Category: Mingei

On a dreary, rainy May day, I visited the remote pottery village of Onta in Kyushu for the second time as an interpreter for a pottery tour group organized by Bill Geisinger and Ben Horiuchi. It has been 5 years since I last visited this magical place and I was keen to see its current state because the village had experienced a large earthquake in 2016, followed by heavy rains in the summer of 2017 that had flooded the town and surrounding areas. I had read news reports that the rain caused severe mudslides that cut off this already remote village from the rest of the world for a week.

Sakamoto Yoshitaka preparing clay in Onta. The clay is being dried on top of a drying kiln and to the left is a hut where the kara-usu -traditional clay-crushing devices- are to be reinstalled.

The impact of these natural calamities on Onta’s pottery-making infrastructure has been devastating, but the spirit of its potters has been resilient. Many of the kara-usu, the traditional wooden clay-crushing devices that operate like a seesaw and are powered by water from the local river, were destroyed.

This area was flooded in 2017 and all of the clay was lost. The kara-usu, seen in the top right insert of this 2013 photo, were also destroyed.

“Our kara-usu were destroyed and all the clay that we harvested were also washed away”, said Sakamoto Yoichi, a young Onta potter that we visited. He and his father Sakamoto Yoshitaka are the descendants of the original founders of Onta that began in 1705. “We have to go and get more clay”, Yoichi-san smiled and spoke cheerfully as he stood in the rain to show us the newly poured concrete in the clay-making area along the river.

Onta clay drying atop a wood burning dryer.

But “getting and making more clay” is no easy task. In Onta, the clay is prepared through the traditional method of harvesting, pounding, elutriating and drying of the material and this whole process takes well over a month of back-breaking work to complete. Onta’s way of life and especially its way of making pottery has changed little since Yanagi Muneyoshi (aka Soetsu), the father of the Mingei movement, visited in 1931 and recorded this approach in his famous book ‘Hita no Sarayama’.

The front of the Sakamoto Yoshitaka kiln in Onta during a heavy downpour. On a sunny day, the pots will be drying out in the front.

As we walked past Yoichi-san’s wood-firing kiln, we saw finished pots that were left inside of it. Yoichi-san explained that they were fired in the kiln in time for the Golden Week vacation (a week-long vacation in Japan from late April to the beginning of May), but the annual festival was cancelled this year because many Onta families still have not yet recovered from the 2017 disaster. “Even though the festival was cancelled, I was happy that many people came,” Yoichi-san said with a big smile.

The workspace of Onta potter Sakamoto Yoichi. With a kick-wheel, no electricity is required, except for the lighting and radio that he listens to while working.

In his studio, Yoichi-san and his father Yoshitaka-san demonstrated wheel-throwing and slip glazing for our group. “I wanted to demonstrate the tobikan’na (chatter marking), but the pots are not dry enough unfortunately”, Yoichi-san said apologetically, “so I will demonstrate the hakeme (brush patted slip marking)”.

Sakamoto Yoshitaka (left) and Yoichi (right) demonstrating slip-glazing and hakeme for the visiting group.

I was very happy to be able to see this demonstration because even though the chatter-marking is probably the most famous slip decoration of Onta, my personal favorite is hakeme, which is also known as uchi-hakeme. I like hakeme because it involves a simple tool of a brush, and the tapping marks speak of the maker’s rhythm. Some other traditional Ontayaki decorations include yubikaki (finger marking) and kushikaki (comb marking).

Hakeme and kushikaki on fresh Onta clay. Onta potters use very wet clay for throwing.

Cream colored ontayaki with traditional decorations.

Throughout the time our group was with the Sakamotos, I was touched by their kind and gentle manner. Just like the warm cream-colored Ontayaki (ontaware) pottery that they produce, their humbleness and optimism impressed me considering the huge challenges that they have had to deal with in the past several years.

The original Hita no Sarayama by Yanagi Muneyoshi with a stencil dyed cover. Onta was made famous by this small book published in 1942 and was designated as intangible cultural property by the Japanese government in 1995.

