Revisiting ateliers and ancient kilns across Saitama, Tochigi, Shiga, and the edges of Kyoto. Part II.
In order:
1 Work of unknown potter from a community kiln in the hills of Saitama.
2-3 Mashiko, so called a potter’s paradise. More than 1,200 potters working within 50 km of Mashiko. I can only imagine what it’s like to work inside a community like that.
4 A clay sieving field in Mashiko.
5- 7 At Koichi
@onozawakoichi ’s and Noriko’s
@norikohonma_art studio. Honored to witness work shaped by such patience and knowledge, Urushi lacquer brushed onto bisqued ceramics, and paintings that speak their own language.
8 I was luck to find myself in Kamada Shōji’s exhibition at
@mashiko.museum .
9 - 10 Bernard Leach’s work
@theleachpottery Heavily influenced by China, Korea, and Japan, with his childhood spent in Asia.
11 - 13 Shoji Hamada’s work, a driving force in the folk craft movement, is celebrated at
@hamadashojimuseum_ . His candid creations, alongside a collection gathered from around the world, preserves the legacy of his lifelong practice. The last pic is a ‘two-eared porcelain’ cup from Korea’s Joseon dynasty.
14 - 15 Higeta Indigo Dyeing Studio
16 Kyoto-style Chochin light studio. Each bamboo ring hand-tied with hemp string to form the frame using the Jibari-Shiki method, then covered with Washi, traditional Japanese paper. The level of dedication and stubbornness that they bring to their work(whether craft or not) was deeply, deeply moving. I literally teared up on this trip so many times. It felt like one of the few places on earth that could survive the cruel logic of efficiency and productivity of capitalism.
17
@taigatakahashi
19 - 20
@orumina_kiln ’s studio visit. Some recycled glass becomes glaze, some turns into Kintsugi work. I just couldn’t take all of them home.
