The Leach Pottery in St Ives will be showcasing its Japanese connections in a new exhibition opening on March 24.

The exhibition will feature an eclectic range of styles, materials, and approaches to making pots, with potters from Japan and Cornwall, including: Shinsaku Hamada, the second son of Leach Pottery co-founder Shoji Hamada; Tomoo Hamada, Shinsaku’s son; Shigeyoshi Ichino, from the Tamba region of Japan, who worked at the Leach Pottery from 1969-73; Koie Ryoji, from Tokaname, Japan, described as the human volcano for his dynamic and inventive ceramics; and Kat Wheeler a Leach Production Potter who worked at the Hamada Pottery in Mashiko for a 10 week residency.

Kat Wheeler said: “There’s a long history between us: we have as much to learn from each other now as Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada did around a century ago. There’s been a lot of generosity in recent years - Mashiko helped us with restoring the Leach Pottery and we helped them with the kiln rebuilding after the earthquake in 2011.

“Everyone tends to think of Japan as the height of experiencing craftsmanship, so it’s a destination for a lot of potters. The opportunity to visit came about naturally through my evolving correspondence with Masako Hamada who is the Director of the Shoji Hamada Mashiko Reference Museum. So the journey wasn’t just about learning about Japanese making and firing processes but also meeting the person who I got to know through letter writing.

“The opportunities for learning can even spring out of tragic situations - a lot of my best pots were broken on their return from Japan. The chance to learn kintsuge repairing techniques arose from that, to learn to repair those pots in a sympathetic Japanese style. This is a skill I’ve learned and continue to use. Likewise, I continue to use the hakame brush decoration technique that I began using while out in Mashiko.”

Founded in 1920 by Bernard Leach, the Leach Pottery was restored and reopened in 2008 as a museum, to celebrate his life, work, influences and legacy. The exhibition, gallery and shop spaces regularly showcase work by leading regional, national and international studio potters, and the studio provides training for the next generation of potters.

The exhibition runs in the Leach Pottery entrance gallery, and all works are for sale, with prices from £20 to £5,000.