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Tag: 益子

Transcending Time and Borders: Slipware by Japanese Potter Kubota Kenji

By:
Ai Kanazawa
November 20, 2015Ceramics Kubota Kenji

Slipware by Kubota Kenji in our shop->

Just over a century ago, Yanagi Muneyoshi, the father of the Mingei movement, and potter Tomimoto Kenkichi discovered the fittingly titled book, “Quaint Old English Pottery” written by Charles Lomax. They were, to use an elegant English term, flabbergasted by the beautiful slipware of Thomas Toft that was featured in the book and this sparked considerable interest within the Mingei movement as to what the English had to offer.

Subsequently, English slipware made for daily use by anonymous craftsmen in the 18th and 19th centuries was introduced into Japan by the English potter Bernard Leach and mingei potter Hamada Shoji. These wares had a profound influence on Japanese makers and the Japanese crafts world.

That influence continues to be felt among Japanese potters today, and none more so than Kubota Kenji who makes slipware for daily use in the famous pottery town of Mashiko. I first encountered Kubota-san’s work while walking through Mashiko’s high street.

Kubota Kenji Plate
Dinner plate with arabesque slip-trail decoration in caramel glaze by Kubota Kenji. His work is not only pleasant to look at but also fun to touch.

I was instantly attracted to the bright and sophisticated air that his work radiated, despite the traditional cream and brown colors that sometimes has the tendency to give a dark feeling to the pottery. “I want to create wares that are cheerful on the table as well as fun to touch and look at,” Kubota-san says. His slipware pots are full of warmth and delightful to hold.

Coffee dripper set by Kubota Kenji
Coffee pourover set by Kubota Kenji

This unassuming potter claims that he decided to become a maker while walking through Mashiko as an art theory student. “There were so many young potters and they seemed to be having great fun”, he recalls. He jumped in and a decade flew by while he learnt to enjoy the challenges of creating pots.

Many types of slip by Kubota Kenji
Many types of slip are created using native clay from Mashiko and tested for the best effect (photo courtesy of Kubota Kenji)

Kubota-san’s pots are rigorously designed to be functional. Once this deep thinker decides on a design, he is able to master and repeat this design skillfully. The skill comes from his seven years of training as an apprentice at large pottery kilns in Mashiko before he established his own studio and kiln in 2011.

Kubota Kenji Mashiko
A well finished foot is not only beautiful but functional, making the plate easy to hold and handle. (photo courtesy of Kubota Kenji)

Kubota-san’s work involves a slipware technique called slip trailing, which uses clay diluted with water to a creamy consistency to make surface decorations by using a dispenser. It is a technique that requires extensive practice because once a line is drawn it cannot be erased. The seemingly easy and pleasantly flowing contours are a result of a rhythm achieved through constant repetition.

Kubota Kenji slip-trailing
Kubota Kenji using a dispenser to slip-trail (photo courtesy of Kubota Kenji)

The most notable aspect of Kubota-san’s work is that at first glance it appears Western, yet a closer look shows there is a distinct Asian flair. Kubota-san likes to look at textiles and paintings to get inspiration and indeed his work is a unique combination of traditional slipware technique with sensibilities that are reminiscent of Japanese stencil textile designs and patterns.

Mini rimmed plates by Kubota Kenji are designed to have sufficient depth for versatility.
Mini-rimmed plates by Kubota Kenji with sensibilities reminiscent of Japanese stencil textile designs and patterns

Kubota-san’s contemporary work is also symbolic of the unique influence that English slipware has had on Japanese craft, which was absorbed and reabsorbed by Japanese makers over the years and continuously brought into the daily lives of people.

I am pretty sure that the Georgian era English slipware craftsmen never imagined that their legacy would be alive and thriving in East Asia today, but if they knew I think that they’d be pleased and celebrate with a cuppa or more likely a pint.

