A potter living in Kasama, Ibaraki, Japan.
1979 Born in Ibaraki Prefecture
2000 Graduated from the Department of Pop Art at Vantan Design Institute
2014 Finished the course of shape forming at College of Ceramic Arts, Industrial Technology Institute of Ibaraki Prefecture
2015 Finished the course of glazing at College of Ceramic Arts, Industrial Technology Institute of Ibaraki Prefecture
2015 Established a studio in Kasama City and started working with Yamato Kobayashi as Keizan
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- Artistic background and policies in production -
I simply adore the appearance of tea vessels such as tea pots. I entered College of Ceramic Arts hoping to be able to make one by myself. Once I started learning about the pottery, I realized the difficulty of making tea vessels, which are like the sum of techniques and aesthetics, and had a hard time. However the feeling of fulfillment and disappointment that I have when finishing one has become the enchantment that I cannot feel any other way. It has been the motivation for my creation.
Tea time is when one can take a breather over a cup of tea in the middle of busy days. A cup of tea can make you feel better even when you are exhausted. I think tea time has such a gentle power. And I am trying to create tea vessels with soft atmosphere that would fit to such moments.
CLAY
Since where I was born and raised is a production area of porcelain clay, I want to take advantage of it and use the local clay. I try to use the porcelain clay in Ibaraki prefecture including Kasama, as much as possible. Kasama’s clay is sticky and good for throwing. Also, its particles are fine and get tighten when fired. With those features, it is said to be suitable to produce vessels for daily use. I find it desirable for my creation and am planning to keep using it.
GLAZING
I use my original glaze which I created after a series of experiments with knowledge I got during my one-year training at College of Ceramic Arts. It is smooth to touch and runs on surface and creates some expression. I focused on those features when I produced it. I myself like the antiques and its cracking. So I intentionally make my pieces get crazed to render the antique atmosphere.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
Almost every piece of mine is made on a potter’s wheel. Tea cups, lids and spouts of teapots are made with a method called Kazuhiki, in which you repeatedly make same pieces from a big chunk of clay. A method called Tamahiki, in which you collect up certain amount of clay and make a piece one by one, is used to make the body of teapots. I decide on the final shapes after series of test production.
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