“When I was in elementary school, I used to enjoy finding fragments of earthenware and piecing them together. That’s where it all began.” These are the words of Manabu Yamagami, who runs the “Jinjin-yō” pottery studio in Takazato, Ogimi Village, Okinawa Prefecture. After traveling throughout Japan, what “form of his own” did he discover at the foot of the Yanbaru mountains?

The Place I Kept Searching For

About a 45-minute drive north from the northern terminus of the Okinawa Expressway—Kyoda Interchange—lies a nature-rich area known as “Yanbaru,” where Mr. Yamagami’s studio, “Jinjin-yō,” and the adjacent “Gallery TATI” are located.

Mr. Yamagami, a native of Osaka Prefecture, was inspired to become a ceramic artist after finding a fragment of pottery near his home when he was a child. That formative experience sparked a deepening interest in clay and pottery, leading him to choose the path of ceramics as his career.

For the young Mr. Yamagami, collecting pottery shards was a pastime that captivated him just as much as riding his bike or playing baseball. Every time he dug into the land being developed for the World’s Fair, ancient pottery would emerge from the soil. His heart would race at the moment when traces of human hands from long ago would emerge. By the time he entered high school, it had become a habit for him to gaze at pottery from around the world in museums, and he began to vaguely imagine what it might be like to be a potter.

He considered pursuing higher education through baseball, a sport he was deeply committed to, but he sensed he had reached a limit. Although attending an art university was another option, he felt that a world spent endlessly drawing for entrance exams wasn’t right for him. Around that time, through a connection with his father—who was well-versed in the arts—he visited a potter who encouraged him, saying, “You can become a potter even without graduating from an art university.” Thus, Mr. Yamagami chose a path of traveling from one pottery-producing region to another, seeking only the necessary skills. He learned the potter’s wheel at the Seto Ceramic Training School in Aichi, studied glazes and Kiyomizu-yaki in Kyoto, and further honed his craft at a school in the tradition of the Vienna Workshop.

Having honed his skills in this way, Yamagami worked at a Kasama-yaki pottery studio in Ibaraki Prefecture before striking out on his own at the age of 27. He later moved through Mashiko, a pottery-producing region in Tochigi Prefecture, before settling in this area in 2004. It was a place he finally arrived at around the age of 45, after traveling through pottery-producing regions from Hokkaido to Kyushu and Okinawa.

When it comes to Okinawan pottery, known as “Yachimun,” it is characterized by its thick, substantial forms and dynamic designs. Among these, “Tsuboya-yaki”—which has been produced for generations in Tsuboya, Naha City—is synonymous with Yachimun. “Tsuboya-yaki has its own unique traditional production methods, so I was interested in it,” says Ms. Yamagami. She came all the way to Yanbaru not to pursue traditional craftsmanship, but to create her own original works. Captivated by the natural surroundings, the play of light, the unique culture, and the customs and events of each village, she began her creative journey in the Yanbaru region.

The environment shapes things

Mr. Yamagami, who had previously worked with Kasama-yaki and Mashiko-yaki, also created traditional pieces reminiscent of Mashiko-yaki and so-called “Yachimun” when he first arrived in Okinawa. “But once I came here, I wanted to recreate colors like green and the color of the ocean,” he says. “I thought it might be okay to explore the opposite of ‘beauty through function.’” As a result, his work began to evolve, incorporating the beauty of the ocean and stunning sunsets—the things he experienced—into the “function” (usability and practicality) of his pieces.

“I believe it’s the environment that shapes what we create.” These words resonate with the spirit of Matsuo Bashō, who once traveled throughout Japan, visiting beautiful landscapes and famous sites, and captured his impressions of the local nature in haiku. “As a ceramic artist, I don’t just strive to master technique for its own sake; rather, I strive to master the techniques needed to express what I see and feel in nature. That’s what makes it so irresistibly fascinating, and I believe that is the true, wholesome way to create.” Feeling nature and capturing it in form—this was the approach to creation that Mr. Yamagami had discovered.

A Fusion of Jomon and Coral

Mr. Yamagami’s pottery-making process begins with a trip to the ocean to collect shells and fragments of coral. He then creates the base of the vessel using a clay mixture of his own original blend—combining Okinawan clay with clays from Mino, Shigaraki, and other regions—and presses the collected coral fragments, both large and small, into the surface to create patterns. The technique is reminiscent of that used to make Jomon pottery.

“I thought it would be interesting to combine Jomon pottery with coral.” Jomon pottery features patterns created by braiding rope and pressing it firmly against the surface of the vessel. It’s also said that pressing the rope against the clay compacts it, making the pottery less prone to cracking. Rather than using only Okinawan clay, Yamagami creates thinner-walled vessels and applies patterns one by one using shells and coral instead of rope to compact the clay.

When I’m creating, I envision the ocean. The random patterns formed by coral reflect the beauty and transience of nature, which changes its appearance in the blink of an eye. I also intuitively add delicate bubble-like patterns using thin metal tubes. By using just a touch of an artificial tool, the effect becomes even more realistic—much like a chemical seasoning.

Finally, he applies pigment with a brush to each individual pattern. While imagining how the piece will look once fired, he varies the placement of the colors and their shades, and in this way, Mr. Yamagami’s work is completed.

Yanbaru-yaki

It has been over 20 years since Yamagami moved to the Yanbaru region and began creating her work. “It’s finally taking shape,” she says. Her pieces evoke the beauty of Okinawa’s ocean and have garnered a strong response from travelers who encounter them at Gallery TATI and at craft fairs such as “Igimi Teguma,” held annually in Ogimi Village, where the gallery is located. “While it’s wonderful to bring joy to others, I don’t create solely to please them; I believe that when I create with the intention of bringing joy to myself, others will be pleased as well.” Recently, she has also produced pieces that incorporate playful elements beyond mere practicality, such as beer mugs designed with hollow interiors filled with ceramic beads to produce a ringing sound. Although these are still in the prototype stage, they have been well-received by those around her, and she hopes to develop them into a series in the future.

Mr. Yamagami has long drawn attention within Okinawa for creating works that differ slightly from traditional Yachimun. The years he has spent engaging with the clay of various regions and conversing with the flames are now taking deep root in this land.

“I hope to give shape to ‘Yambaru-yaki’ here as the culmination of my pottery experiences across Japan. There’s still so much I want to do from here on out.”

The clay nurtured by the forests of Yanbaru, the light and wind of Okinawa—Yamagami’s work, which seeks to imbue all of these elements into the form of his pottery, is still a work in progress. Gallery TATI will continue to quietly yet steadfastly showcase the creations that emerge from this journey.

The post Pottery that emerges like haiku amidst the nature of Yanbaru. Manabu Yamagami of “Jinjin-yō” / Ogimi Village, Okinawa Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

In the gallery of “Mifune Kiln,” nestled in the mountains, two types of pottery crafted by twin brothers are on display: “yakishime,” in which clay and fire create a powerful texture, and “seiji,” which captures light within its layered glazes. The younger brother, Hitomu Tsugane, chose the path of seiji, considered the most difficult form of pottery.

My Father’s Kiln: The Era of Everyday Tableware

The Mifune Kiln is located in a forest nestled in the mountains, a short distance from the city center. About 40 years ago, my father left his corporate job to study the techniques of Takada-yaki—a ceramic tradition with a history of some 400 years in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture—and eventually struck out on his own. That was the beginning of his journey, when he built his kiln here. While Takada-yaki is known for its celadon, my father did not pursue celadon. Instead, he focused on creating everyday tableware, such as ash-glazed pottery—using glazes made from plant ash derived from straw and wood—and powder-coated ware. It was an era when pottery studios were springing up everywhere amid a pottery boom, but my father’s pieces gained popularity, and on weekends, so many people visited the kiln that the parking lot could not accommodate them all.

From Pottery Studio to Artist: The Gamble of Celadon 

Raised in such an environment, Mr. Tsugane studied the fundamentals of ceramics at the nation’s only vocational school specializing in ceramics, located in Arita, Saga Prefecture, and returned to his hometown after graduation. Following graduation, he worked as his father’s right-hand man, producing dozens of tea bowls for daily use and receiving a lump-sum payment once the exhibition was over. It was a “craftsman”-like way of working, producing the required quantities in a predetermined form. However, the times had changed, and it had become difficult to sustain the kiln by simply making everyday tableware in a kiln nestled in the mountains and waiting for customers, as had been done before.

“We can’t go on like this.”

Realizing this, Tsugane began to consider a path focused not on quantity, but on engaging with the works themselves.

“If so, what should I do as an artist?”
When he asked himself this question, he arrived at celadon. It is considered one of the most difficult genres in the world of ceramics, and few potters attempt it. That is precisely why he wanted to master it. The origins of celadon date back to ancient China. When a transparent glaze is applied to the clay body and fired in an oxygen-deprived kiln, the iron in the glaze reacts to produce a blue hue. However, since glazes made from natural raw materials have unstable iron content, the final color varies depending on the clay body and the conditions of the fire. Producing the exact shade of blue one envisions is no easy task. Due to this difficulty, celadon was once said to be a craft that “ruins your livelihood if you try it.” With virtually no formal training available, Tsugane collected books and, supplementing his understanding of difficult concepts with other texts, pursued his research into celadon entirely on his own.
“I started working with celadon because I felt I couldn’t go on as I was, but once I began, I found myself becoming more and more engrossed in it.”

