibition
"Neriagede pot" won for the first time in the 16th Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition

1971

Received Japan Crafts Association President Prize by "Neriage Senmon pot" at the 18th Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition
Became an official member of Japan Crafts Association

1973

"Neriage Senmon bawl" got the Grand Prix and Chichibunomiya Emperor Prize at The 2nd Japan Ceramic Arts Exhibition

1988

Medal with Purple Ribbon

1990

Received the Grand Prix of Japan Ceramics Association
Became an executive manager of Japan Crafts Association

1993

Designed as Living National Treasure,possessing the important intangible cultural property

1999

Gave a lecture of training successors of "Neriagede" ,the important intangible cultural property

2000

The fourth class the Order of the Rising Sun

2003

Died of ARD (Aged 75)
Ranked Jugoi (Junior Fifth Rank)

A father of Kousei Matsui (Mimei Miyagi ) had worked at a silk-reeling factory in North Saku-Gun,Nagano but he opened a dyeing factory in Kawasaki suffered from Showa recession. Mimei entered to Hiratsuka Mechanical High school in Kawasaki but he lost his house by the war damage. His family was evacuated and moved to Sasama which was his father's hometown. Mimei moved there after he graduated from the school too. At the time he had been learning the skill of pottery wheel at Okuda ceramic manufacturing in Jodo-sec ,Temple Gesshu.

Moving to Tokyo, Mimei entered to the Department Literature at Meiji University. He aspired to a field of literature and at the same time,he had been attending to the training course of Jodo-sec Risshi in Taisho University, getting into the Buddhism world. On the other hand, he had regularly visited Tokyo National Museum starting to research old ceramics of China, Japan and Korea. In 1952, he got married with Shuko Matsui, a first daughter of the chief priest of Temple Gesshu, calling himself Matsui. The next year, Eikou had got an ill, he entered to Temple Gesshu and becoming a priest in 1955. Mimei was 30 at the time.

Inside of the temple, there had been a kiln built in Edo era, he refurbished it in 1960. He began to copy old ceramics according to his research of them. In the same period, the research of "Neriage"skill which became his representative one had started. In his private,he had a baby -Kousei.Since Mimei used this name as an artist name and it was selected, Mimei had used "Kousei Matsui".

"Neriage"is a technic combining clays which are different in colors and thicknesses and expressing patterns by expansion and contraction. It needs a high skill because there can be cracks by a difference of shrinking ratio of clay. In 1966, Kouichi Tamura who became a Living National Treasure later, admitted Kousei had a potential of"Neriage” so he decided to dedicate himself to "Neriage". Since then, he had gradually been known as a potter whose main expressing technique was "Neriage" as a first man in ceramic arts world.

Kousei created a skill,"Doukon-Ishoku" he made different colors from same clay by combining coloring agent which could make vivid color in a little amount. Also, he succeeded to use "Neriage" with pottery wheel even though it was said impossible to do so.

The pattern was called "Shouretsu-mon" which was created by patting clay on cylinder, taking off it after adjusting pattern and arranging from inside by taking advantage of centrifugal force of pottery wheel. The works of "Shouretsu-mon" were strongly influenced processors as an expression of new pottery.