Joshu Katsuyama - B 1937, real name Katsumi Ogiwara in Gunma Pref. Signature is Katsuyama or Katsuyama made. Self taught as a potter and painter, he started with aka-e and sometsuke painting as he already loved painting. He started painting pots made by Shinobu Hashimoto. He was painting in earnest from 1975, and around 1985 he built gas and electric kilns, and was both making and painting the pieces.

His style is immediately recognisable, and very similar to that of the more famous Fujikake Yuzan. Both of these artists paint 'Nanga' style scenes, but I do believe Katsuyama was inspired by Yuzans work and then took it in his own direction.

The style referred to as 'Nanga', is also known as Southern Painting, i.e. that of Southern China in the Edo period (1603-1868). In Japanese culture this became known as Bunjinja, or the painting of literati (intellectuals), and this is where we get Bunjin and Literati styles of bonsai. Other artists paint Nanga style paintings, for example Kutani Ikko, but the look is quite different. In landscape painting the other most common style is after that of the "Floating World", the woodcut images of Hokusai etc.