museum at his home, Mashiko Sankōkan (present Shoji Hamada Memorial Mashiko Sankokan Museum), and exhibited his collection of folk crafts from Japan and abroad. Hamada Shoji was very supportive of young artists who moved to Mashiko such as his student Shimaoka Tatsuzō, and Kamoda Shōji, and was also important in establishing Mashiko as a destination for day tourism. He provided housing and hosted workplace for visiting potters from abroad as well. Hamada died in Mashiko on January 5, 1978. Preserving local architecture Since he moved to Mashiko, Hamada bought, relocated, and refurbished traditional farm houses, stone warehouses, and nagaya-mon gatehouses of Edo period unique to southern Tochigi Prefecture on his property. The first was his residence in 1930, followed by others he used as workshops and for entertaining guests and apprentices, with the last one used since 1942 as his workshop. In 1989 his residence was donated to and rebuilt at Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art, or Ceramic Art Messe Mashiko, after the house was designated a cultural property of Mashiko. The museum is still open today and visitors can view Hamada's studio, living quarters, and various craft collections. Influence Throughout a lifetime dedicated to making pottery he achieved international recognition and his works have been collected by museums across the world. Hamada’s influence was felt not only in his native Japan, particularly in Mashiko, but also in the West. In the United Kingdom and the US, his style and philosophy became well known amongst studio potters, and he was revered as the archetypal "Oriental" potter. Today Hamada's works attain high prices at auction. In the UK, examples of his work can be seen at the York Art Gallery. Awards and merits Living National Treasure in 1955 Medals of Honor (Japan), Purple Ribbon in 1964 Order of Culture in 1968 Degrees Honorary degree in arts, Royal College of Art Further reading Books Hamada's own works With time table by Mizuo Hiroshi, pp. 336–341 With time table by Mizuo Hiroshi, pp. 185–204. Works by others 246 pp. Ill., ports.; 21 cm. 239 pp. Ill. (some col.); 27 cm. 232 pp. Ill. (some col.); 26 cm. Exhibition catalogs Audio visual materials Videos Mashiko village pottery, Japan, 1937 [videorecording]: pottery-making in Japan.1 videocassette (VHS) (22 min.): si., black and white; 1/2 in. Shows the pottery techniques used by Mashiko potters. From the 1850s, these potters produced utilitarian ware for local markets, but the