Kikigama is located in Chikushino City, where Amagaisan (Mt. Amagaisan) spreads out in the midwestern part of Fukuoka. Takaaki Yoshida, who has a studio and gallery in a lush residential area, does everything by himself, from clay making to potteries, painting, and kiln firing. His pottery has the flavor of old pottery and attracts many people.

From Graphic Design to Vessel Making

Mr. Yoshida says, “I started late as a pottery maker. First, he majored in graphic design at university, but during his studies, he became attracted to three-dimensional industrial design instead of two-dimensional graphic design. After graduation, he wanted to do work that incorporated graphic design into three-dimensional objects, and that’s when he came across vessels.

I felt a sense of luck that Saga, a production center of tableware, was located next to Fukuoka, where I was born and raised,” he said. At the time, he knew nothing about pottery and spent two years at a pottery college in Arita, Japan, learning the basics. After graduating from the university, he went to Shigaraki in Shiga Prefecture to study pottery making until he was satisfied with his decision to pursue this career. While studying at the “Shiga Prefectural Ceramic Cultural Park,” which houses studios of ceramic artists from Japan and abroad, he immersed himself in the production of chair objects, hoping to create art that could actually be used.

Training at a Karatsu Pottery Became a Turning Point

Mr. Yoshida says, “Apprenticeship at the Tenpyo Kiln in Karatsu was a turning point for me. The kiln was known for its old-fashioned, antique-style pottery, and produced a wide variety of pottery with wonderful painting techniques, including “Sometsuke,” in which blue is the only color used, and “Iroe,” in which a variety of colors are used. Mr. Yoshida, who has been pursuing his own path in graphic design and art production, says, “I was very much influenced by my teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Shingo and Satsuki Oka. It was here that the foundation for Mr. Yoshida’s tasteful pottery was formed.

Pursuing his own style after becoming independent

After becoming independent in 2007, Mr. Yoshida spent his days going deep into the mountains of Arita to search for materials such as potter’s stone and clay, hoping to use the same materials as those used by his predecessors 400 years ago. At the time, there were not many potteries that started with the search for materials, so I thought there was room for me,” he says.

But that was like a sushi chef growing rice, catching tuna on a boat, and making sushi. It takes too much time and costs too much, and if you do that, you have to make expensive items such as sake and tea utensils to make a profit,” he said. Through a process of trial and error, Mr. Yoshida turned his attention to making everyday vessels that he truly wanted to produce.

Aiming to create vessels that look like old pottery

Yoshida’s vessels are made of “porcelain,” a clay made from crushed stones, but their warm, natural form gives the impression of softness, just like ceramics.

The warm, natural form of his vessels gives them the soft impression of ceramics, and the slightly bluish texture of his antique-like pieces is the result of mixing clay from Amakusa, Kumamoto, with crushed stones he has dug up.

Today’s clay is too white and tasteless,” he says. If you look at old pottery pieces, they were more uneven and had more expression because there was no such thing as a de-ironing machine to remove the iron like today. I add stones that I have dug up myself with the intention of making them a little dirty so that they don’t become too clean,” says Yoshida. The glaze is made of crushed ash from stones dug in the Arita area. He makes his vessels using the traditional combination of stone and ash.

When using the potter’s wheel, Yoshida emphasizes the importance of momentum. Many people are highly skilled at carefully turning a potter’s wheel, but I think it is interesting when I let my momentum guide my work. As my master told me, I am attracted to pieces that are not too tightly made, but have a “blank space” for people to enter,” he says.

Painting in blue using old-fashioned gosu

The painting of the pieces cannot be overlooked when talking about “Kikkigama. Mr. Yoshida chose an old technique called “Somezuke,” in which cobalt-containing pigments called gosu are used. When fired, the finished product has a simple blue color.

However, the painting is only one part of the vessel. I try to make the lines live,” he says, “even if they are a little off or overhang, so that the painted surface has a sense of blank space. The paintings are traditional patterns such as small patterns, chrysanthemums, birds and animals, and so on, like Ko-Imari paintings from the Momoyama period to the beginning of the Edo period. The lively patterns created by the vigor of the brush are inspiring just by looking at them.

What is surprising is that Mr. Yoshida has decided to “never paint the same pattern. It is said that a craftsman is highly skilled only if he paints dozens or hundreds of the same picture, but I am not suited to keep painting the same thing,” says Yoshida, laughing. Each mug has a different pattern, so it is fun to choose which one suits you best.

