The Work of Japanese Ceramic Artists Creating Utensils for Daily Life and Nature

I think far more people struggle to instantly answer what they truly love it's not something you can suddenly start doing tomorrow but rather it's about asking yourself questions and digging deep within It's not exactly a question but I do have that feeling I'd heard of pottery before because my mom used to do it as a hobby but I never thought much of it as just a pastime—truth is I'd been working a different job for ten years I'm looking for a job I can really commit to and what really hooked me was taking ceramics classes —definitely the most memorable part It's like something a guy in his early thirties might do Something like a cultural center I guess—mostly older ladies there and that was the very first place I went I also visited private instructors but I gradually got hooked as I kept going It all started with wondering if this could actually turn into a job and the next year I ended up going to a training school balancing part-time work with job hunting You probably went to the pottery class four or five times a week got hooked came back to your hometown and started right here at events like Prima or craft fairs That's the approach—applying and getting accepted lets you exhibit It's been around two or three years now and gradually shops and such have started to emerge As for department store festival venues after being invited and asked if we'd like to participate the number of opportunities to exhibit started increasing around our third year Honestly my first year started right from the handmade market just like Primar but thankfully that's not the case anymore I think there was a bit at the beginning but it's definitely not something I rely on anymore But since I'd already made up my mind it's not really that painful you know It's just that my body actually hurts now like full-on muscle soreness really It's really tough—emotionally draining I mean Once I got started up to this point I think there probably won't be anything like that again from now on I guess there's some kind of decision or resolve that makes it possible There wasn't really a choice to stop or maybe it was the obsession that took over—those first few years really just loving things favorite colors simply liking blue that's all I'd love to go to a foreign cotton goods shop or something like that maybe pick up a little something here and there just kind of dropping in on things I like After that at first I used to go around selling it myself so I'd get reactions—or just people looking— and think "This might actually be good " but still not many people would pick it up I get the sense that people are more inclined to test things out rather than just sharing their own thoughts At first it was mostly about seeing favorite authors or art galleries themselves but lately it's changed a bit It's not just about natural scenery —something about the atmosphere like mist or forests and the sky too the very essence of natural landscapes In recent years it's been shifting toward showing things from that perspective more naturally—earlier on the technology just wasn 't there so it simply couldn't be replicated Maybe I could create something a bit closer now after all linking myself into nature just like the scenery—like the sky for instance—anyway for now They're very similar that's for sure I'll do it this way At first there was a standard kōbiki with white clay on red earth glazed with a transparent coating— there was a white vessel I really liked Whether in pottery class or during school I always liked doing that—applying colored glazes something I’ve rarely seen not really something you’d think of doing I initially thought if I'm using blue glaze I might not need white clay so I tried it that way but when I actually experimented I found that having white clay made it somehow better That's precisely why it's so important—maybe we feel strongly about wanting to do something a bit different At first I thought wow this is interesting—maybe I'd like to keep going never forgetting that initial feeling and sense of wonder that beginner's mindset—but apparently we end up forgetting all that and just go through our days I'm sending it but still the initial feeling—well it's unforgettable I suppose Even now whenever I think about it I wonder why I've kept going That's what makes it fun—there's definitely still some hardship but compared to that it feels overwhelmingly enjoyable I think it's also because we started from zero People who start out from art-related universities or similar institutions seem to begin from a much higher point than I did but I also ended up getting a job and earning a salary Starting from a completely different zero or even a negative point—there's almost no chance of going down since it gradually climbs up so it's better to say the starting point is low Its upward trend is inevitable starting from the ground up—this isn't just a feeling it's a fact When I began quite a well-known potter was already involved You said you couldn't do it unless you started from the inside but back then I had no idea what you meant—mostly because making things usually starts from the outside like the shape or the color you know That's the thing—lately I've just started to grasp it a bit so I guess continuing on like this is what I need digging into myself really understanding what I truly want what I genuinely enjoy and how it all naturally connects There's something about being in nature—it just feels better more comfortable you know That's exactly the kind of place I want to be but at the same time I want to dig deeper into myself to really uncover what I truly love I think far more people can't give an immediate answer than can It's not something you can just start doing tomorrow after someone tells you You have to ask yourself Dig deep within yourself like unearthing something precious There's a sense that everything connects—going to a delicious restaurant and noticing the tableware or visiting an art museum it all feels linked At first I was only chasing after shapes Feelings thoughts those kinds of emotions—lately it seems the inner essence itself might be changing perhaps even for someone like a ceramic artist who when it comes to making functional pieces for work The thing is I keep thinking it'd better if work could naturally emerge from daily life not quite self-sufficient but integrated right into it—pottery for instance really does fit that idea Since the Jōmon period thousands of years ago there 's been something enduring and unchanging isn't there There's a sense of being touched by that continuity but of course when we get to the present day I keep thinking there are too many unnatural things so I really want to position myself more naturally—something along the lines of living as a living being not just eating sleeping tilling and planting but in a more authentic way A natural one would better