Compared to teacups and teacups, it is surprisingly difficult to find a kyusu that one likes. Among them, the kyusu of Jyoji Nakamura, a Kyoto-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki artist who has won many prizes at pottery exhibitions and also produces art works, is secretly gaining popularity. Nakamura’s vessels are all designed to fit in with modern homes.

Nakamura moved from Osaka to Kyoto when he entered university. While still in school, he was selected for a ceramic art exhibition

After graduating from an art high school, Osaka native Joji Nakamura came to Kyoto at the age of 18 to study ceramics at Kyoto Seika University’s Faculty of Art and Design. After graduating from the university, he apprenticed himself to potters Kozo and Yoshinobu Kawashima in Sumiyama, Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, where he lived and worked for three years. He recalls that this period, during which he learned the know-how of practical ceramic arts such as pottery, was an important starting point for him.

While still in college, Nakamura was selected for the Asahi Ceramic Art Exhibition, which is regarded as a gateway to success for ceramic artists, and during his apprenticeship, he was selected and won prizes at several public exhibitions. Although he was originally prohibited from participating in exhibitions during his apprenticeship, his teachers gave their tacit approval when they saw how dedicated Nakamura was to his work and how he continued to create artwork whenever he had free time.

In 2012, after a period of time during which he worked mainly on artwork in parallel with his work at the Kiyomizuyaki ware complex in Yamashina-ku, Kyoto and as a part-time lecturer at his alma mater, Seika University, Nakamura established G-studio, a studio that operates as a production line for practical products separate from art production, on Gojozaka, which is also known as the birthplace of Kiyomizuyaki. G-studio” was established on Gojozaka, known as the birthplace of Kiyomizuyaki. She decided to start producing practical products when she got married, and as a result, the range of Nakamura’s style has expanded even further.

Studio in the Center of Kyoto and Kiyomizuyaki Ware

The area around Gojozaka in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, where Nakamura’s studio is located, has flourished since the mid-Edo period as the area in front of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, where pottery was produced and sold as souvenirs to visitors to the temple. Gojozaka was also the base of the potter Kawai Kanjiro, who was active as a folk art activist along with Yanagi Muneyoshi and others.

If I were to set up my own studio, it would be in the Gojozaka area. Nakamura says that he had decided to set up his own studio in the Gojozaka area even before he started his own business. Because he is a newcomer from another prefecture and is not the heir to a kiln, he decided to work in the center of Kyoto and Kiyomizu-yaki pottery. The choice of Gojozaka was a sign of his determination to live as an artist in Kyoto.

In fact, he says that he learned a lot from using this location as his base.

Not only did he make connections with many ceramic artists in the surrounding area, but he also had many opportunities to interact with tourists from Japan and abroad in this area where hotels and guesthouses are located. The stimulation and insight gained there sometimes led to the creation of new works of art. The tea ceremony utensils that are now Nakamura’s masterpieces were created as a result of such opportunities.

Chinese tourists were the catalyst for Nakamura’s tea ceremony utensils.

At a time when inbound tourism was booming, Chinese tourists from all over the world were particularly conspicuous among the visitors. He decided to make tea utensils for brewing Chinese tea, and they were well received by Chinese tourists and Japanese alike. Since then, the kyusu has become one of Nakamura’s masterpieces.

What is most distinctive about this kyusu is its size. The size of the kyusu, which is almost one size smaller than a regular kyusu and reminiscent of a Chinese tea kyusu, was born out of a desire to have a kyusu that is just right for brewing a single cup of tea during a break on a cold day. The kyusu is very useful because it is difficult to brew a single cup of tea in a large kyusu, and tea leaves are wasted.

He often names his pieces after colors, such as ” Haksusui kyusu ” ( white crystal kyusu ) and ” Fukoku ginsai kyusu” (black and silver colored kyusu ). The somewhat Asian feel to the designs reflects Nakamura’s preference for items from the Joseon Yi Dynasty, which he collects himself. At the same time, Nakamura also pays close attention to the fine handwork, such as the tight closing of the lid, so that the charm of Japanese craftsmanship and the essence of Kyo-yaki can be felt.