Yoshida invented the “prime number design,” which represents prime numbers in Chinese characters.

While there are many other potteries besides Kikki-gama that make pottery that looks like old pottery, there is one pattern that Mr. Yoshida has created. He created the “prime number pattern,” in which prime numbers are randomly written in Chinese characters. Prime numbers are “undivisible,” aren’t they? I have always loved prime numbers because I feel the emotion of the human heart that cannot be divided,” says Mr. Yoshida. Another popular work is the humorous “Ku (bitterness) Laughing Text,” in which the hiragana character “Ku” is lined up in a row. Ms. Yoshida’s light sensitivity makes the familiar seem fresh.

Mr. Yoshida’s Challenge Continues as He Eyes the World

When asked about his future plans, Mr. Yoshida’s eyes light up as he says, “Right now, I am using a gas kiln, which is easy to reproduce and produces vessels exactly as I want, but eventually, I would like to try a wood-fired kiln. It takes more time and effort, but a wood-fired kiln is the best way to get closer to traditional pottery. Because firing is done by natural forces and cannot be controlled, the clay and glaze sometimes change in unexpected ways, and you can expect to make things that are beyond your imagination. Also, overseas customers seem to find added value in the traditional wood-fired kilns,” he says.
Yoshida’s pottery has received many orders from overseas, including Kanto, Kansai, and the United States, and there is currently a two-year waiting list. The texture of his pottery, which looks as if it were made 400 years ago, and his lively painting have captured the hearts of people living today, transcending national borders. Today, in his small workshop, daily vessels that enrich people’s lives are being created.

The post Old painted ware is made into vessels that are a part of today’s life. Kikigama” by Takaaki Yoshida / Chikushino City, Fukuoka Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Arita porcelain and white porcelain “Hakumyogi” produced at the Banshang Kiln

Arita-yaki, a specialty of Saga Prefecture, began in the early 1600s when a potter who accompanied Toyotomi Hideyoshi on his expedition to Korea found white porcelain ore in the Arita area. Even today, a visit to Arita Town reveals the many chimneys of the kilns, and the Arita Pottery Market held during Golden Week attracts more than one million tourists. Hisaki Shomura, the sixth generation of Arita-yaki potters , is pursuing a new era of white porcelain and Arita-yaki porcelain with his unique sensibility and techniques.

He says, “There are shades of white in white porcelain. I want to show white within white, and color within white.
Arita-yaki porcelain is generally characterized by white porcelain surface, dyeing painted with gozu (indigo pigment), and gorgeous red painting using glassy overglaze pigments. However, the original white porcelain “Haku-Myo-Gi” created by Mr. Shomura with his unique sensitivity and techniques is completely different from traditional Arita-yaki porcelain. It is not only functional, with mugs, plates, and cups, but also has a beautifully smooth silhouette and a silky hue with a gentle yet florid feel, achieved through the use of a unique glaze. The product has a modern feel that suits not only traditional Japanese-style rooms, but also contemporary Western-style interiors.

I want to create pieces that blend in with modern life while preserving the tradition of Arita-yaki porcelain.

This philosophy is reflected in his works. Born in his hometown, studied in his hometown, and kneaded clay in his hometown. He continues to create his works in his studio, which is located right next to his home. He has developed his own techniques, such as using masking tape. It must require a great deal of determination. However, Mr. Shomura’s works do not show such resolve. The birth of artists like Mr. Shomura, who do not rely on the Arita-yaki brand, will help preserve the tradition that has continued since the time of Hideyoshi.

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Beautiful celadon-colored pottery

Stylish form with a modern touch, soft and friendly feel. The clarity of celadon with cracks colored using red clay. The eyes are naturally drawn and instantly, you are in awe. That is the appeal of Akiyoshi Shiga’s ceramic pieces.

Born in a potter’s house

Shiga is an aspiring celadon artist who was awarded the Grand Prize at the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition in 2007, the youngest artist in history to receive the award. But when asked why he became a ceramic artist, his honest response was ”By chance. Actually because I had no other choice.” Born the eldest son of a traditional ”Soma yaki” kiln master in Yoshiemachi, Fukushima Prefecture, he became a ceramic artist as well. Not allowing himself to be bound by tradition, he has been applying his bold ideas to his creative activities.