A Study in Contrasts: The Unconventional Style of Mashiko Potter Kuriya Masakatsu

By:
Ai Kanazawa
January 24, 2014Ceramics Kuriya Masakatsu

Ceramics by Kuriya Masakatsu in our shop ->

Kuriya Masakatsu thrives on the notion that opposites attract. From traditional to modern and mainstream to fringe, he relishes going against conventional wisdom. Who else in Japan would have the audacity to turn traditional green glazed Oribe ceramics into stylish speakers or coffee pour-overs?

Ceramic-Speakers
A set of ceramic speakers created by Kuriya Masakatsu

This duality and taking the road less traveled is the hallmark of Kuriya-san and his journey as a potter. He started out by learning Japanese painting at Akita University and ended up working at a cutting edge media broadcasting company in Akita. While Kuriya-san enjoyed his job as a TV production staffer, he yearned to be able to create something by himself from beginning to end.

So on the sidelines of his day job, Kuriya-san started learning ceramics under the instruction of potter Kurata Tetsuya in Akita. “I loved the fact that a potter has the ability to make decisions not just in the creative process but also how their items are presented, marketed, sold and used.”  Throwing convention aside, he decided to leave his stable company job to become a potter and moved to the famous pottery town of Mashiko to apprentice under Okuma Toshiaki.

Kuriya-Masakatsu
Potter Kuriya Masakatsu working at his studio in Mashiko, Tochigi
Photo courtesy of Kuriya Masakatsu

When I first met Kuriya-san at one of his solo exhibitions, he greeted me by pouring a cup of coffee from one of his handmade drippers. “I like to make coffee for guests and play music in the background on my speakers. My show is interactive where guests can see my work in action”, he explained.

Coffee pour-over set and cup and saucer by Kuriya Masakatsu.
Coffee pour-over set by Kuriya Masakatsu

Kuriya-san’s creations are designed and tested to fully serve their intended purpose. They are also direct manifestations of his passion: music, coffee, food and drink. “My principle is to make things that I enjoy making. It is hard to imagine that any work will resonate with users if I did not enjoy creating them in the first place”, he says.

What is most exciting about Kuriya-san’s work is that he is not limited by the preconceived idea of utilitarian handmade ceramics that is especially hard for young Japanese potters to break free from. His trademark green glaze, Oribe, is one of the oldest colored glazes, and when he uses it on some of his carved contemporary forms, the combination brings out a truly unique effect.

Oribe vase by Kuriya Masakatsu
Oribe vase by Kuriya Masakatsu

Another aspect of Kuriya-san’s contrasting approach is his efforts to build a sense of community within the scattered pottery circles in Mashiko. One would think that someone who became a potter to be able to strike out on his own is something of a lone wolf. But I discovered Kuriya-san through his role as an organizer for the creation of an online database of Mashiko potters and as director of the Mashiko Ceramics and Art Association. Both are efforts to build resources for the town’s potters, and for supporting collaborations between these potters and overseas.

Kuriya-san explains why he is willing to invest so much time and effort into a non-paying position. “There are some 450 potters living in Mashiko, and the reality is that not everyone can succeed without a little help from the others. The need for collaboration and cooperation really became apparent when the earthquake happened in 2011, which destroyed many potters’ studios and kilns.”

A large pile of shard at potter Matsuzaki Ken's studio after the 2011 earthquake in Mashiko. Photo courtesy of Ayumi Horie
A large pile of shard at potter Matsuzaki Ken’s studio after the 2011 earthquake in Mashiko
Photo courtesy of Ayumi Horie

It is refreshing to see that while many artists are absorbed in their own work, Kuriya-san volunteers his time and web-designing skills for the community of artists in Mashiko and beyond.

When I asked him why he devotes so much time in the community, he said, “I am a maverick inside, but I know that I can’t survive alone.”  He joked that being a potter makes him a little philosophical and explained his faith in the power of cooperation in relation to pottery making. “Clay is natural, so it might be interpreted as man facing nature. But we are also part of that nature, which is much larger and grander.” To this contemplative potter, ceramic making is much more than simply about himself.

 

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