After returning to California, I re-read Hita no Sarayama to search for insights from what I saw during my time in Onta. Yanagi wrote, “we want to learn what fosters beauty … if we cannot grasp this important fact, we cannot be proud of our new culture. Just as we cannot indulge ourselves in the past. Hita no Sarayama (Onta) is the direct opposite of today. But that is why there are so many things we can learn from it. Because it has abundant aspects that we lack. It has the strength that is not subject to the aspect of time.”

The one and only main road through Onta is covered in yellow from the clay that is constantly used and transported around the village.

I now feel that I have a better understanding of what Yanagi meant. And if you ever have the opportunity to visit Kyushu, I urge you to make a special effort to visit this exceptional village and its resilient people.

Nitta Yoshiko’s Trunk Show at the Mingei International Museum Shop in Balboa Park, San Diego. November 3rd and 4th, 2017

November 1, 2017Glass Mingei Nitta Yoshiko

Blown and etched glasswork by Nitta Yoshiko in our shop ->

I am really excited to be able to show over 100 masterful pieces of work by Japanese glass artist Nitta Yoshiko at the Mingei International Museum Shop in San Diego this weekend.

Blown glass bowls by Japanese artist Nitta Yoshiko

I have known Yoshiko for over 5 years now, and I still remember vividly when I first saw her glassware at a craft fair in Osaka in 2012. I had never seen blown glass as thin and comfortable to hold as those made by Yoshiko, and I excitedly asked if she was willing to work with me to introduce her work in the United States. I was so happy when she agreed!

Japanese Glass Artist Nitta Yoshiko (third from left) at a craft fair in Japan in 2012

Almost every day, I use the glasses that I first bought from her back in 2012. Yoshiko’s works are not just beautiful and simple, but also very sturdy. Yoshiko makes her work exclusively with clear glass that demands the highest skill from the glass blower because any unevenness in the thickness can be obvious at first glance.

Glass blowing tools used by Nitta Yoshiko

I asked Yoshiko why she chose to work with clear glass despite these technical difficulties and she gave me this explanation: “The biggest reason I work with clear glass is because it is my favorite type of glass. In my opinion, the most appealing aspect of glass is its ability to let the light through, and its shadow to fall onto the surface that it is placed on. These effects are maximized in clear glass. I also love the appearance of clear glass.”

Nitta Yoshiko chose to work with clear glass because she thinks that the most appealing aspect of glass is its ability to let the light through, and its shadow to fall onto the surface that it is placed on.

Orange supreme in Nitta Yoshiko’s footed bowl. Yoshiko works with clear glass because it shows the true colors of the objects that it is holding.

She continued: “I also want my work to be the vessel that shows the true colors of the objects that it is holding. Food, flowers, drinks all have beautiful natural colors. I think people want to enjoy the subtle colors of their sake, for example.”

The maker’s regard for the end user can be felt in every piece that is made by Nitta Yoshiko.

Yoshiko was planning to be in San Diego for this show but a family emergency made that trip impossible unfortunately. Nonetheless, she is here in spirit, and her regard for you, the end user, can be felt in every piece that she made and sent. I hope that you will be able join me in celebrating her beautiful work at the most fantastic and appropriate venue that is the Mingei International Museum Shop in San Diego.

Beyond the Object: Visiting Kawai Kanjiro’s House in Kyoto

December 30, 2014Ceramics Kyoto Mingei Travels

If you visit the ancient city of Kyoto, let your schedule include a stop at Kawai Kanjiro’s House, which is hidden away on a narrow backstreet in Gojo-zaka. You will be rewarded with a window into the life of an accomplished potter, who was also a poet, writer, architect, and sculptor.

Kawai Kanjiro’s House in the narrow backstreets of Gojyo-zaka in Kyoto. Apart from the wooden sign written by Munakata Shiko and carved by Kuroda Tatsuaki, it looks like an ordinary house from the outside.

Kawai Kanjiro is best known as one of the leading figures of the Mingei movement, but his impact reaches far beyond. A conversation about his life’s work can easily turn into a discussion about the spirit and soul of what it means to be a maker and artist. His house, which is now restored as a museum, is the ultimate expression of his perspective on a life that he loved and embraced to the full.

