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Tag: monohanako

‘Strawberry Milk’ in a Pinched Rim Bowl by Hanako Nakazato

By:
Ai Kanazawa
August 14, 2018Ceramics Hanako Nakazato Food and Craft

Ceramics by Hanako Nakazato will be available  in our shop on August 15th at 6:00 am  ->

‘Strawberry milk’ in a pinched rim bowlby Hanako Nakazato
(Note: The spoon is an ordinary rounded-bottom variant and not the exotic flat bottom design)

Did you eat ‘strawberry milk’ when you were growing up? It was huge in the 70s in Japan (along with mini-skirts and permed hair), and I begged my mother to buy us the ‘strawberry spoons’ that were perfectly designed to squish the strawberries in the milk with their flat bottoms.

As a little girl, I always believed that “strawberries sprinkled with sugar and squished in milk” was a fancy western way to eat strawberries. But now that I think of it, I’ve never seen anyone eat strawberries in this way in the U.S. or Europe.

According to my parents’ generation, strawberries that first became available to the general public in Japan in the post war Showa era were extremely sour and so the Japanese concocted ‘strawberry milk’ as a way to enjoy this sour fruit.

Eyeing the massive demand for a utensil that efficiently squashed strawberries in milk, the ‘strawberry spoon’ was created in 1960 by Kobayashi Kogyo Co., a cutlery manufacturer in Niigata prefecture, and their ‘Romance’ line of cutlery received the prestigious Good Design Award in 1974. So this company joins the ranks of Japanese titans like Sony and Toyota as the pioneers of Japanese style.

Click here to look at Kobayashi Kogyo’s cutlery catalog. The said spoon is on page. 35, fifth spoon from the bottom in the photo #11617-000 at 850 yen

This marvelous invention lessoned the likelihood of strawberries slipping or flying out of the bowl across the table, which saved the day for a lot of busy Japanese parents.

And the best part is when all the squished strawberries are eaten, you get to drink the sweet strawberry milk straight from the bowl!

Visiting Hanako Nakazato in Karatsu

By:
Ai Kanazawa
August 28, 2013Karatsu Ceramics Hanako Nakazato Travels

Ceramics by Hanako Nakazato in our shop ->

Japanese potter Hanako Nakazato is a tour de force of creativity and productivity. I had the privilege of glimpsing this at first hand when I visited her Japanese studio far away in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture in Kyushu this past spring. It took a long train ride to get there, but was a journey to savor and understand how a potter’s life requires not only talent but discipline, hard work, and –in Hanako’s case- a love of food and cooking.

Hanako Nakazato
Japanese potter Hanako Nakazato at her studio in Karatsu, Spring 2013

Following an early morning start in Kyoto and several changes on the way, the train finally pulled into JR Karatsu station shortly after lunch. After the long ride, I was delighted to be met by the familiar face of photographer-cum-writer Prairie Stuart-Wolff, Hanako’s partner and business manager for monohanako. The two travel between Maine and Kyushu every year.

monohanako studio
Overlooking Hanako Nakazato’s studio in Karatsu

Hanako’s studio in Karatsu stands on a lush green hillside in Mirukashi, about two miles from the train station. When I arrived at the studio, Hanako was working at her wheel making bowls. She got up to greet me, beaming with a friendly smile and gestured a “hug” from a few feet away saying “I have clay all over me”. I did not want to interrupt her work and at my request she went back on the wheel. I watched for a while as she whipped out bowl after bowl, amazed at how similar they are in shape and size, even though she never measured them.

Works
Work by Hanako Nakazato displayed in her showroom in Karatsu.

As Hanako worked, I looked around the clean and spacious studio that was divided into three sections. There was a showroom for guests to view and purchase her work. A second section was the kiln and glazing room where bisque and glazed pieces are stored next to the gas kiln. The last section was the wheel room where she was busy throwing her pottery.

Full Kiln
Hanako’s gas kiln filled to the brim with bisque fired pots

The sliding door to the wheel room had a large blackboard that was covered with diagrams, numbers, and glaze types. Hanako carefully keeps track of the progress in the production of her wares by charting them on this board. Its an ingenious way of visually managing the production schedule that enables this prolific potter to put together a solo show almost every month during her stay in Japan. I even managed to visit her annual solo show at Manyodo in Ginza, Tokyo in May.