Thick Glaze, Thin Clay—The Art of Crafting Celadon 

At first, things went surprisingly smoothly. I even won an award at a regional exhibition. But when I entered the world of the Japan Craft Association, I was told, “That’s not celadon. Have you ever seen the real thing?”

In the world of the Japan Crafts Association, the evaluation criteria are completely different from those of regional exhibitions. It is a world where “whether it is authentic craftsmanship” is rigorously scrutinized, taking into account not only the quality of the work but also the materials, techniques, and historical context. Tsugane’s understanding was completely overturned. Celadon is not simply about appearing blue or green. Its defining characteristic is the application of an astonishingly thick layer of glaze. While the glaze on ordinary pottery is less than 1 millimeter thick, on celadon it is 2 millimeters or more, and in some cases exceeds 4 millimeters. Within this thick layer of glaze, light reacts with the iron content to produce that deep hue.

Because the glaze is so thick, the underlying vessel must be made extremely thin to achieve the desired elegance. However, the thinner the vessel, the more likely the clay is to collapse or warp during firing.
This is where the process of creating the clay itself becomes essential. Mr. Tsugane tested clays from all over Japan, gradually adjusting factors such as strength to withstand firing, ease of shaping, and stability in the finished piece to develop his own unique blend. Even when he thinks, “This is good,” he feels compelled to make further adjustments. It is a constant cycle.

The lines drawn by time. An expression called “crazing” 

Applying the glaze is just as labor-intensive. Three coats on the inside—drying and building up each layer—and three on the outside. Before firing, the piece looks so far from the finished product that one might doubt it will ever truly become celadon. Moreover, even the slightest change in conditions inside the kiln can easily throw off the color. “Depending on the oxygen levels alone, celadon can even take on a yellowish hue. It’s not about creating the color; rather, it’s about drawing out the coloration of the iron within the thickly applied glaze. That, I believe, is what celadon pottery is all about,” says Mr. Tsugane.

Among Tsugane’s works, the most distinctive are those known as “crazed celadon.” Crazing refers to the fine cracks that form on the surface of a piece as it cools after being removed from the kiln. In celadon, slight differences in the shrinkage rates of the clay and the glaze cause fine cracks to appear in the glaze. Some pieces look as if a thin layer of ice has formed, while others feature red lines created by rubbing vermilion into the cracks. Generally, these cracks are considered to occur by chance. However, Tsugane meticulously adjusts the thickness of the glaze, as well as the firing and cooling conditions, to deliberately shape the pattern of the cracks themselves into an integral part of the work’s expression.
Crackling does not necessarily occur the moment the piece is removed from the kiln. Sometimes, several days or even a month later, it may appear with a sudden “crack.” The red lines that emerge and the transparent lines that appear later—their interplay transforms the vessel’s appearance the more it is used.

What Defines the Quality of Celadon

Since being selected for the first time for the “Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition”—Japan’s premier open-call exhibition organized by the Japan Crafts Association—Tsugane has gained increasing recognition, with his works even being purchased by the Imperial Household Agency. Furthermore, through achievements such as winning the “Japan Crafts Association Award,” he has established a solid reputation in the field of celadon. At the same time, however, he notes that attitudes toward awards have changed significantly over the past decade or so. In the past, winning an award would attract department store events, and customers would visit specifically to see the winning pieces. Now, however, more people choose tableware based on their personal taste, and Tsugane notes, “We are no longer in an era where awards decide everything.”
Nevertheless, what remains unwavering for him is the “dignity” expected of celadon. His goal is to achieve a water-like, clear blue known as “Uka-tensei” (the blue of the sky after rain). To approach this ideal, he studies the lineage of Chinese celadon and travels to China. He believes that understanding the roots provides a solid foundation for new forms of expression.

He uses a gas kiln. His philosophy is not to be particular about the type of kiln, but to choose the flame that best suits the work. For celadon, a strong, stable flame with few impurities is essential.

Furthermore, in recent years, the raw materials themselves are becoming scarce. Fewer people are digging for clay, and he has even been told that the clay he has used for many years “can no longer be obtained.”
Tsugane secures whatever clay he can while searching for new sources, and he meets with suppliers on-site to build relationships. “If there are no longer people digging for clay, we won’t be able to make our work either.”

It is perfected through use

My goal is to become a potter who makes people think, “Tsugane celadon is beautiful. I’d love to own one.” I don’t want to make pieces that are simply displayed in a box; I want to create tableware that is actually used at the dinner table—the kind that makes someone ask, “Whose is that?”

Celadon is understated, and the apprenticeship is long. The yield rate is by no means high. Yet, drawn to the dignity that lies beyond the difficulty, I never gave up. “Even master craftsmen over 70 have mountains of failed pieces in their scrap piles.” When I heard that, I felt the tension melt away.

“I’ll do this for the rest of my life.” I quietly savor those words.

A piece of pottery isn’t finished once it comes out of the kiln; it is gradually completed through use. Tsugane’s work, too, is being built up slowly in that same way.

The post “Mifune Kiln”: Where Light Shines Through in a Mountain Kiln / Mifune Town, Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

You could call him a thoroughbred. Born into the “Fumoto Kiln”—which boasts six climbing kilns, among the largest in the Kodai-yaki tradition with its nearly 400-year history—Naoyuki Inoue is the son of Yasuaki Inoue, considered a master of Kodai-yaki. While this privileged environment was a source of pride, it also meant he was constantly subject to comparison and judgment.

Is what I want to do really pottery?

The sound of firewood crackling fills the air. As the flames spread upward, seemingly racing up the slope of the climbing kiln and breathing life into the pottery, I see the history of Kodai-yaki—passed down unbroken for nearly 400 years—overlapping with this scene.

Kodai-yaki is one of Kyushu’s representative ceramics. Its origins are said to date back to 1632, when Hosokawa Tadatoshi, accompanied by potters, established a kiln at the foot of Mount Shodai in northwestern Kumamoto Prefecture.Characterized by a rustic, robust texture created using Shodai clay—rich in iron and small pebbles—and bold designs achieved by applying glazes made from local natural materials, such as straw ash and wood ash, its appeal lies in a simple yet profoundly deep presence.It was designated as a National Traditional Craft in 2003, and today, 11 kilns remain, primarily in Arao City and Minamikan Town, Tamana District.

Among them, the “Kodai-yaki Fumoto Kiln” in Fumoto, Arao City, is a renowned kiln that has produced many apprentices and boasts six climbing kilns—the largest number among existing Kodai-yaki kilns. The founder, Yasuaki Inoue, won the top prize at the Japan Folk Crafts Museum Exhibition and received awards at numerous other exhibitions; he is known as an indispensable figure in the development of Kumamoto’s traditional crafts.

Born in 1975 as Yasuaki’s eldest son, Naoyuki Inoue has incorporated his own identity into the craft’s approximately 400-year history and tradition. He is a popular artist renowned for his unique “slipware” (pottery decorated with a slip, a type of decorative clay) inspired by old British ceramics.As a child, he played with chipped pottery pieces as if they were a dollhouse set, and naturally assumed he would become a potter one day. However, during high school, he suddenly paused to reflect. Was pottery really what he wanted to do? Though he enrolled in a local design college while still uncertain, the answer remained elusive. Looking back on that time, Naoyuki lowers his eyebrows and laughs, saying, “To be honest, I was just drifting along.”

The Fusion of Traditional Kodai-yaki and Slipware

Naoyuki set out on a journey. He visited acquaintances of his brother Taishu in Tokyo, Tochigi, and Okinawa, and while he was shown pottery and workshops in each place, nothing really clicked. But for some reason, Koishiwara was different. Upon seeing the “Ota Tetsuzo Kiln,” a representative of Koishiwara-yaki, he naturally felt, “I want to study here.”After that, he spent four years apprenticing under the kiln’s founder, Tetsuzo Ota, before returning to his family’s Futomogama kiln. Feeling anxious as he watched his senior apprentices far ahead of him, he continued his training. But when he finally sat down at the potter’s wheel, Naoyuki felt at a loss. Now that he was actually in a position to create, he couldn’t see what he wanted to make.

The clue came from “pon-gaki,” one of the techniques he had learned under Mr. Ota. This decorative technique involves pouring glaze from a special container onto the surface of the vessel to create lines and patterns.Naoyuki sensed a kinship between this “pon-gaki” and “slipware”—pottery decorated with slip, a tradition originating in England—and sought “what he wanted to create” by studying old slipware and related literature. He eventually arrived at a unique style that fuses Kodai-yaki with slipware. He had found his identity within the approximately 400-year history and tradition of the craft.