Photo of Kawai Kanjiro on the left and his handwritten verse “one buys things, one buys oneself”

Kawai (1890-1966) was born in Shimane prefecture to a family of carpenters. He aspired to be a potter and attended the Ceramic Industry Department at Tokyo Higher Technical School (today known as Tokyo Institute of Technology). Not long after his graduation, Kawai had a successful solo exhibition at a major department store in Tokyo in 1921 that cemented his success as a potter. He was especially famed for his mastery of various glazes and ancient Chinese and Korean techniques.

But as his popularity grew, Kawai became increasingly dissatisfied with his work. As a result, he joined the Mingei movement and after spending three years in seclusion, drastically changed his style and started to make functional pottery for everyday use. His style and creativity continued to develop in his later years when he produced many different forms of ceramics, woodcarvings, and literature.

One of the sitting rooms at Kawai Kanjiro’s house. Many items in his house were designed and created by Kawai.
(Photo by Tomoko Matsubayashi)

In recognition of the profound impact that Kawai had on Japanese cultural life, the Japanese government sought to bestow on him the highly prestigious distinction as an Intangible Cultural Property of Japan –more popularly known as a Living National Treasure- and the Order of Culture Medal. But Kawai was not interested with such awards and turned them down. He also declined to be nominated to join the Japan Art Academy, which is the country’s most prestigious artistic organization.

Multi-chambered climbing kiln behind Kawai Kanjiro’s house that he inherited from Kiyomizu Rokubei V
(Photo by Tomoko Matsubayashi)

While Kawai does not appear to have given any public explanation as to why he politely but firmly refused these accolades, I wonder if this was because he wanted to remain as a maker empowered by his work, rather than as an artist qualified by his fame. We often lose our ability to see when fame gets in the way. For Kawai, who said that “to see my new self, so I work”, he found joy in continuing to self-explore through the things that he could bring to life. This is obvious from the sheer volume of output that he accomplished during his lifetime.

Kawai also paid particular attention to how he lived his daily life, because he believed that “lifestyle is work, work is lifestyle”. In 1937, he designed his own house that was modeled after classic Japanese rural cottages from the Hida-Takayama area, and he called upon his own family of carpenters from Shimane to build it.

The hearth at Kawai Kanjiro’s house that welcomes guests at the entrance.
(Photo by Tomoko Matsubayashi)

This house was Kawai’s residence, pottery studio and gallery with a climbing kiln in the back. But more importantly, it was a place that he filled with his favorite objects. Kawai said that, “one buys things, one buys oneself.” What we choose to acquire and surround ourselves with is a reflection of who we are. It is a simple but powerful observation that can be easily lost in today’s materialistic world. To this day, visitors are reminded of the pleasures of the humble and often forgotten everyday items that Kawai carefully selected for his home.

To me, the most moving aspect of visiting Kawai’s home was the warm, welcoming atmosphere of the space. Beyond the objects, the place was filled with friendliness that stemmed from his generosity of spirit and open mind.

A wood carving of a dog that functions as an armrest made by Kawai from recycled wood when the house was built in 1937. It is hollow on the inside and Kawai stored his favorite dried persimmons and candy inside and kept it at his side through his life.

Sagi Tamae, the granddaughter of Kawai, wrote about an episode in Kawai’s life in the commemorative issue of Honoho Geijutsu magazine in 2010 that offers an insight into who he was as a person. The story was about what happened when one of Kawai’s housekeepers broke his drying pots when she was trying to take in laundry that was on the pole in the garden of the house.

The round stone in Kawai’s garden was a collective gift from his friends in Shimane. They wanted to give him a stone lantern for his newly built house but Kawai asked for a round stone instead. Kawai loved to move the stone around the garden and enjoy it in different places.
(Photo by Tomoko Matsubayashi)

Tamae wrote that Kawai “ran out from his studio and quickly picked up the broken pieces in his apron and told the housekeeper, “don’t worry, don’t worry, just go inside. I can always make more.” Kanjiro was the type of person who worried more about the feelings of the housekeeper than the pots. He chose to become a potter and participate in the Mingei movement as he obviously loved ‘things’ but ultimately he was not fixated about any of them. To Kanjiro, what cannot be seen was far more important then what was visible.”