The importance of understanding the characteristics of the kiln

As of December 2012, Namiemachi, Fukushima Prefecture was still designated an evacuation zone due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident that followed. All of his tools are still at his home in Namiemachi where he used to work.
Nakata asked ”If you do not use the tools that you’re familiar with, does it affect your work?”.
Shiga answered ”Of course. And the kiln is also very important in pottery.”.

”Especially with the celadon that I use, it is necessary to stabilize the reduction, so I have to know the kiln’s habit. I had to try baking in the same kiln many times to discover the stable ones after failing numerous times.” This makes it difficult for him to continue his creative work. He is currently looking for a place which will serve as a residence and studio, but even if he finds the right location, he told us, the first year will be spent making test pieces.

Creating pieces that are better than before

Shiga’s evacuation still continues. He is married and has a family so he worries everyday how he is going to live and support his family. Shiga told us ”There was a time when I wondered if I should give up being a ceramic artist and take on a different job.”
Yet he still continues to pursue his future as an artist. Support came from his customers who are waiting for his work, and from his fellow artists. He stays in contact with the clay and uses the potter’s wheel in a friend’s studio, so as not to lose his touch.
At the end of our visit, he told us with conviction ”I would like to make a full comeback and make pieces that exceed those I’ve made before. I think that the best way to repay the customers and artists who are supporting me, is to make a comeback as an artist no matter how hard it may be, or how long it may take.”

The post Giving back through creative work “Ceramic artist Akiyoshi Shiga” first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Handmade porcelain

At the southern end of Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, there is a town called Tobe (砥部). As the name kanji characters suggest, it is a town that used to be a production center of grinding stones. In the Edo period, porcelain were made using grinding stone powder as a raw material, and it developed into ”Tobe-yaki” porcelains. ”Tobe-yaki” was designated as a National Traditional Craft in 1976.
There are four types of ”Tobe-yaki”; white porcelain, indigo dyed works, celadon porcelain, and Tenmoku (iron glaze). We visited Shunjugama of Shoji Kudo, and there, the works are mainly white porcelain and indigo dyed works. Nakata had a try at the potter’s wheel to make a small plate.

Beyond ethnicity and history

Kudo has held many ceramic exhibitions at museums and galleries throughout the country, and his works has many fans. For example, a warm, white porcelain with a unique arabesque design. This is now a design representative of the modern ”Tobe-yaki”. The design was created about 20 years ago by Kudo, and it was inspired by the arabesque patterns seen at a museum in Iran.
Japanese tradition and foreign tradition – good things are connected across ethnicity and history.
The beautiful arabesque designs seems to embody Kudo’s idea that ”Civilization of craft is a measure of the era.”

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Porcelain from about 400 years ago

About 400 years ago, tiered, connected chamber climbing kilns were built in three areas of Muraki, Hasami-cho, namely Hatanohara, Furusaraya, Yamanita, and pottery making began. They produced a large amount of tableware for mass market with the huge connected chamber climbing kilns (in the late Edo period, the production of blue and white porcelain in Hasami was the largest in Japan), ”Hasami-yaki” spread all over the country because it was sold at affordable prices.

The characteristic of ”Hasami-yaki” is the beautiful translucent white porcelain, and the delicate and profound ”blue and white” patterns painted with a pigment called ”gosu” (indigo). The elegance of the open work carving and the crosshatch pattern is unique to Hasami-yaki, yet it was born as tableware for commoners, and has changed and been refined according to the lives of people of that era during the course of its long history.

Visiting the workshop

”Kurawanka bowl” which is said to be the representative product of Hasami-yaki, has simple drawings in indigo. It is said to have been named after the merchants’ words, ”mochi kurawanka, sake kurawanka”, meaning ”don’t you want rice cakes, don’t you want sake”. This phrase was used by merchants in the Edo period, when they approached the ships along the Yodo River at Settsu on small boats, selling their goods. With a slightly rough surface similar to earthenware, simple patterns and affordable prices, ”Kurawana bowl” gained popularity among the commoners. Not only did it largely effect the common sense of the time that porcelain was an luxury item, but it was also loved for its rustic yet skillful elegance, and was imitated in other locations that produced ceramics.
Nakata visited the workshop of Heisabu Nakamura. He is skilled at shaping, especially with a potter’s wheel, and has spent 60 years to polish his skills with training and practice. His extraordinary pottery technique was widely acknowledged, earning hi a commendation from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and designation as Prefectural Intangible Cultural Property. He remains to be the leader of wheel shaping in Hizen, even to this day.

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