Category: Kazu Oba

The Intrinsic Value of Crafts: New Ceramics by Kazu Oba

Ceramics Kazu Oba

Ceramics by Kazu Oba in our shop ->

When Colorado potter Kazu Oba and his wife Yuka visited San Diego to install his show at the Japanese Friendship Garden in November 2017, I invited them to stay at my house. For a few nights, we shared simple meals using some good pots and talked about pots. It was great fun. One night, he told a story that stuck with me that I would like to share.

Kazu Oba throwing pots on a portable wheel at La Jolla Shores, November 2017

Kazu belonged to a potter’s group in Colorado several years earlier, and one night he attended one of its gatherings. “When I arrived, there were drinks served in plastic cups and paper plates for the food. I was so shocked and I said, come on, we’re potters!” Kazu said. Several people explained that they used these disposable wares because they didn’t want to create a burden for someone to wash up afterwards. So Kazu offered to be the dishwasher. They further responded that there was nowhere to store the plates and cups. “I said, if we can’t even bother to use what we make, then who would?” So Kazu left the group.

Komatsuna salad in a small shinogi celadon bowl by Kazu Oba

Kazu became a potter because he worked in a restaurant as a cook for many years but wasn’t satisfied with the vessels that were commercially available. So apart from making pots to sell, he creates vessels for restaurants, such as Ramen Star in Denver. The owner of Ramen Star, Takashi Tamai, is equally passionate about the quality of the Ramen he serves. If you are an ardent chef considering handmade pots for use at your restaurant, Kazu would be perfect for you.

Saiko Star Ramen by Ramen Star in Colorado
Photo Courtesy of Ramen Star-in Denver Colorado

I focus on finding well-made handcrafted items for use at Entoten, because when people understand the intrinsic value of crafts, a distinctive taste is developed that will strengthen the Crafts Culture. This culture is about being thoughtful of a lot of things: our history, traditions, quality of life, environment, sustainability, and spirituality to name a few. But Crafts Culture is not built by crafts people alone. We the users also bring our passion, knowledge, and experience to infuse into their values.

Sweet Kanto style rolled egg omelet (tamagoyaki) on Karake plate by Kazu Oba. Kazu created kawarake plates to represent simple ceramic plates created in great numbers during the Middle Ages as offerings to the gods.

When I think about Kazu’s infamous plastic cups and paper plates episode, I chuckle because it must have created quite a stir among the potters. Kazu said a few agreed with him. But I also feel lucky to be able to work with Kazu who is so passionate about making and using handmade pots. By doing so, he is playing an invaluable part in nurturing the culture of caring.

Kazu Oba is having a Summer Sale by appointment from August 30-Sept 6, 2020 at his studio in Lafayette, Colorado.

It is not just a bowl, it is a spouted bowl

Ceramics Kazu Oba

Do you use spouted bowls on your dining table? If not, I highly recommend that you do. Don’t be misled by the spout though as these bowls are not just for pouring liquid, but are also great for serving a meal, soup, or even displaying flowers.

An unglazed spouted bowl, or katakuchi, by Kazu Oba

The best way to think of them is that they are a bowl with a “mouth” that has personality and charm. In Japanese, these vessels are called Katakuchi, and there is so much interest and obsession with them that there are stores that specialize in only selling spouted bowls.

Kazu Oba’s white katakuchi with a touch of blue from the salt introduced to the kiln at the last stage of firing.
A double spouted bowl by Kazu Oba

As my regular customers might already know, katakuchi are my favorite types of vessels and I can’t seem to get enough of them. Luckily, I just received a whole bunch of them from Kazu Oba in Colorado, together with other beautiful pots by him. Please enjoy browsing these gorgeous mouthed vessels in my shop today!

New work by Kazu Oba, and the Story of Myoga, the Japanese Ginger

Ceramics Kazu Oba Food and Craft

Ceramics by Kazu Oba in our shop ->

Looking back, I realize there were so many things that I disliked eating when I was a child. One of my arch enemies was myoga, the flower buds of Japanese ginger that appeared regularly at the dinner table in the summer and did not go away until October.