Two chairs and a table at Kawai Kanjiro’s House. The chairs were designed by Kawai and the table is a flipped mortar for pounding rice mochi that was a gift from Kawakatsu Kenichi, who was a lifelong close friend and fan of Kawai. Kawakatsu secretly entered Kawai’s ceramic pieces for the 1937 exposition in Paris and 1957 triennale in Milan and they won the grand prizes in both events. Over 400 pieces of Kawai’s work collected by Kawakatsu were donated to The National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto.
(Photo by Tomoko Matsubayashi)

A visit to Kawai’s house is unlike a trip to a typical museum where ‘things’ are lined up to be admired. Kawai’s abode is a place to be inspired by the delightful life of an artist who never stopped exploring his inner self.

Through his home that he left behind, Kawai continues to share ideas that may enrich our own lives and help us to discover ourselves. All we need is a childlike curiosity and an open mind to be inspired. Kawai affectionately called this amazing human ability “to be surprised by the act of being surprised” and acknowledged its utmost importance throughout his long and productive life.

—>> Visit photographer Tomoko Matsubayashi’s website to see more photos of Kawai Kanjiro’s house in Kyoto.

In Pursuit of Beauty: The Meaning of Mingei and Yanagi Muneyoshi Through a Conversation with Matsui Takeshi of Tokyo University

July 9, 2013Mingei Research

This blog post was originally written for Studio KotoKoto

On a sunny summer morning, Studio Kotokoto (Ai in person and Kathryn in spirit) ventured to the leafy campus of Tokyo University to have a conversation about Mingei with one of Japan’s leading experts on the subject, Prof. Matsui Takeshi of Todai’s Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia.

The famous Akamon (red gate) and green campus of Tokyo University

Since Yanagi Muneyoshi (also known as Yanagi Soetsu) founded the Mingei movement almost 90 years ago, there has been fierce debate about what Mingei means and whether it is still relevant today.

We at Studio Kotokoto firmly believe that the spirit of Mingei is important and relevant to our lives today, which is why we have the word in our tagline. Mingei theory touches on the enriching and integral nature of craft to our lives, so it is as much about the users as it is about the makers. It is about recognizing the social and spiritual significance of bringing practical beauty into our homes.

Prof. Matsui has spent over 25 years studying the thinking and writings of Yanagi and the philosophy of Mingei. He wrote an excellent book on the subject entitled “Yanagi Muneyoshi and Mingei Today” (“Yanagi Muneyoshi to Mingei no Genzai” Tokyo; Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 2005).

On the left is the original 1972 copy of “The Unknown Craftsman” bound in mulberry bark paper. On the right is “Yanagi Muneyoshi and Mingei Today” by Prof. Matsui Takeshi, published in 2005.

Yanagi was a Japanese philosopher and aesthetician who lived in Japan from 1889 to 1961. With a circle of friends that included famous potters such as Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach, Yanagi called on people to turn their eyes to the beauty of handmade utilitarian objects born out of the tradition of craftsmanship in cultures from around the world. For English speakers, a selection of Yanagi’s writings was translated in a book titled “The Unknown Craftsman” (Tokyo; Kodansha International Ltd.. 1972).

The appreciation of beauty in traditional crafts that are practical in use is the very core of Mingei aesthetics. Yanagi raised some very basic questions to get to the heart of the matter. What is beauty? Should art for enjoyment and craft for practical use be considered to have a different worth? Are craft inferior in value to art because it is spoilt by their practical nature?

Yanagi put forward a long list of criteria that he believed were the conditions for a beautiful object to be born. Some of the most discussed points include:

It possesses beauty that is identified with use.
It is made by hand.
It is simple, natural and healthy.
It is made by a community of uneducated anonymous craftsmen and is unsigned.
It is made in large numbers and is inexpensive.
It is representative of the tradition of its region.

To critics, these criteria are from another era and are too preservationist, unobtainable, and irrelevant in today’s world. Idekawa Naoki highlights many of the contradictions and problems of Yanagi’s theory in his book “Mingei -The Collapse of Theory and The Birth of Style” (“Mingei-Riron no Houkai to Yoshiki no Tanjyo” Tokyo; Shinchosha, 1998) .

An embroidered baby carrier by the Naxi, an ethnic minority in China’s Yunnan province. The mother or the maternal family makes this baby carrier with auspicious patterns that offer good wishes to the child. In appreciating the beauty of craft, Yanagi said that the word “use” should be interpreted to fulfill utility and also the mind.

