Bernard Leach (1887–1979) was a British ceramic artist and painter born in Hong Kong. He spent his early childhood in Japan and later studied etching in London. He returned to Japan in 1909, where his friendships with artists such as Kenkichi Tomimoto and Muneyoshi Yanagi deepened his interest in ceramics. In 1912, he became a pupil of the sixth Ogata Kenzan.
He developed a close friendship with Shoji Hamada and, in 1920, traveled to England with Hamada, where they established a kiln in St Ives, Cornwall. Drawing on ceramic traditions from Japan, China, Korea, and England, Leach also studied and revived traditional English slipware.
He returned to Japan in 1934–35, working in Mashiko, Kyoto, and Fuseina, among other places, and became closely involved with the Mingei movement through his relationships with Muneyoshi Yanagi, Kanjirō Kawai, and others. As a leading international ceramic artist who bridged Eastern and Western ceramic traditions, Leach exerted a profound influence on the development of modern studio pottery worldwide.