Blackboard
Production schedule charted on the blackboard

Watching Hanako work on the wheel was meditative. When I commented that it must be enjoyable to be able to throw with such rhythmic flow, Hanako laughed and replied that, “People might think that it must be fun to become a potter and throw pots on the wheel, but this is not the whole story”.

She explained that less than 20 percent of her day is spent on the wheel and that the rest of her workday is spent cleaning the studio and work equipment, loading and unloading the kiln, mixing and testing glazes, and preparing the clay. Hanako said that a three-year apprenticeship under her father and internationally famous potter, Nakazato Takashi of Ryutagama Kiln, had instilled into her the important habit of waking up early everyday to work, clean, and carry out other chores. Maintaining this discipline was indispensable to the running of a successful pottery studio.

Wedging clay
Hanako wedging clay. Much of a potter’s day is spent doing chores like cleaning the studio and preparing clay

Long and narrow boards on the racks in the studio were loaded with pots that were drying. These boards are easily over 5 feet long and they appear almost impossible to carry without dropping the pieces on top. Hanako said that it was just like the balancing pole that tightrope performers use to help them balance. She noted that, “the longer the board, the easier it is to balance on the shoulder with one hand”.

Muro
Bowls on a long drying board are placed into a pottery closet or muro. Freshly thrown pots are dried slowly in here to prevent them from warping and cracking.

On days when Hanako can work uninterrupted on her wheel, she can throw over a hundred pots in a day. On my visit, Hanako had to answer many phone calls, tend to visitors such as myself, and send a pugmill to repair. She finally wrapped up her work at 5 p.m. after throwing numerous bowls.

kitchen
Hanako cooking dinner at her home above her studio in Karatsu

In the evening, Hanako and Prairie cooked a delicious 7-course meal using Karatsu’s seasonal ingredients, each served on monohanako tableware. They put great care into preparing each dish and it was clear that they enjoyed cooking. As the famous Japanese ceramist and gourmet Rosanjin once said, “tableware for cooking is the equivalent of clothing for people.” He meant that the vessels that the food is served on is as important as the clothes that people wear and that people that are interested in food are inevitably interested in the wares they are served on. Consequently, many potters –of which Hanako is definitely a prime example- are excellent cooks and it was a real treat to be a guest at their dinner table.

Shio Uni
Salted sea urchin served on monohanako ware

Early next morning, Hanako was back in her studio finishing up the plates that she had thrown in the past few days on the wheel. She said she was in full work mode, firing work for shows that will be taking place after she was to depart for Maine in a few weeks time. I told her that her many fans in the U.S. were eagerly waiting her return. As we spoke, I realized that I was associating Hanako’s return with the changing of the seasons, just like a birder in anticipation of the annual migration.

Cut petal plate
Hanako finishing the edges of cut petal plates

Hanako worked until the late morning, and then we all left for a quick tour of Karatsu and lunch before I caught the bus to Hakata in the afternoon to start my long trek back to Tokyo. I was very pleased that I got to see a day in the life of this hard working potter, who is a rising star of the pottery scene in Japan and the U.S. While I discovered that being a potter might not be as idyllic and glamorous as it might appear, I am grateful that Hanako chose it as her profession. Her creativity has certainly brought style and beauty into our daily lives through the wares that we use to nourish our body and soul.

 

 

A Tour of the Pottery Towns of Southern Japan: Part I: Karatsu

By:
Ai Kanazawa
April 23, 2013Karatsu Ceramics Travels

Karatsuware in our shop ->

As the cherry blossom season beckoned in Japan this spring, I had a wonderful opportunity to travel to Southern Japan to be the interpreter for a tour of classic pottery towns organized by renowned American potters Bill Geisinger and Ben Horiuchi. It was a fascinating 10 day journey that covered a lot of ground and allowed the tour participants to meet and see the activities and lives of potters from all walks of life in Southern Japan. I will be sharing my observations of these towns and the accomplished potters that have made this part of Japan a vibrant and dynamic center of pottery creativity in this blog in the coming weeks.

Cherry Blossom
Cherry blossoms at Nakazato Tarouemon Studio in Karatsu, Saga, Japan

The first stop of the tour was Karatsu in Saga prefecture. Karatsu is one of the most famous pottery towns in Japan and its name literally means “port to Tang (China)”. This is fitting, as the town has been a major trading port to Korea, China, and the rest of Japan.

