Kitaoji Rosanjin
(北大路魯山人, 1883 – 1959)
Revered as one of Japan's most important 20th century ceramists and calligraphers, Rosanjin was also a restaurateur who is considered to have revolutionized Japanese cuisine.
His aesthetic interest in Japanese cuisine and preparation started to form at his antique store “Taigado” in Tokyo, when he started serving meals at the upstairs of the store and dishes served to specific customers became a topic of conversation. From here he realized the importance of serving food in the most suitable containers, and began to make his own dishes, thus creating a comprehensive world of artful cuisine and its preparation. Later he established Bishoku Club (Gourmet Club, 1921) as an annex to Taigado, and opened Hoshigaoka-saryo(1924), known to have been the best ‘members only’ restaurant of the era in Tokyo.
You can learn more about Kitaoji Rosanjin and view some of his works by visiting following sites.
http://www.kahitsukan.or.jp/ros_e.html
http://www.noguchi.org/rosanjin.html
http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/rosanjin-kitaoji-jt.html