Ceramics artist Yukiya Izumida creates his pottery in Noda in Iwate Prefecture. We visited his gallery. In the gallery, there is a leather sofa with jazz music playing. It is a space that was like a trendy cafe. And the ceramics are also of modern design with an impressive sharp form.
Izumida used to be an office worker. ”But I liked making things and found that working in the office was boring. So I entered this world wanting to do things I like to do.” He laughed as he told his story.
Alias ”suribachi” artist!?
After leaving his career as an office worker behind, he became an apprentice under Kaoru Shimodake who had the main kiln of Kokuji-yaki. He had done 3 years of apprenticeship, and became independent when he was 25 years old and started his creative work.
In the corner of the gallery there were many ”suribachi” (grinding bowls) piled up which caught our eye. When you hear ”suribachi” it is such a practical thing you do not care how it looks, but the ”suribachi” that Izumida makes are very refined in design, making them very attractive on a dining table. His pieces became so popular that he could not keep up with the orders. ”So some people call me the ”Suribachi Artist”.” he laughed as he explained..
The majority of things he makes as a ceramic artist are objects. The characteristic of his work is the delicate form that can easily break. He does not use much glaze, so he relies on the strength of the clay itself, and there were times when it actually broke during an exhibition. As a matter of fact, when he did his exhibition in New York in 2005, it cost him 1 million yen for the shipping.
Remaking multiple times to achieve the delicate form
It is his hands that create the delicate form. His works start by actually making the delicate forms instead of imagining them in his head. He would use old postcards etc. to fold and roll and use it as a design base. When his ideas are more set he creates larger objects. Working from the base shape, he goes on to make something larger, eventually using clay, fire, and the pieces start looking like ceramic work.
Izumida-san allowed Nakata to use his template, and Nakata started making an object. He was taught some techniques such as sandwiching clay with rough Japanese paper to change its expression.
The ”suribachi” piled up in the corner of the studio, the ceramic objects that were made with modern sensibility, all had a sense of clay connected through the tradition of Kokuji-yaki. We look forward to the kind of expression that will be created next.