The development of Karatsu-ware began more than 400 years ago. A key reason for this was the arrival of craftsmen from Korea brought by Japanese warlords following two invasions of Korea in the 16th Century. These potters produced ware for tea ceremonies that were very popular among the Japanese elites during this period.

Chosen Karatsu
An example of “Korean style karatsu” or “chosen karatsu” vase welcomed us at the Nakazato Tarouemon studio.

The Korean craftsmen brought with them two technologies that revolutionized Japanese pottery making: the kick-wheel, and the multi-chambered climbing kiln. These technologies allowed for faster and larger scale pottery production in comparison to the hand-wheel and Anagama kiln that was used in Japan prior to this technological revolution.

Ochawangama
The multi-chambered climbing kiln of Nakazato Tarouemon pottery built in 1734. This kiln was in use until the early 1900s.
(Photo courtesy of Beorn Johnson)

Karatsu-ware or Karatsuyaki, is made of clay high in iron content that fires to a reddish-gray color and encompasses many styles. The styles that I am most familiar with are ‘picture karatsu’ or ‘e-karatsu’, which have simple drawings of plants and birds, and Korean style karatsu or ‘chosen karatsu’ that has a black glaze with runny white ash glaze over it.

Many Japanese, including myself, find that simplicity is more appealing than glitter and complexity, because one can only understand the beauty of simplicity through experience and the steady accumulation of knowledge. It is a very personal appeal that is nurtured and intensified over time and repeated use. It is similar to the sentiment you will have towards your favorite t-shirt or tea mug that is so comfortable because you have used it over the years.

Karatsu-ware today is sought-after by avid collectors and formal tea drinkers for their simple and rustic elegance. Although I am not very familiar with the formal way of Japanese tea ceremonies, even I know the Japanese saying, “Raku first, Hagi second, Karatsu third”, which denotes the rank order of the three preferred types of pottery used in Japanese tea ceremonies. But some of my Japanese friends who are knowledgeable about tea ceremonies say that they are most drawn to Karatsu-ware.

Paddle tools used to slap the coil built vessel walls. This method is called tataki giho.
Paddle tools used to slap the coil built vessel walls at the Nakazato Tarouemon studio. This clay forming method is called “tataki giho”, a traditional method that was lost but revived by the late living national treasure, Nakazato Tarouemon XII.

In Karatsu, I was especially excited to visit the Nakazato family kilns. The Nakazato name should be well known to anyone who regularly visits the Studio Kotokoto website because of Hanako Nakazato, who is one of our most talented artists. The Nakazato family has resided in Karatsu for the past four centuries and they include famous potters such as Nakazato Tarouemon, Nakazato Takashi and Nakazato Shigetoshi who are all relatives of Hanako. It was my private mission to get a glimpse of where Hanako came from to gain an appreciation of the traditions and lifestyle that have shaped her and her style of pottery.

Petal-edged or rinka plates at Nakazato Shigetoshi's Sangengama.
“Petal-edged” or “rinka” plates at Nakazato Shigetoshi’s Sangengama.

The sturdy, unpretentious beauty of Karatsu-ware profoundly moved me. I felt very familiar with their time-tested and functional forms because I have witnessed their essence in Hanako’s work.

Bob Okazaki's beautiful studio was built in the traditional Japanese style without nails
Bob Okasaki’s beautiful studio was built in the traditional Japanese style without nails

Another potter we visited in Karatsu was Bob Okasaki, who is a native of California but is now settled in Karatsu. Bob opened his own kiln called Tourigama after many years of apprenticeships under Fujiwara Yu, a famous potter in Bizen, followed by Nakazato Takashi, Hanako’s father, and Nakazato Tarouemon XII, who was a living national treasure.

I love what Bob does because he has so many beautiful works adorned with drawings of animals and plants. Bob and the Nakazato family are very close because he married Keiko, a daughter of Nakazato Tarouemon XII. Hanako, who was busy loading a kiln for a show in Tokyo, stopped by at Bob’s studio and I was happy that I got to meet her to say hello.

Bob Okazaki Urinbo
Baby boar plate by Bob Okazaki.

The tour group had a wonderful time in Karatsu, a town in a remote corner of Japan but with a very open and international feel to it. This undoubtedly stems from the town’s proximity to Korea and China, which makes it an important regional cultural gateway.

In my next tour blog, I will talk about our visit to Onta, a pottery village hidden in the deep mountains of Oita.