Creations Born from Local Materials and Universal Designs

Naoyuki’s works utilize Kodai clay that he excavates himself. Just like traditional Kodai-yaki, he uses local natural materials: wood and straw for the ash used in glazes, and pine wood for firing fuel. Before the shaped clay has completely dried, he pours over it a mixture of clay dissolved in water, and then drips another color of clay dissolved in water from a syringe-like tool onto the surface to create patterns.

His designs are based on universal patterns selected from old British texts, which he reinterprets and reconstructs in his own unique way. This stems from his belief that “universal things have been passed down to the present precisely because people never grew tired of them.” The variations are diverse, ranging from wavy lines and crosses to shapes resembling ribbons. His free-flowing, dynamic lines reflect Naoyuki’s easygoing and carefree personality.

While Naoyuki’s style is now widely supported by consumers, he faced strong criticism when he first began, with critics claiming, “This is not traditional Kodai-yaki.” However, the words of a certain benefactor—“Even if nine out of ten people are against you, there is one who is on your side. I am on your side”—became a source of strength for Naoyuki and have sustained him to this day.

A Craftsmanship Rooted in the Earth and Fire

Naoyuki uses a six-chamber climbing kiln to fire his works. It was completed by Taishu approximately 50 years ago, in 1977. A climbing kiln, which requires continuous feeding of firewood and temperature management over several days, is much harder to control than a gas kiln. It is said that “it might take a lifetime to fully understand it” and that “the condition of the kiln determines the quality of the work.”Because conditions inside the kiln—such as temperature and oxygen levels—cannot be kept uniform, defects like cracks and warping are common; at the “Kodaiyaki Fumoto Kiln,” the yield rate remains around 60%. Even so, many ceramic artists are captivated by the beauty—beyond human understanding—woven from the ash and flames produced by the firewood. Naoyuki, however, states firmly, “I don’t want to use the climbing kiln as either the reason for the quality of my work or as an excuse.”This is because he believes that the method of firing is not what matters; rather, the quality of the finished piece itself should be the focus of evaluation.

The interior of the kiln deteriorates with repeated use. The “Kodai-yaki Fumoto Kiln” has long since exceeded its estimated lifespan of 100 firings and continues to be used while undergoing repeated partial repairs. Naoyuki is unconcerned, stating, “I’m not fixated on climbing kilns, and even if it becomes unusable, I have a plan in place, so it’s not a problem.” Yet he also acknowledges its appeal, noting, “There is a unique charm found only in climbing kilns.”

After a long period of uncertainty and inner conflict, Naoyuki has found his place within history and tradition. Now, standing beside him is his son, Ryoga, who returned to the family home in 2024 as the third-generation head of “Kodaiyaki Fumoto Kiln” after completing his apprenticeship at “Iwai Kiln” in Tottori Prefecture. Not only the tradition of Kodaiyaki itself, but also the craftsmanship rooted in a continuous dialogue with clay and fire is now being passed on to the next generation.

The post Finding identity in a history and tradition spanning some 400 years. Naoyuki Inoue of “Kodai-yaki Fumoto Kiln” / Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

It has been about 250 years since Tobe ware was first produced in Tobe Town, Iyo County, Ehime Prefecture, adjacent to Matsuyama City. Kazuya Yamamoto of Wajogama creates pottery in a free style that combines practicality and originality with the traditional regional craft of Tobe-yaki.

Tobe Pottery has been close to me since I was a child.

There are currently about 80 Tobe pottery studios, each of which produces its own unique pieces in accordance with the Tobe pottery production standards. The individuality and texture of each piece reflects the creator’s personality, which is another unique aspect of Tobe Pottery. The Wasagama kiln is located in the town of Masaki in Iyo County, which is the same as the town of Tobe, and was established in 1998 by Yamamoto’s father, Shunichi, when he was 18 years old.

He says, “I started the kiln not because I liked Tobe pottery, but because it was the first clay I came in contact with. I have tried other clay, but the one that still feels good in my hands is Tobe clay,” Yamamoto said. For Mr. Yamamoto, Tobe pottery has been a part of his life ever since he can remember. As a child, he and his son learned the basics of pottery making under the tutelage of Mr. Fukuoka at the Fukko Kiln in Tobe Town. Later, when his father, Shunichi, quit his job and purchased a kiln at home, Tobe Pottery became more familiar to him. At the age of 20, he began helping out at the “Wasagama Kiln” and became a full-fledged ceramic artist.

Etude Patterns in Black and White

Mr. Yamamoto’s representative work is a flowing “etude pattern. When he first began his career as a potter, he often painted traditional patterns. Sometimes for fun, he would draw free patterns that differed from the traditional patterns that were the starting point of his etude patterns. I started drawing free-form patterns that were different from traditional patterns,” he says. In 2007, he won the Grand Prize at the Ehime Ceramic Art Exhibition. With the concept of black and white, his unique “Washo” series of design art was born, opening the way for his work.

Molded by rokuro making and tatara making. Although the motifs are not specific, he draws freehand through his own filter, depicting scenes he saw as a child, such as the local sea and waves. The core of his work is “a pleasant sensation when drawing.” He is not bound by traditional patterns such as arabesques and whirlpools, but rather trusts his own sense of style and draws freely.

His use of color is also characteristic. While white porcelain and indigo or blue are often associated with Tobe ware, Yamamoto’s etude patterns are unified with black gosu, which has a strong black coloring. This creates a contemporary and tightened look. The glaze is applied thinly. Unlike the heavy weight of Tobe ware, the practical aim is to make it as light as possible as a tool to be used in the hand, and the effect is to clearly show the border between black and white, a characteristic of Yamamoto’s design.

There are whiter clay than Tobe ware all over the country, and I was tempted to think what kind of expression I could achieve if I added black to it. But I wanted to use Abobe clay. I am familiar with it, but I also want to protect it in the world of Tobe pottery, which is open to new expressions. This is how Yamamoto’s work is born, with its beautiful contrast between the soft bluish white porcelain and deep black with cobalt tints, a characteristic of Tobe ware.

Combining practicality and originality

In 2017, the “tension” product, a set of cup & plate, sauce container & plate, was selected for the “LEXUS NEW TAKUMI PROJECT 2017. He says he likes to think about and create not only vessels but also practical things. The driving force behind his creations is the idea of “making something that fits the scene,” with an emphasis on practicality. He is conscious of adding new elements of his own to tools that can be used in everyday life. As soon as an idea is born, he starts working on it, and the number of works he has produced is too large to keep track of.

Sometimes he feels that simply following standard shapes is not enough for his products. One of his goals is to explore forms and uses that he has conceived from scratch, rather than using products that already exist.

His style is also broad. They range from designs that make it easy to incorporate Tobe ware into daily life to the “UNLEASH” series, which incorporates Yamamoto’s skills in three-dimensional molding of skulls, dragons, and other shapes. Many of the works are born from requests, and all kinds of requests arrive, including lighting fixtures, calligraphy tools, urns, and reproductions of memorable dolls. The requests feel like a challenge and inspire him to create.

The Freedom of Tobe Pottery and What It Should Preserve

Yamamoto says that Tobe Pottery is a free environment where tradition and innovation coexist. There are many opportunities for young people to learn in Tomochi, including the “Tomochi Ceramic Art School,” and the entire community is making efforts to nurture them. Because the world of Tobe pottery accepts free expression, there is a “foundation of freedom” in the use of Tobe clay, and each piece is handmade and hand-painted.

The company is also looking to the future as a long-lasting traditional craft, not only in terms of training the makers and successors, but also in terms of sustainability as a ceramic stone production center. The senior potters of Tobe Pottery are still searching for new ideas and continuing to create new works. I want to continue making pottery even when I am 80 years old,” Yamamoto says.

It is not easy to get people to choose expensive traditional crafts for their everyday tools,” he says. That is why we need to communicate the values of each brand.

Tobe ware, which has accumulated 250 years of history, not only preserves the past, but also continues to create forms and designs that are in tune with the lifestyle of the times. While the traditions are still there, they evolve to suit the sensibilities and lifestyles of the users. This progress will never cease.

The post A New World of Tobe Pottery Spun by Etude Patterns in Black and White. Kazuya Yamamoto of Wasagama Kiln / Matsumae Town, Iyo County, Ehime Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Kisarigeki Kiln is a pottery kiln that uses materials mainly from within Iwate Prefecture to create pottery that brings out the best of the materials.
Using a variety of techniques, they skillfully express the beauty of the Iwate region in their pottery. The warmth and strength of the clay and the ease of use in everyday life make their pottery a must-see.

A studio that produces warmth

Morioka City is located in the center of Iwate Prefecture. The Takamatsu Pond there is known as a swan flying site. Yuichi Yukinoura’s pottery studio, Kisaragi Kiln, is located on a hill adjacent to the pond. Mr. Yukinoura studied mathematics in the Faculty of Education at Iwate University, but majored in art as a minor. He studied classical painting, including frescoes, and after graduating from the mathematics department, he took a special art course and studied pottery in Nopporo, Hokkaido.

