Hozen was the eleventh-generation head of the Eiraku family of potters, one of ten families who produced tea wares for the Sen, or head of the Sen school tea masters descended from Rikyu. As an apprentice to Nishimura Ryozan, Hozen was employed as a maker of braziers. He was well versed in calligraphy, painting and poetry and enjoyed the patronage of noble families. His technical mastery encompassed the areas of underglaze cobalt, gold and colored enamels, celadon and wares evoking the ceramics of Korea, China and Southeast Asia.