Myoga, Japanese ginger

Just like green onions, myoga was served as a garnish in miso soup, cold tofu, and other delicious things that, to a child’s tongue, tasted far better without this cursed topping. These terrible condiments are called yakumi, which means medicinal garnish, and my dream was to move to a world where they served food without them.

The other problem with myoga was that it was also the motif of my family’s crest. When I discovered this fact, I was so disappointed that I wasn’t born into a family with beautiful flower crests like Wisteria or Paulownia. I mean, why a lowly vegetable?

Family crest on my kimono, daki-myoga. The Japanese ginger motif.

Years have passed and now a cold tofu without yakumi would be a let-down at the dinner table. And I even rather like the fact that a hardy shade-loving Zingiber is the motif of my family’s crest.

Cold tofu served with myoga and green onions in a bowl by Kazu Oba

Kazu Oba’s Life on the Artistic Rim

Ceramics Kazu Oba

Ceramics by Kazu Oba in our shop ->

Maybe it is because he lives life on the edge, but Kazu Oba has a thing about rims. This potter-cum-sculptor-cum-dancer-cum-cook-cum-guerilla pot thrower confesses that the most difficult aspect of creating pots is the making of their rims. Indeed, the exquisite and alluring rims are the hallmarks of this potter’s vessels.

Spouted bowl
A spouted bowl by Kazu Oba has an exquisite rim and mouth.

Kazu’s life on the razor’s edge began when he was just 17 years old when the lifelong Kobe resident was inspired to travel on his own and live in the U.S. after watching the American movie “Grease”.

An aspiring artist, Kazu studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder and had the opportunity to apprentice under Jerry Wingren, a sculptor in wood and stone who is based in Boulder.

Another key influence for Kazu has been his nearly 15 years working as a restaurant cook to support his livelihood as a student and apprentice. Kazu started paying attention to the vessels on which the food was served while working, and that was why he decided to became a potter.

Kazu Oba
Ceramic artist Kazu Oba working at his studio in Colorado (Photo courtesy of Kazu Oba)

After completing his apprenticeship with Jerry, Kazu traveled back to Japan to study under Nakazato Takashi, the master potter from Karatsu, Japan, whom he had met at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. Kazu returned to Colorado in 2004 and eventually started his own studio creating ceramics and sculptures.

To ensure that he retains his creative edginess, Kazu occasionally takes his craft to the street as a ‘guerrilla pot thrower’ and makes pots on a portable kick wheel. The primary purpose of Kazu’s street pot theater is to advertise for his solo shows, which has taken place in numerous cities. “I want to show people how I make pots and, also get out of my comfort zone to test myself,” Kazu says.

guerrilla
Kazu Oba ‘guerrilla pot throwing’ on Kyoto’s popular Hanamikoji street. (Photo courtesy of Kazu Oba)

While Kazu is a bold adventurer, his artistic creations appear quiet and modest at first glance. But as soon as they are used, you will quickly recognize that they are carefully crafted to enhance the food that is placed in them.  His pots are modern and clean, with beguiling rims. “I think all the world of lips”, Kazu explains.

Sushi
Kazu uses a variety of clay and glazes so that the table has a mixture of colors and textures.

As a cook, Kazu makes wares that he wants to use on his dining table, and so he ponders most about his work when he eats. For example, he uses a variety of clay and glazes so that the table has a mixture of colors and textures instead of looking all dark or light. Whether it is the sharp attention to the textures of colors that becomes background to food, or perfectly executed rims that frame it, this unique perspective of an experienced cook makes Kazu’s work truly exceptional.

Kobachi
Small salads served on funagata side dishes by Kazu Oba

When I look at Kazu’s work, I cannot stop thinking about the things I will eat out of them. It maybe vivid green blanched vegetables on dark clay, or some bright coulis for that meat on porcelain. I am sure that the cook inside you will be intrigued too.