So is Mingei nothing more than an outdated myth? If it is passé, should we disregard it and move on? Prof. Matsui’s perspective is that it is important to understand the circumstances in which Yanagi came up with his criteria. “Yanagi had an acute eye for beauty, and when he found a beautiful object, he was intrigued to find out how it was born. He absorbed himself into researching the background of the object to find out how that beautiful object came to life,” Prof. Matsui explained.

“Yanagi set those criteria because he found that beautiful objects seemed to be born under those conditions”, Prof. Matsui continued. “However, that is not to say that the object becomes beautiful just because it fulfills those conditions.” In other words, it is a one-way process that starts by looking at the material aspect of an item. The criteria is Yanagi’s attempt to theoretically explain how its beauty came about.

Professor Matsui Takeshi of Tokyo University is one of Japan’s most eminent Mingei experts

This also explains how Mingei as a retail term has developed a negative connotation in Japan. Mingei is often used to refer to the cheap and unsophisticated handmade objects made in large numbers that are found in souvenir shops in rural areas.

Prof. Matsui offered that the way to approach Mingei “is to first simply see beauty in objects and to dig deeper into the thoughts for the reasons of its beauty. That means for the users to see and the makers to create without the binds and restrictions set by our knowledge or experience.” It is the continuous process in which the users select beautiful objects, and the makers strive to improve their work. While many get caught up in the list of criteria for Mingei offered by Yanagi, his contributions are in the research and many inspiring thoughts found in the discussions and explanations of how he reached his conclusions.

Chinese baby carrier basket spotted in Kunming, Yunnan Province, in 2000. Lightweight and cool, these baskets are comfortable for the mother and the baby. These baskets are rarely seen in China now. Yanagi was apprehensive of the loss of beautiful traditional objects that were overlooked and unappreciated by the general public.

While Yanagi does not completely reject industrialization, his belief was that the beauty of craft reached its zenith in the pre-industrial era when people depended on handmade objects in their daily lives. Consequently, studying objects from the past helps in understanding the beauty that Yanagi discussed. “There are many things to be learned by looking at objects made by our predecessors. The users who study them develop better eyes and the makers who study them make better objects.” Prof. Matsui said.

An old, salt-glazed stoneware jug with cobalt embellishment made in New England by an unknown craftsman. Studying objects from the past will train our eyes to recognize the simple and pure beauty that Yanagi attempted to define.

In summing up Yanagi, Prof. Matsui said that “what Yanagi dedicated his life to considering, writing, and carrying out is essential to us now, as a wellspring of resources for creative thinking and constructive criticism towards our present way of life”. This is especially true for us at Studio Kotokoto. By studying Mingei, we have become better thinkers about reconsidering beauty in the context of our lives.

Meeting Prof. Matsui has invigorated our wish to continue the study of practical but beautiful objects, visiting their makers, and exploring the backgrounds of crafts and to continue to evolve our thinking. As the wise professor pointed out, the ultimate goal for students of Mingei is in the practice of seeing “to develop a better eye for beauty”, and this requires a lifelong journey of learning.

A Tour of the Pottery Towns of Southern Japan: Part II: Onta

May 7, 2013Onta Ceramics Mingei Travels Ontayaki

Tucked deep in the densely wooded mountains of Kyushu and 300 years away from the hectic pace of the modern world is the rustic village of Onta. Life here has changed little since Yanase San’emon arrived from Koishiwara, another renowned pottery center 16 miles west of Onta, at the beginning of the 18^th Century, to establish a distinctive way of making pottery known as Ontayaki that continues to be practiced by his descendants.

An Onta vase displaying brush patted slip marking or uchi-hakeme, and holding a cherry blossom.

The ten families that live today in Onta can trace their lineage to the three original founders of the Onta kiln in 1705. Besides Yanase, the other two clans are the Sakamoto and Kuroki. Each family passed their pottery knowledge and skills from fathers to sons while the mothers and daughters performed no less important supporting roles. This patrilineal practice has helped to preserve Onta’s original pottery-making techniques in its purest form despite three centuries of generational succession.