When Nakata commented on the “softness” of the tableware and other pieces lined up in the studio, Yukinoura said, “I am often told that they are warm. Indeed, the works on the shelves all have a simple warmth that comes from the relaxed nature of the clay. Yukinoura creates such tableware every day, which would be comforting to have on one’s dining table.

Using Local Products from Iwate

The dishes are only as good as the people who use them, ” says Yukinoura. I think it’s no good if you can’t make everyday tableware,” he says. Although he sometimes creates so-called “works of art” for exhibitions, at the core of his work is his commitment to making everyday vessels. This feeling can be sensed in the fact that he creates dishes that are not only stylish in appearance, but also easy to use.

Yukinoura also makes ceramics using as much as possible materials from Iwate, such as soil and ash. Most of his pottery is made of clay from Tono, Hanamaki, and Shiwa, but he also blends in a little fire-resistant Shigaraki clay for strength. He also uses apple ash to create a unique texture by layering the ash glaze over and over again in varying proportions to give it a glass-like thickness. Lacquer is also used as a glaze for ceramics. The surface of the finished piece is then lacquered with lacquer to prevent it from absorbing moisture during use.

He searches for materials in the wide area of Iwate Prefecture and always enjoys variations of clay. He is constantly experimenting with how to make the most of its completely different expressions.

Nakata is also fascinated by the pottery experience.

Yukinoura-san uses a variety of techniques, including rokuro (potter’s wheel), hand-building, and mold making, but this time, he allowed us to try our hand at making pottery using the tatara technique. The tatara technique is a method of forming a sheet of dough into a shape. It is a different and more difficult process than using a potter’s wheel, where a lump of clay is formed into a shape.

The shape must be changed slowly and gradually during the molding process, or else it will become distorted. Also, if the force applied for shaping is not uniform, tempering will occur during the firing process, which is another cause of deformation.

Nakata also took advice on how to shape the pieces little by little. He found himself so absorbed in the process that he ended up making two bowls and even a flat plate. Once the molding is done, the final step is to put a pattern on it and it is done. We are looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Ms. Yukinoura is trying to convey the simple and warm presence of clay that we have almost forgotten through her works. The design of his tableware, coupled with his desire to convey this warmth, will become a part of our daily lives.

I work hard every day, hoping that the works of Kisaragi Kiln will enrich the lives of those who use them. I hope that my works will enrich the lives of people who use them.

The post Pottery that brings warmth to everyday life: ceramic artist Yuichi Yukinoura / Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Yoshio Sakai, who runs a workshop called “Rokurosha” in the Kawada district of Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, the birthplace of the traditional craft of Echizen lacquerware, has been devising and commercializing minimalist designs that take advantage of the beauty of wood grain, which only a woodworker can appreciate.

The Shrinking Work of the Woodworker

The Kawada area in the mountains east of Sabae City, located in the center of Fukui Prefecture, has been producing Echizen lacquerware for more than 1,500 years. Lacquerware production is based on a division of labor, and even today, craftsmen skilled in such specialized techniques as woodworking, undercoating, intermediate coating, overcoating, and decoration have set up their own workshops and are self-supporting.

Among these, the woodworker is also called a “jijiya” (woodworker) or “rokuro-shi” (turner), because he or she turns a potter’s wheel and applies the blade to the wood to hollow out bowls, trays, and other objects. In Fukui Prefecture, too, the name “Rokuroshi” still remains in Echizen-cho, Niugun, relatively close to the nationally known Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (Katsuyama City), indicating that woodworkers were active in the area.

Today, however, the number of woodworkers has been shrinking due to the spread of inexpensive materials such as plastic that can be cut out of molds, and only a few bowl makers remain in Kawawada. It was 15 years ago that Mr. Sakai, a native of Otaru, Hokkaido, jumped into the “declining sun” of the woodworking industry.

Using the beauty of wood grain in bowls, which only a woodworker knows how to do.

The “BASE” series of vessels, which Mr. Sakai invented and commercialized himself, features a sturdy, vertical design with a beautiful grain of wood and a ceramic-like base. The “wuki-urushi” technique, in which raw or black lacquer is repeatedly applied and wiped off with a cloth, is used to finish the product, so the original wood grain and warmth of the underlying surface can be enjoyed, and the more it is used, the more luster it acquires. The materials used include mizume-zakura, zelkova, tochi, and sen. “I wanted the users to see the charm of the grain that I felt when I was making the wooden base,” says Sakai. By applying lacquer, which is not mixed with pigments or other colors, the fine grains of the wood give it a sense of weight and a modern feel.

Hints of the unique form come from the bowls of the table

The roots of the rugged yet sophisticated shape can be found in old bowls, which Mr. Sakai likes to use. He was inspired by the bowls of the medieval times, when people ate by arranging dishes on the floor or on a table, and took inspiration from Goshika bowls, Yi Dynasty vessels, and ritual vessels made in Noto Town, Ishikawa Prefecture. The bowls are tall, easy to lift, and stable. The bowls are also suitable for serving soups, soups and rice. When used at the table, it does not stand out too much, but when placed on a shelf with other tableware, its linear form gains presence, and the longer it stays with you, the more you will be charmed by its expression that changes over time.

Receiving an order for tableware during a consultation

Another of Mr. Sakai’s representative products is the “Only Bowl. Using a “rokurosha,” a wagon that has been converted to allow work on it, he visits stores and events throughout Japan to give demonstrations and create original bowls by semi-custom order, combining shapes and lacquers. The material is zelkova, and there are five shapes, including kihon, hazori (edge warp), and tsubomi. The shapes of the bowls are also incorporated into the bowls, such as “Imoni Bowl” for Yamagata Prefecture, “Sara Udon Dish” for Nagasaki Prefecture, and so on, which are familiar to the locales and climates of the regions they have visited. Seven types of lacquering are available, including clear, wipe lacquer, and shin-nuri. The shape of the bowl is determined by counseling the customer face to face, asking them what shape, size, and purpose they need. He also provides detailed instructions on how to care for them.

A young man who wanted to be free became a craftsman.

Mr. Sakai, who is tackling new challenges one after another, says of himself, “I always want to be free, and I don’t have any goals or plans. I am the type of person who goes his own way,” he analyzes. In his youth, he attended design school, went abroad, and wandered around the country until he was 25 years old, He decided to learn the techniques as a trainee at the Echizen Lacquer Ware Cooperative Association.

Questions about the position of the wood craftsman in the production area

After three years of training, he established his own business, Rokurosha, in 2014 at the age of 34. At the same time, he got married, but opportunities for subcontract work did not present themselves for a craftsman with little experience. My wife’s parents are also craftsmen, so they were worried that I would have to bow down to the wholesalers or join the union,” he said. However, Mr. Sakai saw the decline of the production area while continuing to do things the old-fashioned way, and he had his doubts.

The vessels worked on by subcontractors simply go through the process of making lacquerware and then into distribution. They have no opportunity to communicate the quality of their products to the outside world, and they do not know how much they are priced. Mr. Sakai felt that if he could communicate the high quality of the bowls made in Kawada, they would reach the people who use them.

Plant planter born as an original project

If I can’t get work, I’ll make it myself,” he thought. He began planning an original product to be exhibited at trade shows and directly communicate the quality of his products to users.

He decided that there was no need to stick only to eating utensils in the first place. He changed his point of view and created a planter for plants using thinned cedar wood from Fukui Prefecture. Under the concept of “redefining value,” the planter was made of a material that would return to the soil in the end, and was designed with the idea of enjoying the fun of the process of cracking, splitting, and decay as it is used.

A path pioneered by a woodworker who cannot be pigeonholed into the conventional wisdom

The “TIMBER POT” was carved from a cedar log that had withstood the wind and snow of deep snow in Fukui, and designed without painting to bring the individuality of the grain expression to the fore. The product was exhibited at Interior Lifestyle 2015, an international trade fair for interior and lifestyle product design held at Tokyo’s Big Sight, where it received the “Young Designer Award” for the best designer.

A big breakthrough for “TIMBER POT.”

The extra prize was an invitation to ” Ambiente ” in Germany, the world’s largest interior trade fair. It was a great stimulus to be in a place where designers and buyers from all over the world gathered. In addition, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry selected the company for “The WONDER500,” a project to promote local products to overseas markets. The concept and design of the “TIMBER POT” became the talk of the town, and was covered by many media outlets.

Only one year after becoming independent. As his name became well known, the number of subcontracting jobs increased, but then the business gradually slowed down. In the process, Sakai began to realize the immaturity of his own skills as a wood craftsman.

The response he got from the “RENEW” event in the production area

He felt that he could not compete on the same playing field as a woodworker who had been grinding on a full-fledged wheel. At that time, a trade fair ” RENEW ” was held in which traditional craftsmen in the Kawada district and other areas cooperated with each other. It was a large-scale event for traditional crafts, attracting about 37,000 visitors over three days (in 2022), including many studio tours and talk events.

Among them, Mr. Sakai’s only bowl was well received by the younger generation who visited. There are definitely people who are interested in and cherish tradition, and they go to great lengths to visit the countryside,” said Mr. Sakai. We hope we can deliver our approach to craftsmanship and our commitment to quality to these people,” he said.