New Works by Hanako Nakazato

By:
Ai Kanazawa
January 22, 2013Ceramics Hanako Nakazato

Studio Kotokoto first featured Hanako Nakazato in September last year. Since then, her elegantly crafted pottery have taken pride of place in my kitchen and are constantly being used.

Washed teacups by Hanako Nakazato drying on linen

As Hanako was about to depart for her annual six-month pilgrimage back to Japan and her studio in Karatsu in Kyushu, We were fortunate to get our hands on another collection of her new porcelain works.

Before coming across Hanako’s porcelain, I had always preferred to use stoneware on my dining table. This is because while porcelain is prized for its hardness and pristine beauty, it can seem cold, overly formal, and a little intimidating for use by a casual cook like me.

Fruit served in Hanako Nakazato’s oval bowl trio

So using Hanako’s creations for the first time was a revelation. Contrary to preconceived notions, her porcelain work is unpretentious and full of warmth and elegance. It is also easy to glimpse the depth of her skill from the suggestion of fluent speed and rhythm that are left in the grooves of her wares. There is no hesitation in the strokes, just simple grace.

Fluent and rhythmical finger grooves on spouted bowl by Hanako Nakazato

Whenever I use Hanako’s wares, I am always impressed that they do not discriminate what they are being used to serve. Even a piece of cut fruit is inviting in her oval bowl. With any type of food looking so appealing on her wares, it is little wonder that she has become a firm favorite in my kitchen.

Orange segments in Hanako Nakazato’s chocolate oval bowl

As we at Studio Kotokoto and her growing legions of admirers await her return to the U.S. this summer, we will be following her blog to catch a glimpse of her life in the idyllic pottery town of Karatsu. Her blogs are often funny and accompanied by beautiful photographs. If you have the time, I highly recommend that you visit her website too.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Served in a Ribbed Cup Made by Hanako Nakazato

By:
Ai Kanazawa
September 29, 2012Hanako Nakazato Food and Craft

Autumn is here and that means butternut squash and apple season has arrived! As the temperature drops (even in Southern California), I start to crave hearty hot soups and so decided to make a delicious soup with these seasonal ingredients and share the recipe with you.

When serving a meal with several courses, I like to serve soups in small vessels so that the guests have plenty of appetite left for the rest of the dishes. Hanako’s ribbed cup (or shinogi sobachoko) carries about 6 oz of soup per cup and is the perfect ‘goldilocks’ solution: not too little and not too much.

Don’t forget to put on your favorite music before you start cooking!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Makes about 48 oz (about 8 x 6 oz servings)

Roasted butternut squash and apple soup served in a ribbed cup made by Hanako Nakazato

Ingredients

  • Butternut squash, diced                              2 lb (approximately 1 butternut quash)
  • Granny smith apple, diced                          8 oz (approximately 1 apple)
  • Yellow onion, small diced                           8 oz
  • Garlic, chopped                                              1 clove
  • Chicken stock                                                 1 quart + 1-2 cups
  • Nutmeg                                                           pinch
  • Olive oil                                                          2 tbsp and as needed
  • Bay leaf                                                           1 each
  • Salt and Pepper                                               TT
Squash and apple are in season

Garnish

  • Leftover bread, small dice                   ½ cup
  • Parsley, chopped fine                            2 tbsp
  • Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced      16 slices
Mise en Place
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Dice the butternut squash and apple into even cubes and toss in olive oil. Roast in the oven until cooked and lightly browned.
  3. While the squash is roasting, chop the parsley and make the croutons. Use small diced bread and coat in olive oil or melted clarified butter and toast in the oven until nice and crunchy. Remove from oven.
  4. Remove the squash and apple when done, and turn down the oven heat to 300F.
  5. Slice the apple in single layer and lay flat on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put in the oven and roast until they become dry, crispy and lightly brown.
  6. Turn off the oven and place the cups inside to warm with residual heat.
  7. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sweat the onion and garlic.

8. Add the roasted squash and apple and 1 quart of chicken stop. Bring to a simmer and add the bay leaf and cook until the squash and apple are soft.

9. Remove the bay leaf, puree the mixture in a blender, strain through a chinois.

10. Add the remaining chicken stock until the soup is at the preferred consistency, bring to a simmer, add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

11. Pour the soup in the ribbed cup and garnish with croutons and chopped parsley. Place the apple chips on the side.

The apple chips on the side is to silently tell the guest “there is apple in this soup”

Bon Appétit!

The portion is perfect when the guests feel they want a tiny bit more

 

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