Not many people make kyusu. That is why it is so meaningful to make them.

Among potters, there are not so many who make kyusu compared to teacups and teacups. Nakamura says that because kyusu has many parts and requires a lot of time and effort to make, not many people want to make kyusu.

That is why Nakamura has been focusing on kyusu. Recently, he is often asked to make kyusu at private exhibitions and shows.

The concept behind his pottery making is to “make it to fit the building. The design is in line with modern life.

Nakamura’s kyusu, which would look at home on a Western table, and his other vessels, which would not look out of place in a modern living space, are made based on the concept of ” making to fit the building. This concept was cultivated in Kyoto, where he has lived since his student days.

There are many machiya residences in Kyoto, but when you enter one, you find that the inside has been completely remodeled, often in Western-style rooms. This is not limited to Kyoto; the same may be true of houses that have been remodeled from the old Showa period. Besides, more and more people are living in condominiums. As lifestyles change, the design of homes also changes, and the interior design changes along with it. Since tableware is also a part of interior design, I would like to propose a “modern dining experience” by creating tableware that fits the changing Japanese lifestyle.

Nakamura says that when he was in high school, he was torn between ceramics and architecture when choosing a career path, but after he began to study ceramics in college, he felt that the two genres were closely connected. He felt that the two genres were closely connected after he began working in ceramics at university. This is because most practical ceramics are used in buildings, and objects in the city often form a landscape together with buildings.

Matcha bowls for a parfait at a resort hotel, which was designed to resemble a garden in Kyoto.

Aman Kyoto The Living Pavilion by Aman] “Garden Parfait Zen Garden” (early summer, 2021)

In addition to residential spaces, Mr. Nakamura also demonstrates his skills in the production of tableware for use in resort facilities.

In 2021, Nakamura made tea bowls for desserts that will be available for a limited time only during the season of fresh greenery at the Aman Kyoto resort hotel in Takagamine, an area rich in nature in the northern part of Kyoto City. The dessert is a parfait that was made to look like a Zen garden, and is served at “The Living Pavilion by Aman,” a restaurant overlooking the hotel’s beautiful moss garden. To serve the parfait, Nakamura created a ” kokujaku yugen ” matcha bowl.

The color of the bowl is black, which is also linked to the design of the hotel. The jet-black glaze, which is often used in Nakamura’s works, gives the bowl an unwavering strength and depth that firmly captures the vivid green color.

His identity as a Kyotoite has grown.

In 2013, his objet d’art “Gogu – Wind God and Thunder God” won the Kyo-ten Prize at the Kyo-ten, a public exhibition sponsored by Kyoto City that has produced many leading Japanese artists, including the Japanese-style painter Uemura Shoen, and in 2018, ” Fukuro Ginsai Chaki-asore ” was selected for the ” Ceramic Society of Japan Encouragement Award Kansai Exhibition ” held to discover local artists. Ginsai Chaki-asore ” won the Encouragement Prize. Mr. Nakamura has won awards at publicly solicited exhibitions for both his artwork and practical products, and is now one of the artists leading a new era in the world of pottery in Kyoto.

After more than 20 years in Kyoto, Nakamura says he finally feels comfortable calling himself a “Kyotoite. Nakamura’s pottery and tea ceremony utensils are often described as “Kyoto-like in their delicate style,” but when he first started out as an independent potter, he says he was never strongly aware that he was a Kyoto or Kiyomizu-yaki artist.

This is because, unlike Shigaraki-yaki and Arita-yaki, there are no rules regarding techniques or raw materials for Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki. Because of this, it was difficult for him to have an identity that his work was Kyo-yaki, and his own perception was that he was just making what he wanted to make.

However, after establishing his own business on Gojozaka and interacting with many artists, Nakamura gradually became aware of the “Kyoto-ness” of his work.