He would make samples of each process, including shape, paint, and process, and explain them directly to customers face-to-face. Seeing a breakthrough in this area, Sakai decided to travel throughout Japan himself, relying on acquaintances with whom he had been maintaining close ties through social networking services and other means.

Winning Patterns” in Human Connections

As he traveled to nationally known boutiques and small local general merchandise stores to take orders for bowls, “I began to see a winning pattern,” he said. Orders are paid for in advance, but delivery takes six months, and the price is a hefty 10,000 to 20,000 yen. Even so, he has found that the motivation to purchase Mr. Sakai’s bowls is not the location or brand, but trust in the person. In other words, going to a place where people (shopkeepers) are accompanied by people (customers), and then carefully conveying one’s thoughts and feelings to foster trust in the product is what moves customers.

The Challenge of Crowdfunding

Next, Mr. Sakai came up with the outlandish idea of moving the workshop itself and having customers watch him work at various destinations. He believed that responding to customers’ detailed requests on the spot and allowing them to experience the manufacturing process itself would lead to the greatest trust and interest in his products. Local wood could also be used as a material.

Thus, in June 2020, Sakai launched a crowdfunding campaign for the production of a mobile workshop “rokurosha,” and thanks to widespread enthusiasm expressed through social networking and talk events, the project was a success with much support from the younger generation, mainly from urban areas. The project raised approximately 3.3 million yen, nearly twice the target amount. The completed “rokurosha” has now visited 20 stores in 15 prefectures.

Thinking about the lacquerware industry as a craftsman who lives in the production area

Currently, Mr. Sakai is actively planning original products. He is actively involved in the planning of original products. He also undertakes product planning in collaboration with interior design stores and other companies, and shares the work he creates with local craftspeople. He says, “I hope I can be of some help in making the production area as prosperous as possible and helping it to survive.

Facing the world anew as a craftsman

Even now that his manufacturing business is on track, Mr. Sakai feels that “in the end, what I have been doing is not the high road as a craftsman.

What I devote most of my time to now is facing the process of making. He spends more time in the workshop to further develop his skills and knowledge. He is also interested in researching the history of wood-working and the Ainu lacquerware culture of his native Hokkaido.

He says, “I had never studied craft, design, art, or business properly, so I had to research and learn each time. But before I knew it, it had become part of my blood.

His own projects have led to an increase in business, and the production area has become more prosperous. In this way, he has felt the joy of working on projects with the help of “everyone. Now, however, he thinks it is more important to improve his own skills as a craftsman and hone his techniques. I feel that communicating this to the public will add something new to the craftsmanship of the production area.

How will the vessels that Mr. Sakai creates in the future change? The future of the wood craftsman may be one of the patterns that emerge.

The post Beautiful vessels with an appearance made by a wood craftsman of Echizen lacquerware who is not bound by the region of production Rokurosha, Yoshio Sakai / Sabae, Fukui, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Kiyomizu-yaki, Kyoto’s representative pottery, may remind many people of Japanese-style dishes with gorgeous painted decoration. The ceramic artist Kiyomizu Daisuke creates pottery that is far from such an image and is supported by young consumers and professional chefs.

Craftsmen working in his studio can be seen. TOKINOHA Ceramic Studio in Kiyomizuyaki Danchi, Kyoto

The Kiyomizuyaki Industrial Park in Yamashina-ku, located in the eastern part of Kyoto City and bordering Shiga Prefecture, is an industrial park developed in the 1960s and is lined with ceramic artists’ stores, studios, and stores selling materials. In one corner is TOKINOHA Ceramic Studio, run by Mr. Shimizu and his ceramist wife, Tomoe.

The store in front of you as soon as you enter is their brand TOKINOHA. The shop offers a wide variety of pottery in a space where visitors can choose pottery while watching craftsmen at work in the studio through a glass window.

The simple shapes and colors make you want to keep them by your side every day. Yet, they are stylish enough to lift the spirits of those who use them. However, they may not be what you would call “Kyoto-like” tableware. In fact, some of my competitors have said to me, ‘This is not Kiyomizu-yaki,'” says Shimizu.

What are the Characteristics of Kiyomizuyaki?

In fact, however, there are no rules regarding the materials and techniques used in Kiyomizuyaki. Kiyomizuyaki is a type of pottery that originated in the Azuchi-Momoyama to early Edo periods, when the tea ceremony was popular, and artisans from all over Japan were called to the capital of Kyoto to make vessels using techniques from various regions in response to requests from the authorities and cultural figures of the time. Therefore, Kiyomizuyaki is filled with the essence of the whole country, and people are free to choose how they want to use it.

He says, “With the spirit of creating something from here, we search for clay from all over the country and bake the best products. Perhaps that spirit is what Kiyomizuyaki is all about. I hope to tell people through my work that there is such a thing as Kiyomizuyaki,” says Mr. Shimizu.

How did Mr. Shimizu arrive at his current style?

The concept of “Kiyomizuyaki for the appreciation of life,” a concept that has undergone numerous changes

Mr. Shimizu was born in an area called Iwakura, south of Sakyo-ku, which occupies the northeastern part of Kyoto City from north to south. He was born and raised in a family of potters: his great-grandfather was Rokubei Shimizu V, a Kiyomizu-yaki potter who has been a master since the mid-Edo period, and his father, Hisashi Shimizu, is also a potter. His father, Hisashi Shimizu, was also a potter. After graduating from high school, however, he entered the Department of Environmental Design at Kyoto Prefectural University and majored in architecture. At that time, he did not envision a future as a ceramic artist at all.

The change came while he was still a student at the university. He chose the field of architecture because of his love of making things, but as he studied, he became aware of the many restrictions. At that time, he saw Hisashi devote himself to creating ceramics and thought, “My father is doing interesting things,” and decided to pursue ceramics as a career himself. After graduating from college, he studied ceramics at the Kyoto Prefectural College of Ceramic Technology, and after completing his studies, he became an apprentice to Yuichi Inokai, apotter who was a member of the Japan Crafts Association and had won numerous awards at domestic craft exhibitions. Here, however, Shimizu ran into a wall.

The pottery he had made to “win” did not stick. The days of no response from customers were hard.

At the time, Mr. Shimizu was working to exhibit his work in exhibitions, and he was desperate to create works that would leave a lasting impression and not be outdone by other exhibitors. He was desperate to create works that would be as impressive as those of the other exhibitors.

Tokinoha Ceramics was located in the city center, and people who happened to pass by often took a peek inside. However, many of these people would look at the whole place vaguely, and then simply walk out.

This ” non-response” was hard on Shimizu. As he repeated this experience, he began to feel that something was different about his previous works.

A simple vessel, stripped of individuality, is the result.

Shimizu began to actively listen to the comments of customers and friends from other industries who told him what they thought of his work.

They said, “It is interesting as a work of art, but it is not suitable for daily use.

If this part were a little different, it would be easier to use.

Shimizu’s goal was to create vessels that people of his own generation would want to use. He began to use a variety of techniques and to eliminate the decorations.

Around that time, Shimizu stopped exhibiting his work at exhibitions. He also settled on the brand concept of ” vessels that accompany people in their daily lives.

He says, “Even if I could create a piece that stood out in a group exhibition and win, it would be meaningless if people did not use it. Rather than trying to win with a single piece, I wanted people to feel something when they saw a “group” of my work. When I realized how to do that, I felt as if I had a breakthrough.

Because you can’t cheat on the number of pieces, it’s the plain dishes that are the hardest to make.

Around this time, Mr. and Mrs. Shimizu moved their base of operations to Kiyomizuyaki Danchi and changed their brand name from ” TOKINOHA Tobo” to ” TOKINOHA. It was 2011 when they began to operate their studio and store under the same name.

The characteristic of TOKINOHA’s pottery, says Shimizu, is ” simple forms that at first glance appear to be nothing. For example, he says, it is difficult for a potter to create a simple form like a plain plate.

Researching glazes to create a wide variety of colors and designs

Shimizu has also been experimenting with glazes since his days at Tokinoha Tobo, creating vessels in a variety of colors.

One of his popular series is ” copper” using copper glaze. The blue color is particularly popular, and even Western chefs, who normally do not like blue dishes because it is said to be a color that reduces appetite, choose blue dishes, saying, “This blue dish can be used. This episode is typical of TOKINOHA, which is devoted to “subtractive” design and has worked to create dishes that complement the food.

To respond to the feelings of those who use it. Launching the “SOU-SIRO” brand exclusively for chefs

TOKINOHA’s tableware is known for being supported by professional chefs.

When Mr. Shimizu started working on simple tableware, TOKINOHA’s tableware caught the eye of a chef, who ordered a complete set of tableware for his restaurant. Another chef saw this and placed an order for TOKINOHA, and soon the orders began to flow in one after another. Shimizu’s willingness to make fine adjustments while incorporating the opinions of the chefs and people around him in order to meet the needs of the users led to trust and a reputation for his work.

Mr. Shimizu also learned a lot from his relationships with chefs.