Ontayaki was unknown to the rest of Japan until Studio KotoKoto’s philosopher hero and father of the Mingei movement Yanagi Muneyoshi (Soetsu) visited Onta in 1931. He had to walk to the village on foot, as there were no proper roads connecting it with the outside world in his days. Yanagi was keen to go to Onta after first falling in love with the warm simple beauty of Ontayaki at a pottery shop in Fukuoka.

Toothpick holders with chatter marks or tobi-kanna sold at a shop in Onta.

Onta’s traditional way of life and simple approach to making pottery perfectly fitted Yanagi’s vision of Mingei. This was detailed in his book Hita no Sarayama about Onta that put the village on the map in Japan. The famous British potter Bernard Leach also resided in Onta during the 1950s and 1960s, and this broadened the village’s profile onto the global stage.

The people of Onta have taken this fame in their gentle stride. When I arrived in the village on a cold spring morning, I was welcomed by the noise of creaking wood that was followed by a heavy thud. This is the sound of kara-usu, the wooden clay-crushing device that operates like a seesaw and is powered by water from the Hanatsuki River that runs through the middle of the village.

These Kara-usu machines have regulated the pace of clay production in Onta for the last three centuries.

The rhythmic beat of the kara-usu is the reason why Onta has kept to its simple ways and avoided being swept up in the mass consumerism of the modern world. Each family in the village is only allowed two wheels in their workshops because of the slow and limited production of local clay from the kara-usu machines. This means that if a grandson is ready to take over a wheel, his grandfather has to retire to make way. This careful approach by the villagers to managing their land and strictly limiting the scale of output means that there will be plenty of clay left for future generations.

The Hanatsuki River powers the numerous kara-usu in Onta.

At one house, I witnessed a woman busy transferring wet elutriated clay from a trough to a clay-drying kiln. This confirmed what I had read elsewhere that the backbreaking daily work of clay preparation is the responsibility of the Onta women. So to the female readers of this blog, think twice about marrying that handsome potter from Onta because you will find yourself with a very physically demanding job for the rest of your lives. It is truly a revelation to see how much time, work, and space is needed to prepare the clay after seeing the kara-usu, the water pools that dissolve the clay, the clay troughs, and the clay drying kilns.

A woman loads the clay onto a wheel barrel.

Clay is transferred to the top of the clay drying kiln.

The wheel throwing method used in Onta and Koishiwara is strikingly different from the approach that I and many other potters are most familiar with. Instead of starting by centering enough clay to form the entire form, a ball of clay is patted and centered to build the bottom. Coiled clay is subsequently added on top to build the rest of the pot.

This method is called neritsuke and is a hybrid form of wheel throwing and coil building. This technique is said to be only possible because of the mastery of the potter to control the speed of the kick wheel. To watch how this is done, here is a link to a YouTube video of a young Onta potter, Sakamoto So, who is throwing plates and applying uchi-hakeme, which is a brush patted slip marking.

Ontayaki mortar from the father and son kiln of Sakamoto Takumi and So with an example of finger marking or yubikaki.

Onta clay is very smooth with a beautiful brownish yellow color that fires to dark brown because of a high iron content. Together with the slip that fires to light cream white, Ontayaki is ideal tableware as it brings out the color of food on the table.

Onta-ware has several distinct decorative styles that includes the chatter marking or tobi-kanna, uchi-hakeme, and the dynamic finger marking or yubi-kaki. These styles can also be found in the sister kiln of Koishiwara.

Ontayaki on the left and Koishiwarayaki on the right. The two villages share many decorative styles.

My visit to Onta was a deeply profound and eye-opening experience. More than 80 years have passed since Yanagi first went to Onta and far fewer people in today’s mass consumer society are using handmade products than when Yanagi made his pilgrimage to the village. Despite the enormous social, cultural, and economic changes that have occurred during these intervening years, Onta has never succumbed to the enticements of mass consumerism. And because the village’s residents have stood so fervently behind their age-old principles of sustainability and balanced moderation, Onta has thrived.

Ai spies some early works by the next generation of Onta potters.

A key lesson that I take away from Onta is that as long as there is a community of people who understand and cherish the importance of handmade in their everyday life, this tradition will survive and live on in future generations. This is also the essence of what we at Studio Kotokoto are seeking to build, although through the application of modern day tools including the Internet rather than from a remote corner of Japan.

My pottery tour will continue in my future blog.

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