Among the Fuji Five Lakes, Lake Yamanaka is the closest to Mt. Fuji and is known for its scenic beauty. Ceramic artist Watanabe Kunio has his studio here. He has been making porcelain using traditional techniques, and is now one of the leading names in the world of traditional crafts. What is the origin that drives Watanabe’s sensibility, which is traditional yet unique?
Continuing on the path of crafts
Although it is generally called pottery, it can be broadly divided into “earthenware,” which is made from clay, and “porcelain,” which is made from rocks. Watanabe, who has a studio in Yamanakako Village, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture, produces porcelain, characterized by colorful geometric and checkered patterns. He uses traditional techniques such as “iroe,” which paints the piece after firing, and “kinsai” and “ginsai,” which decorate the piece with mud or foil made from powdered gold and silver.
Watanabe has been selected more than 20 times to participate in the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, the largest public craft exhibition in Japan. He is also a full member of the Japan Crafts Council, a public interest incorporated association that organizes the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition and aims to preserve traditional craft techniques and promote traditional culture. In addition to solo exhibitions at department stores and galleries, his works have also been included in the collections of art museums overseas.
“Looking back, I guess I wanted to think about and create things with my hands.”
Although Watanabe is now a member of the Japan Crafts Association, it was a chance encounter that led him to pursue a career in crafts.
Starting from scratch
Watanabe, who was born in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture and attended a general education school, tried to take the entrance exam for a science university, but the results were not as expected. At that time, he went to a career guidance office for advice and found a pamphlet, which led him to learn about art prep schools. “Just one pamphlet changed my life.” He decided to attend an art prep school, choosing to major in design and crafts, and learning about the world of art in a wide range, from drawing to manufacturing. He began his life as a ronin student with no experience, but he fondly recalls, “I really enjoyed drawing and making things.” While working with his hands, he also visited art museums and exhibitions to broaden his horizons, and his vague interest gradually turned to “crafts.” After four years of exam preparation, he was successfully accepted into the Department of Crafts at Tokyo University of the Arts.
Even though the “Crafts Department” is lumped together, there are many different majors, such as dyeing and weaving and lacquerware. Watanabe, who tried out a range of majors during his first and second year at university, ultimately decided on pottery. “When I put it in the kiln and fired it, something completely unexpected came out. It felt like it was something out of my reach, and I thought it was fascinating.”
Ten years of making pottery in the “home of pottery”
While in school, he wanted to pursue pottery further, so he decided to go on to the Graduate School of Fine Arts at the university, majoring in pottery. After graduating from graduate school, he was assigned to Seto Yogyo High School (now Seto Technical High School) in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, as a ceramics teacher. Seto City is known as the land of pottery, known for its Seto ware, so it was the perfect environment for him to continue his creative activities. Many ceramic artists are active in Seto City, and it is well known that Kato Sakusuke, a master of Oribe ware, used to work here. At the recommendation of a university teacher, Watanabe went straight to greet Kato, who was a professor at Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts at the time. Thanks to this connection, Watanabe would later hold group exhibitions with other artists of the same generation who graduated from Aichi University of the Arts. “The basis of pottery is vessels. Just make vessels. That’s what Sakusuke-sensei taught me.”
Following that teaching, while working at school, he worked hard every day on his creations for exhibitions. Looking back on that time, Watanabe-san says that he was blessed with a good environment and connections with people and that “I spent 10 fulfilling years there.” After deciding to go independent, he returned to his hometown of Yamanashi and set up his current studio.
The process of creating patterns woven with colors
The colorful colors and patterns seen in Watanabe’s pottery are created using a technique that uses masking tape. He sticks masking tape, cuts out a pattern that matches the shape of the pottery, applies color, peels it off, and fires it, repeating this process about five or six times. If the color is layered thickly at once, it will peel off and shrink, so it is necessary to layer it thinly many times. It is a patient process, but he explains the appeal of it, saying, “When there are two or one more layer left, I get excited and look forward to the finished product.” In the middle stages, the color is baked at a low temperature to fix it, and in order to glassify it as the finishing touch to the “color painting” technique, the temperature is raised to about 800 degrees and it is finally baked. In this way, all the steps are carefully and painstakingly spent, and finally the exquisite colors and intricate patterns are completed.
From admiration to individuality
The trigger for his current style was his encounter with the work of ceramist Masahiro Maeda when he was a student majoring in ceramics at university. Maeda’s masking technique, which involved layering paints, and patterns with motifs of animals and plants, such as owls, revolutionized the craft world at the time, and he was shocked to see such vivid colors in pottery. As he tried out different techniques and improved his skills, he thought, “I can’t draw the patterns you see in Maeda’s works, so I’ll just do what I find fun to make,” and he came up with his own geometric patterns. Maeda once told him that his works were similar, but “as I learned my skills, people started telling me that my work was gradually becoming ‘my color’ without me even realizing it. I think that through trial and error, I was able to move away from my admiration for Maeda’s works and gradually become aware of it as my own style,” he says with a happy smile.
New “Color”
Watanabe says that up until now, “I’ve been making what I want to make.” When it comes to tableware, he makes a strong impression by making color the main focus of his work, rather than considering how it will go with food. However, recently, he says he has also started to feel attracted to the color “white.” He has begun to explore new forms of expression, such as applying patterns to a white base and using a technique called “luster color,” which changes the way the color shines depending on the angle of the light. “White is easy to apply color to and has a sense of stability. I’m slowly coming to understand its merits.”
The origin of sensibility
While he devotes himself to his work for the exhibition, Watanabe feels that he is so pressed for time that he has no time to explore himself. He suddenly remembers the time when he was a ronin student and would go to exhibitions whenever he had a day off. “I would look at the exhibitions and write down my impressions.” He thinks that the pure passion for crafts he had in his ronin days may have sharpened his sensibility. “There are so many things I want to do. That’s why I think I need to make time to work on them.” Currently, he mainly works on the potter’s wheel, but he wants to actively change his sculptures. “There was a time when I wanted to try hand-shaping and clay. I didn’t get around to it, but I feel that it’s necessary to try various things, even if it takes time.” He talks about his future prospects, saying that he wants to create things that are not bound by traditional crafts and that make use of his shaping and expressive abilities, while also looking at new possibilities.
Tableware that is not just a practical item, but a work of art
Now that 19 years have passed since he set up his studio in Lake Yamanaka, he is enthusiastic about his future direction, saying, “I want to pursue not only practicality, but also the quality of the ‘work’.” Looking back on his days as a teacher, when he earned a stable income but was extremely busy with work and his own creations, and the feelings he had when he decided to go independent, he expressed his strong determination to once again place importance on “making what I want to make.” The potential for new ‘works’ that lie hidden within himself and have yet to be created. To find this, ceramic artist Kunio Watanabe continues to hone his sensibilities today.