He has learned how to be attentive to trends and how to incorporate them into his recipes, how to observe customers and find solutions to problems, and how to think about how to incorporate those solutions into a dish. He was inspired by the high level of mindset of the chefs.

Furthermore, as he worked more and more with the chefs, he also became aware of some things.

For example, what each customer requires in terms of the size, shape, texture, and ease of handling of the dishes, etc., varies widely, and there is no standard that all chefs can agree on. Therefore, in 2017, TOKINOHA launched “SOU-SIRO,” a brand dedicated to chefs that specializes in custom-made products, separately from TOKINOHA. Through this business, Shimizu’s involvement with even more chefs has deepened and broadened his awareness of the issues he faces as a business owner.

Making a Pottery Artist a “Sustainable Job

In fact, there was something that had stuck with Mr. Shimizu since his days at pottery school. There were few heirs among his classmates, and many of them were beginners in the ceramic arts.

There was a time when about 80% of the students were heirs. However, nowadays, more and more people do not choose to become potters because they see their parents’ hardships. On the other hand, those who enter the school are those who do not know such backgrounds. As a result, he has seen many people become stuck after becoming potters.

They can learn pottery techniques at school, but they rarely have the opportunity to learn how to make a living,” he said. That is why I want to focus my efforts on making ceramics a proper business, so that people can continue to work in it.

Creating a portal site exclusively for ceramic artists

One of the reasons why it is difficult for potters to make a living is the problem of ” distribution. Shimizu’s thoughts were reinforced when real stores closed and many potters lost their sales channels due to lifestyle changes that occurred after 2019.

In October 2019, hoping to help solve the problem, Shimizu launched “Soho,” a portal site for ceramic artists, and also worked on branding advice. He believed that if potters could develop the ability to sell their work on their own, without going through distribution, it would help revitalize the industry. Having felt that these activities had achieved a certain level of success, the “Soho” service was terminated at the end of November, 2022.

In order to promote the appeal of Kiyomizuyaki throughout Japan and to the world. Changes in the Way the Pottery Market is Held

It has been 11 years since TOKINOHA moved to the Kiyomizuyaki complex. When TOKINOHA first moved to the new location, even Mr. Shimizu, who was born in Kyoto, felt a sense of being away from home.

However, there have been changes as he continues to struggle as a member of the Kiyomizuyaki complex.

In October 2022, the “Kiyomizuyaki no Sato Festival” was held for the first time in three years, and at the suggestion of Mr. Shimizu, several changes were made to the way thepottery marketwas run. The first was to start from scratch every year to broaden the scope of new exhibitors. The second was to restrict exhibitors to those involved in the Kyoto and Kiyomizuyaki ceramic industry by prohibiting those from other prefectures from exhibiting at the festival.

This would not only give more people involved in pottery production in Kyoto a chance to exhibit, but would also establish the identity of Kiyomizuyaki and appeal to the whole country and the world. The festival also aimed to avoid the situation where visitors to the festival bought pottery they thought was Kiyomizu-yaki, only to find out that it was made in another prefecture. In November 2022, the TOKINOHA tag line will be renewed, and the concept will be changed to “Kiyomizuyaki for the appreciation of life. Mr. Shimizu’s own brand concept has also returned to the keyword “Kiyomizuyaki.

Even those who once said, “This is not Kiyomizuyaki,” have come to trust Mr. Shimizu, who spares no effort or ideas to revitalize the Kiyomizuyaki industry.

He says, “We have been challenged and nurtured here, and that is why we are here today. That’s why we are here today.

Mr. Shimizu’s sincere attitude will no doubt continue to update the Kiyomizu-yaki industry and the ceramic world.

The post Kiyomizuyaki like this. Daisuke Shimizu of Kiyomizuyaki “TOKINOHA” for tasting life / Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Shion Tabata has her Shion Kiln in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, one of Japan’s most famous vacation homes. In addition to his original creations, he is also energetically engaged in copying Ogata Kenzan, a well-known potter of the Edo period, and Kitaoji Rosanjin, a well-known gourmet and potter, and is a popular ceramic artist among people of all ages. We visited his studio to learn how he creates the warmth and gentleness that spills from his pottery and the charm that makes his pottery picturesque on its own.

Becoming an antique dealer out of a desire to “do what I love for a living

Originally from Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Ms. Tabata met her current husband and moved to Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. After the peak of her child-rearing years had passed, when she was in her late 30s, she began looking for a job to supplement her living expenses. She decided that she wanted to do what she loved anyway, so she looked for a job as an antique dealer, something she had been interested in for a long time. Although the peak of his career had passed, he was still raising his children and wanted to work on weekdays when they were at school. The only one that remained was Tanimatsuya Toda Shoten, an Osaka-based tea ceremony utensil dealer that has been in business since the Edo period. The company is said to be the largest antique dealer in Japan, but I had no idea about that at the time. I was offered an interview, and from there, things went smoothly, and I started working there the day after my interview.

Antiques learned from a great benefactor, Teiichi Yuki, a master of Japanese cuisine.

He worked there for about five years, more than half of which he was sent to help Teiichi Yuki, the founder of the Japanese restaurant Kitcho, organize his storehouse for the establishment of an art museum.

In the course of his duties, Mr. Tabata had the opportunity to hear Mr. Yuki talk about the time when he collected antiques, to actually touch them, and to learn about their splendor. This experience was one of the important turning points that led Mr. Tabata, who was almost a novice, to become interested in pottery making.

From a trivial experience to the world of ceramics

In this way, Mr. Tabata deepened his knowledge of the real world of ceramics, but when the ” Yuki Museum of Art, ” which he helped establish, opened in 1987, it was as if his busy life up to that point was a lie, and he found he had a lot of free time on his hands.

Around that time, he moved to an area on the border of Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture and Kita Ward, Kobe City. Several factors came together, including the completion of a major project he had been involved in and the longer commute to work, and Mr. Tabata decided to quit his job.

After his resignation, he wondered, “Couldn’t I make something that I had seen before,” as if to fill the empty time he had left after his retirement. For example, “It would be wonderful if I could hold a tea ceremony as a hobby using vessels I made,” he began to think.

It was something as trivial as that that inspired him to start making ceramics.

Failures in Ceramic Making

This is how Mr. Tabata’s pottery-making activities began. However, although he had some knowledge from his antique art experience, he had never taken a pottery class and did not understand even the basics of pottery. For the time being, he tried to make pottery only by self-study, but all he did was fail.

Meeting potter Sadamitsu Sugimoto and going his own way

One day, Daikame Roshi, the abbot of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto and a well-known tea master, introduced me to the potter Sadamitsu Sugimoto.

Mr. Sugimoto asked me if I would like to use the same kiln that he uses. If it is the same kiln, it will be easier to teach you if you don’t understand something,” and he suggested that I use the same type of kiln as the one he uses. Later, Mr. Sugimoto’s talent as a potter was widely recognized, and he became unimaginably busy, making it impossible to contact him at all.

When he purchased a kiln, he had high hopes that the kiln supplier would at least teach him how to fire it, but he was told, “I can’t teach you how to fire and fill a kiln because each potter has his own way of firing and filling a kiln. I read a book on pottery making, but it was of no help to me. I tried to use the highest quality glaze, but without knowing how to control the temperature of the kiln, all the glaze I had applied on the surface ran off. However, the kerosene kiln, which he purchased for about 1.5 million yen, was not a cheap purchase, and his desire to make vessels for use in the tea ceremony was stronger than anything else.

He continued to make pottery on his own, firing and firing, while receiving opinions from Mr. Yugi and Master Okame. This was another important turning point for Shion Tabata as a ceramic artist.

To be able to make a convincing copy of Ogata Kenzan.

This turning point was the work of Ogata Kenzan, whom he had the good fortune to hold in his hands several times during the launch of the Yugi Museum of Art. In the style of Kensan’s works, which have many graphic elements, white makeup is applied and paintings and characters are drawn on the white makeup using a devil’s board.

From then on, he continued to draw tea bowls on the potter’s wheel, apply white makeup, draw pictures, and continue firing without limit. However, the work that came out of the kiln was far from what he had expected. However, he did not give up and continued to make and fire pieces, changing glazes and repeating trial and error over and over again. As a result, he gradually became able to produce a copy of Kenzan that he was satisfied with.

Shion Tabata as a ceramic artist

Every year since he started making pottery, Tabata had been presenting Mr. Yuki and Master Daikame with his best work of the year on their birthdays.

However, at that time, I was giving away the best work of the year, so I did not think I could always produce the same quality of work, and although I was grateful, I did not ask for an exhibition at a department store. In the meantime, Master Okame asked me, “Why don’t you hold an exhibition here?” and he introduced me to a gallery in Nagoya with which he was familiar. There, his works of Kensan and Rimpa style were highly appreciated, the number of exhibitions increased, and the name of “Shion Tabata” as a ceramic artist gradually became well known.

Valuing human relationships, he built an anagama kiln in Karuizawa.

Some time later, in order to broaden the scope of his creations, Mr. Tabata decided that he wanted to build an anagama kiln for firing Iga Shigaraki.