Living in Kyoto, I sometimes meet people who make me think, ‘This person is a Kyoto artist. I believe that Kyoto-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki are born from the “spirit of Kyoto” that comes from living in Kyoto, experiencing its scenery, air, and people, and learning about its history. I would be happy if people feel that something like that comes out in what I make.”

Some of his works are in the collections of ceramic museums in Japan and abroad.

The approximately 20 years Nakamura spent in Kyoto, and especially what he absorbed in Gojozaka, made him a Kyoto artist.

The delicate yet unwaveringly strong works produced by his hands are in the collections of the World Tile Museum (Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture), the Ichinokura Sakazuki Museum (Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture), the International Museum of Ceramic Art inFaenza (Italy), and the Honenin Temple in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City . The museum is also housed at the Honenin Temple in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto.

Nakamura’s tea utensils, created in response to contemporary lifestyles, are sure to provide fresh impressions to visitors and easily cross borders in Kyoto, a city that has been reopened as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations and where the movement of people has become more active.

The post Creating a kyusu suited to the modern home. Kiyomizu-yaki artist Joji Nakamura/Kyoto City, Kyoto, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

A stream of olive-colored glaze covers the well-honed form. The charm of the vessels created by potter Kiyooka Yukimichi is the wide range of color tones created by his uniquely blended glazes. The image of Shigaraki ware is overturned in a good way. Seeking “something that seems to exist but doesn’t,” he is bringing a new wind to Shigaraki ware.

The expression of glaze that stands out in a simple form

Mr. Kiyooka’s pottery is simple, yet fascinating with its rich and unique expression. The key to this is the use of glaze. He uses a variety of glazes, including shoshakuyu (crystal white glaze) and kaibakuyu (grayish white glaze), which allow the viewer to experience the warmth of the original clay of the pottery, as well as blue ash glaze and olive-colored ash glaze, which have different textures, to create new vessels. He is constantly receiving offers from galleries in Japan and abroad, and is expected to become one of the leading Shigaraki ceramic artists of the future.

At the farthest end of Shigaraki

Mr. Kiyooka’s studio is located in Miyajiri, Shigaraki Town, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture. Shigaraki is a town that has long flourished in the pottery industry because of its high quality clay. Today, Shigaraki has become a tourist spot that attracts many visitors to tour the Shigaraki pottery kilns, but Mr. Kiyooka has set up his workshop in an abandoned factory in the most remote village in Shigaraki. It is a quiet place where you hardly meet anyone,” he says. There are only houses in the surrounding area, and he works alone, carefully and deliberately, on his vessels.

Guided by the clay to Shigaraki

Mr. Kiyooka was born in Tokyo. He grew up in Hokkaido and spent his school years in Yokohama. After that, he entered the Department of Crafts at Osaka University of Arts, which he was interested in because of a childhood friend who had attended the school. However, upon entering, he was not very interested in ceramics as an object, which was taught there. So, after graduating from the university, he decided to pursue a career in manufacturing rather than as an artist, and found employment at a Shigaraki-based ceramics manufacturer that made umbrella stands and other products. When asked why he chose Shigaraki, he replied, “Shigaraki clay was easy for me to handle when I was working at the university. It was not too delicate, and even if I made something rough, it would still be accepted. The clay led Mr. Kiyooka to Shigaraki, a place he had never been to before.

Between the gap between “what is required” and “what I want to make

A turning point for Mr. Kiyooka came when he had lived in Shigaraki for several years. He was asked by the owner of a restaurant he knew to make some vessels for him. He asked me to do as I pleased. I was asked to do as I pleased, and it turned out to be more popular than I had imagined. I thought, ‘This is the most interesting job I’ve ever had,'” he says. This experience sparked Mr. Kiyooka’s creativity.

