Hon’ami Koetsu (1558-1637) was a calligrapher, potter and artist of the early Edo period. He lived in Kyoto. He was also known as Tokuyusai, Taikyoan, and Jidusai. He was born into a branch of the Hon’ami family, whose main business was polishing, cleaning, and appraising swords in Kyoto from generation to generation. He excelled in calligraphy, ceramics, and lacquerware, and his calligraphy, in particular, was based on the Seirenin school, with a highly decorative style of calligraphy that was thin and thin. He was also famous as the founder of Koetsu Rakuyaki ceramics and Koetsu maki-e lacquerware.
In his later years, Tokugawa Ieyasu granted him the land of Takagamine in the northern part of Kyoto, where he settled with his family and many craftsmen to form Koetsu Village.