However, most of the places where anagama kilns can be built are deep in the mountains or far from human settlements.

For Mr. Tabata, who became involved in pottery making through relationships with people, relationships with people are an important factor. In 2004, he decided to open a kiln in Karuizawa, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano Prefecture, one of the most popular vacation homes in Japan, where many people gather from all over the country.

Then, he came across a mountainous area of about 1,500 tsubo. After purchasing the land, he cut trees, made roads, and lived like a pioneer, gradually creating an environment for pottery making.

It takes seven days, or 168 hours, to fire a single batch of Iga-Shigaraki in the completed anagama. During this time, it is necessary to keep the kiln constantly burning wood, which is something that cannot be done by a single person. With the help of his partner, the two of them take turns sleeping for 12 hours at a time to keep the kiln burning. The income is not commensurate with the labor. Frankly speaking, if he had continued to make pottery in Kobe instead of moving all the way to the mountains, he would not have had to build a new kiln, and he would have had no financial or physical problems if he had just copied the Qianzan style that was taking off at the time.

However, if I had not come here, cleared the mountains, created the soil, built the anagama, and lived with this magnificent nature, I would not have been able to take a new step forward. He also says that the most important thing is that the hardships he experienced here were more than compensated for by the wonderful and gratifying encounters he had with people.

Blessed with and weaving relationships with people

Mr. Tabata’s life as a potter has been blessed by the relationships he has had with people ever since he started working at Tanimatsuya Toda Shoten. The favors he has received from Mr. Yugi, Master Okame, Mr. Sugimoto, and other famous and wise people have been more than enough for him to spread his wings as a potter.

At the same time, however, it was also a source of great pressure for Mr. Tabata. If I produced a bad product, I would have disgraced the people who supported me,” he said. That is why I worked so hard to the bitter end,” says Tabata.

This desire was directly linked to the improvement of his skills and knowledge, and as a result, he has not only brought disgrace to the faces of his benefactors, but has also produced excellent works that make them proud of their achievements. Nowadays, his successors admire Mr. Tabata, and his back is followed by those who follow him.

Shion Tabata’s world of pottery is filled with the “gentleness” of human relationships and the “toughness” of pursuing what she loves.

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淡く幻想的な磁器 「陶芸家 筒井廣明」／長野県安曇野市 – NIHONMONO 1000年前に作られた白磁器の存在感。 筒井廣明さんは、長野は安曇野に窯を構える陶芸家。独立する以前は、197

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温かみのある黄瀬戸のうつわ「陶芸家 小松幸代」／長野県茅野市 – NIHONMONO りんどうの窯の“黄瀬戸” 小松幸代さんの作る器は、「黄瀬戸」と呼ばれるもの。これは桃山時代、主に美濃で焼かれた

The post Shion Tabata, a ceramic artist who has been loved by people for her “work what you love” / Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Teppei Kojima, a ceramic artist who produces pottery under the name “Tetsu Kobo” in Aburagi-cho, Nagasaki, produces a large number of everyday-use vessels using traditional techniques and raw materials he has researched independently.

The “living creatures” series, which depicts the “living forms” of animals he has seen with his own eyes, and other works
have a unique appearance that is hard to find anywhere else.

Typical slipware has a soft, rounded comb pattern and a lattice pattern, but Teppei Kojima, who has a studio in Nagasaki City, creates slipware with a distinctly unique appearance using creatures as a motif. We visited ” Tetsu Kobo ” to meet Mr. Kojima, who is almost entirely self-taught in pottery making.

What is slipware?

Slipware is pottery that is decorated with a muddy clay called ” slip ” and fired. The unique texture of slipware, represented by soft, rounded stripes and wave patterns, has a solid presence that can only be achieved by hand.

Vessels born in England and raised in Japan

Slipware, which was made actively in England from the 18th to the 19th century, was mainly used as oven dishes, and was brought to the table as it was baked, supporting the daily dining table. Slipware was eventually swallowed up by the wave of industrialization and disappeared as mass-produced products became more common, but the founders of the Mingei (folk art) movement, including Muneyoshi Yanagi, took notice of slipware in faraway Japan. Their encounter with English potter Bernard Leach brought slipware back into the spotlight, and it gradually gained recognition, becoming increasingly popular in the 2000s.

Infinitely Expanding Slipware Patterns

Slipware is characterized by stripes and arrow feather patterns with rounded, soft curves. Well-known methods include drawing patterns on top of freshly-dried decorative clay with a dropper or tube, or scratching patterns on top of it with a stick. Because each piece is hand-painted, no two vessels are the same, and the artist’s individuality overflows into the slipware, which is another interesting aspect of slipware. Among them, Nagasaki-based ceramic artist Teppei Kojima continues to create unique slipware with motifs of living creatures.

From a Salaried Worker to a Potter

A room in a small building in Nagasaki City. When you step into “Tetsu Kobo,” your eyes are greeted by a hearth and the old tools that surround it. Books on folk arts and crafts lined the shelves, creating a world that resembled a small, cozy restaurant. Mr. Teppei Kojima, dressed in a kimono, greeted us.

The money is just enough to live on. I want to do what I love.

He was born in Nagasaki City. After graduating from university, he worked at a restaurant in Tokyo, but decided to leave and return to Nagasaki to find what he really wanted to do after spending too much time going back and forth between home and work. After that, he worked as a waterproofer, in sales, and as a manual laborer, but none of these jobs lasted long. On the other hand, Kojima began to take up ceramics after returning to his hometown and became absorbed in the art. He has loved making things ever since he can remember, and it was a precious time for him to lose himself in it. What he has always held in his heart is, ” All I need is enough money to make a living. I want to do what I love. It was a natural progression for him to pursue a career in ceramics.

When I was in college, there was a potter who stayed at my place of residence, and we would spend about a week fishing every day and drinking and talking with each other. Seeing his lifestyle, I envied him and thought, “If only I could become a potter, I could have such a life.

Painting for a change became his own style

Shortly after he started taking pottery classes, Kojima began to pay attention to slipware, which was gaining attention after a certain art magazine ran a feature on it. The teacher taught him the technique and he tried it at home, but “line drawings were difficult for an amateur and did not turn out well,” he recalls. Then, he happened to come across a book that featured the work of the late Kenji Funaki, one of Japan’s leading slipware artists, who had trained at Bernard Leach’s kiln in England.

He had trained at Bernard Leach’s kiln in England and was one of the most famous slipware artists in Japan. I tried drawing them myself as a change of pace, and to my surprise, it turned out to be a good idea. I thought that painting might be better suited to me than lines.

He spent many nights at home until midnight, painting on vessels and then bringing them to the class to be fired. Finally, “My teacher told me to buy my own kiln,” he said, and he bought an electric kiln for himself. He taught himself to study glazes and slip techniques.

Becoming a Professional in Just Three Years

In 2011, two years after he began making ceramics, Kojima received the Nagasaki Ceramics Exhibition’s Jury’s Special Prize. The following year, he won the Grand Prize in the category of ceramics for daily life at the same exhibition. In the same year, he was also approached by the ” Ginza Handicrafts Direct Seller ” at Matsuya Ginza, and this was the catalyst for his professional career.

I was asked to stay at the gallery for a week,” he said. But I was an office worker at the time, and I couldn’t take a week off work. If I refused, I thought, I would never become a potter.

Kojima decided to quit his job and devote himself to ceramics. Since then, he has steadily built a professional career, continuing to participate in the “Ginza Handicrafts Direct Selling Shop” every year.

Kojima-san is known for his paintings of living creatures.

Mr. Kojima is known for his vessels with lively creatures painted on them. In addition to his standard deer, octopus, and rabbit, in recent years, his yokai (monsters) series, including Nurikabe, Hitotsukomen, and Oni (ogres), have become popular.

Kojima’s view of the world, completed in three minutes

Slipware is made by pouring mud plaster (deisho, slip: a mixture of water and clay in a muddy state) on a freshly dried vessel, and then immediately painting over the top with another layer of mud plaster all at once. If it dries out, you will not be able to paint,” he said. Each dish takes only about three minutes to paint,” says Kojima.

Watching him paint, the process looks easy enough, but he has the experience to handle the pot with the right amount of pressure when holding the dropper filled with mud plaster. Even a single dot can change its balance if its size is slightly different,” says Kojima. It is really difficult to adjust the strength and weakness of the spot with the dropper.

If the amount of water in the mud plaster is too much, the painting will spread out and will not be finished beautifully, and the drying process is also prone to cracks and deformation due to the shrinkage rate. Conversely, too little water can cause the colors to peel off during the firing process, making the adjustment of mud plaster concentration an extremely important factor in slipware.

The speed at which the painting soaks into the slipware, the saltiness with which the lines spread, and the colors that emerge when the slipware is fired are all factors that must be considered when adjusting the density. You adjust the density while calculating these things. It is really difficult to make it thicker or thinner. Some people use a densitometer.

As much as possible, I use natural products that I made myself.