The desire to make tableware began to grow, and Mr. Kiyooka switched jobs to work at a ceramics factory that made tableware. He began making mass-produced vessels at the company during the day, and after work, he began to work on the potter’s wheel in his own workshop. This lifestyle continued for 10 years, but gradually he began to feel a sense of discomfort in his work.

I was in charge of developing new products, but the gap between what could be sold as a product and what I wanted to make was getting bigger. I found that the pieces with a different glaze flow, which would have been rejected as “B” pieces, seemed better to me. This feeling that what he wanted to make was not wanted here drove him to become independent.

Different places accept different products in different ways.

When he first started out on his own, Mr. Kiyooka’s unique creations were not well understood. One day, he participated in a craft fair in Matsumoto for the first time, recommended by others, and sold out on the first day. He was surprised to find that there were so many people who accepted his style, even if the place of presentation was different.

He was surprised to find that there were so many people who accepted his style if he presented his work in a different location. Gradually, the number of people who understood his work increased, and the number of galleries that carried his work also increased.

Something that seems to exist, but doesn’t.”

What Mr. Kiyooka values is ” something that seems to exist but does not. The shapes are simple and easy to use, yet they are not something that can be found anywhere.

Take, for example, the jugs on the shelves in his workshop. Although it is ceramic, it has a metallic texture and an antique-like taste. In order to create an iron-like atmosphere, the vessel is not thick. When you lift it up, expecting it to be heavy, you may be surprised to find that it is so light and thin.

If I were the user, I would enjoy thinking about what I would use it for, so I try not to put too much thought into how I would use it, ” he says.

Olive ash glaze with deep colors

One of his recent masterpieces is a piece using olive-colored ash glaze. This is achieved by using a firing method called “cooling reduction” in a gas kiln, which produces a gradation of flowing glaze. Failure is a given. If you don’t fail, you won’t discover anything new,” he says. He found that an electric kiln produces too beautiful a finish, and a wood-fired kiln is too accidental and uncontrollable, so he settled on a gas kiln.

The flame of a gas kiln produces a unique deep hue. The glaze creates a unique deep color, and no two pieces are alike, with different expressions depending on the angle of view. It is a beauty that one could stare at forever and never get tired of.

To give shape to an ideal image

To give shape to the ideas in his head, he began using ” tatara molding ” about four years ago. Tatara molding is a technique in which clay, stretched into a plate-like shape called tatara, is pressed into a plaster mold. Tatara molding is mainly used to make oval plates. The elliptical pattern can be rounded, slender, and in a sense limitless, so it is easier to express complex shapes with tatara than with rokuro,” he says.

He says that he is often inspired by the reactions of customers at his exhibitions. He is always willing to take on new challenges in pursuit of the ideal forms that spring up in his mind.

Pursuing an unseen landscape

While working, Mr. Kiyooka listens to other people’s voices on the radio or YouTube. He says shyly, “Maybe I miss the sound of other people’s voices because I’m alone all the time,” revealing a charming side to him.

I feel like my sense of what is just right is changing little by little,” she says. At first, I tended to express cool-looking vessels with a lot of decoration, but when I put them on the table, their presence was too strong…. I have changed to dishes that retain the texture of the clay and fit in well with other dishes when placed together, and that complement each other without being too assertive when served.

Mr. Kiyooka’s next goal is to go abroad. He says he would like to see the reaction of people in European countries such as Denmark, France, and Spain. He is looking forward to seeing how his works, which are unlikely to be found anywhere else, and which do not resemble anyone else’s, will be accepted abroad, beyond nationality.

The combinations of clay and glaze are limitless. I am sure there are views that no one has noticed yet. I want to challenge what no one has done before. In the way he answers our interview without hesitation, a quiet passion can be seen. His stoic pursuit of his own expression without being bound by conventional frameworks is sure to shake off the concept of Shigaraki ware and create a new genre of Kiyooka Yukimichi.

The post Trust your senses. Shigaraki ware potter Kiyooka Yukimichi, who charms with his glaze / Koka, Shiga Prefecture, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.