For the mud plaster, he uses bengara, a natural pigment. For the glaze, he uses a rare stone called kimachi-shiroishi, produced in Shimane, combined with a base of wood ash that he cooked himself. I can buy the ash if I want to, but I have to be careful about what kind of wood is used and where it comes from, and sometimes there are things other than wood mixed in, such as magazines and newspapers, so it is safer to make it myself,” he says. I try to make what I can myself,” he says.

Perhaps because of this, many of Kojima-san’s slipware have a somewhat gentle, natural feel to them, and his paintings have a light, unique, yet relaxed look to them.

They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. The 7″ plates are deep and easy to use for salads and oden, while the 5″ flat plates can be used as cake plates or serving plates. The 3″ bean plates are also carefully painted, and the expressions and lively movements of the animals and monsters never tire of being seen.

Seeking to establish his own style

Kojima says with a wry smile, “I’ve never been good at drawing pictures, so sometimes it’s hard for me. But, oddly enough, it was after seeing the late Kenji Funaki’s vessels that he began to draw pictures of living creatures, which led him to the path he is on today. Recently, he has made it a daily routine to draw ink paintings using ink he has ground himself, hoping to “improve my painting even if only a little.

At the same time, he is now adding to his collection of vessels made with sumi-hajiri ink. Sumi-Hajiri is a long-established technique of removing the white from the ink by utilizing the ink’s ingredients, and is contrasted with slipware, which is characterized by rounded corners, in that it produces a crisp, sharp look.

I didn’t go to pottery school, and I don’t have a proper teacher. That’s why I really have no choice but to do it as a round-robin competition. I think that if I continue to do this for a long time to come, one day I will be able to paint my own pictures and get closer to my own style,” he says with a cheerful laugh.

Kojima has found the right place to do what he truly loves. She says that although she took a slight detour, she has turned it all into a learning experience, and that her work is somehow gentle and warm. The mysterious sense of security that makes us want to pick up a piece of her work when we need a breather in our daily lives is a result of her commitment to making her customers happy. We hope you will add one of these pieces to your collection. You will find yourself with it in the front row of your cupboard.

I have been completing my work by clearing each challenge one by one in my own way. I am proud to say that these are my own unique vessels with my own unique twist. I hope you will keep it with you and use it a lot.

The post Teppei Kojima, “Tekkobo,” a slipware artist who is “almost entirely self-taught” / Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

You find yourself using them every day.
The pottery of Furuya Seitosho, which produces pottery based on the concept of “accompanying people in their daily lives,” is just such a type of vessel.
They produce simple and warm “Kohiki” pottery that suits the lifestyle of the moment.
Each piece of pottery is handmade and is comfortable to hold in your hand.

Hirokazu Furutani is the eldest son of Nobuo Furutani, who was the pioneer of Shigaraki ware’s white “Kohiki” pottery, and the successor to Furutani Seitosho. While inheriting his father’s traditional ceramic technique of “konpiki,” he is pursuing the creation of unique konpiki vessels that fit in with the lifestyle of the times.

Easy-to-use white vessels

Convenient “white dishes” that complement food and suit any situation. Among them, there is a type called ” kohiki. The reading of the word is “kohiki” or “kobiki. It is the official name of the technique, and is used to refer to all the white clay dishes that are glazed and fired after being coated with a white mud called “white makeup” on top of the base clay. Characterized by its simple and warm white color, it gently envelops any food and goes well with other dishes.

Furuya Pottery, which has a kiln in the pottery town of Shigaraki, has been focusing on “white glazed dishes” since its establishment in 1971.

Shigaraki ware tableware that brings out the texture of the clay

Shigaraki, known for its raccoon dog figurines, is a pottery town with about 200 kilns and pottery mills. Because the town is located where Lake Biwa used to be, it is blessed with clayey clay suitable for pottery. In the Warring States period, ceramics were used for tea ceremony utensils, and since the modern period, ceramics have been produced not only for tea ceremony but also for tiles, flowerpots, tanuki ornaments, and all kinds of other items. Today, the town is attracting attention for its artist’s tableware, which brings out the texture of the clay.

Furuya Pottery, located in a village a short distance from the center of town, is a popular pottery that produces warm and welcoming tableware that fits in well with both Japanese and Western dining tables.

Making the most of the characteristics of “kojiki” (powder-coated porcelain)

Furuya Seitosho uses a unique blend of red clay with high iron content. The clay is then coated with a white layer of mud and glazed. The simple earthiness of the clay can be seen a little beneath the surface of the vessel. I hope people can feel the layers of the clay, ” says Furuya. The three-layered structure of “red clay,” “white makeup,” and “glaze” gives the bowls their soft texture and charm.

However, the three-layer structure also has the drawback of being easily soiled. Therefore, Mr. Furuya established a new method of firing twice at a lower temperature. By firing twice, we were able to eliminate the tendency to stain and the lack of strength, making it easier for people to use it on a daily basis,” he says.

The taste of “kohiki” deepened by grinding

The process of scraping brings out the flavor of kohiki even more. After shaping and drying, the surface is scraped with a spatula or a planer to create patterns. As Mr. Furuya says, “The shaving process changes the piece completely,” the shading of the glaze on the three-dimensional lines and the presence of the underlying clay give the piece its unique flavor.

Consistent Ideas Passed Down from His Father

Mr. Furuya aspired to become a potter and studied ceramics at the Ceramic Experiment Station in Shigaraki and at the Rokuroku pottery school in Kyoto. When he was 22 years old and about to graduate, his father Nobuo fell ill. Nobuo decided to retire and take over his family’s pottery business, “Kosugi Seitosho. I was supposed to apprentice myself to an artist in Tajimi, but my father collapsed during that time, so I decided to return to my parents’ home,” he said. I was able to work with my father for about a year. He concentrated on learning to make vessels and honed his skills in the limited time he had, while tracing his memories of his father’s work that he had grown up watching as a child.

My father mainly made Japanese tableware, but the concept was for everyday use. My father’s and my tableware are different in form, but the concept is consistent. My father taught me how to make dishes that are the right size and lightweight, which are necessary to achieve this.

Seeking the voices of users

In his father’s generation, wholesaling to wholesalers was the main business, but after Mr. Furuya took over the workshop, he began to actively participate in nationwide pottery fairs and craft fairs in order to “get closer to the consumers. He has been actively participating in pottery fairs and craft fairs across the country to “get closer to the consumers.” This is because direct conversation with users enables him to keep his antenna up to date on what kind of pottery is in demand in the current era and lifestyle.

In fact, many people around us live in Western-style houses and eat Western food. So it is only natural that the type of dishes required are changing as well.

Modern Western dishes that go well with cakes. Stackable dishes that can be stored. Reasonably priced dishes that are not too expensive and can be used on a daily basis. In order to fulfill the various requests he heard on site, a wide variety of original tableware was added to the lineup.

Playful design created with a sense of freedom

One of Mr. Furuya’s most popular works is his fruit-shaped vessels, such as apples and pears. These vessels have a charm that makes you want to pick them up without thinking, and their soft curves are a distinctive feature.

The dishes are so beautiful that you can’t help but want to pick them up, and their soft curves make them easy to match with any dish.

What I want to create is a bowl that makes you feel at ease when you hold it in your hand. If the straight lines and curves are too neat, it will look uncomfortable in everyday life. That is why I always try to be conscious of softness.

Furuya’s experience as an artist has given her the ability to make her deliberate curves feel natural.

Seeking a More Realistic Voice

In a corner of the studio is a showroom designed to look like a living space. Visitors can actually hold the vessels in their hands and check their usability and texture while shopping. In addition, from July 2022, the main building standing next to the workshop has been renovated to open up the kitchen space. All of this is based on the belief that the value of a piece of pottery cannot be understood until it is used. He also holds cooking classes with chefs.

I’ve never known such a way of serving food,” he says! I never knew there was such a way to serve food! A dish is only complete when it is served. It’s a great learning experience to see the reactions of people who have used the dishes. Furuya’s dishes have a reputation for making food look delicious. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for her reputation.

Because it is something you use every day

Today, Furuya’s dishes are sought after at craft fairs around the country, and she has fans all over the country. However, he is not content to rest on his laurels and continues to pursue even better vessels.

He says, “It’s a bit of a birth pang, but I enjoy receiving new orders. I think I like the time I spend spinning the potter’s wheel more than anything. It makes me feel at peace.

They are like a companion that somehow accompanies you in every moment of your daily life, an indispensable part of your daily routine. Sometimes they are the main attraction on the dinner table, and sometimes they play a supporting role. They are the reliable tableware that one should have in one’s cupboard. Behind Ms. Furuya’s soft demeanor lies an unshakable core of strength. And yet, he is flexible and responsive. All of this seems to be reflected in the form of his work. We are sure that his hands will continue to produce vessels that will lead us into the future, taking into account the opinions of users and flexibly responding to changes in food culture and lifestyles.

The most important time in our daily lives is the time when the family gathers together to eat or relax over a cup of tea or coffee. I try to make pottery that gently accompanies people’s lives so that such time can be enriched.

The post Gentle texture and playful design of “Furuya Pottery’s” powdered dishes first appeared on NIHONMONO.