Artist Statement

For a long time, I was immersed in the field of industrial design, where I was involved in “monozukuri” or making things, for a multitude of users. My desire for monozukuri increased and grew to what is more accessible, monozukuri where I can leave my own imprint, and express myself as I absorbed myself into the world of pottery.

Generally speaking, pottery involves the following process: shaping → drying → bisque (initial) firing → glazing → final glaze firing. In the last step of the glaze firing, the artwork is placed in a kiln, and it is heated up to a very high temperature of more than 1200C which hardens the piece. The heat generated by the burning wood, the flow of the flames inside the kiln, and the temperature and humidity outside result in considerable differences in the finished product. Unlike painting and sculpture, ultimately, pottery is an art wherein pieces are finished not by hand, but by forces of the heat and fire, which is beyond our reach.

Clay, which comes from our mother nature also plays a major constituent. Each kind of clay has its own characteristics, and factors such as the region from where the soil is from to the amount of iron in the earth creates differences in the colors and surface texture of the finished product. In addition, the amount of shrinkage varies depending on the clay's drying and glaze firing. Furthermore, subtle differences in the mixing of the glaze's compounds causes drastic changes in the piece's final color and clarity. Clay, as well as glaze, are natural raw materials. Right now, I am especially particular about using original clay and glazes in creating my pieces. In using these natural materials, I am facing how extremely difficult it is to control them well. They contain realms that are inaccessible to me, areas that are beyond the reach of human hands.

In pottery, raw materials are with an attitude of humility, grasp their quality, and maximize their goodness. Ultimately, we need to come face-to-face with nature, have a conversation with it, and entrust everything to it. I believe that “monozkuri” begins by humbly acknowledging that there is very little that we humans can do in nature and emptying our mind and soul. That is when the ceramic journey begins.

とりあえず書いてみました。

陶芸とは、謙虚な気持ちで自然と向き合うことである

私は長い間、工業デザインの世界に身を置き、沢山のユーザーのための¢モノづくり¢を行って

来ました。しかしマスプロダクションという共同作業的な活動ではなく、もっと身近で自分の

手の跡が残る、私自身が表現できるモノづくりがしたいという欲求が高まり、陶芸の世界に身

を投じました。

一般的に陶芸には、成形ー乾燥ー素焼きー秞掛けー焼成、という工程があります。この中で、

最後の焼成という行程は、作品を窯に入れ、1200℃を超える高温で作品を焼き固める行為で

す。特に、電気やガスによる窯ではなく薪窯による焼成は、薪が燃える熱の量や窯の中の炎の

流れ、外気の温度や湿度の差によって、焼き上がりに大きな差が出てしまうという厄介な工程

です。絵画や彫刻などと違い陶芸は、最終的に炎や熱という人の手が及ばないところで完成さ

れる芸術なのです。

また陶芸は、素材の種類が豊富です。粘土にはそれぞれ癖があり、産地や鉄分の含有量などに

よって、焼き上がりの色や表面の質感に違いが生じます。また乾燥や焼成による収縮の度合い

も様々です。更に釉薬も、各成分の調合の微妙な差で色や透明感などが激変します。粘土も釉

薬も自然の素材です。特に私は今、オリジナルの粘土と釉薬にこだわって作品作りを行ってい

ます。それらを上手にコントロールすることは非常に難しいと感じています。ここにも人の手

が及ばない領域があるからです。

だからこそ陶芸は、謙虚な気持ちで素材に向かい、素材の癖をつかみ、素材の良さを生かさな

ければなりません。つまり、自然に向き合い、自然と対話し、全てを自然に委ねることが必要

なのです。自然の中で人間の力はあまりにも小さく微力であるということを謙虚に受け止める

こと、そして無心になること、そこから陶芸の作品づくりが始まるのだと信じています。

Bio

Born in 1955 in Tokyo. After graduating from the Industrial Design Department of Ikuei Technical College, he joined the design department of Panasonic Corporation. He was in charge of the design development of various home appliances (HA) and audio video communication products (AVC). He was also involved in the design of other products, greatly contributing to the management of the company.In 1994, he helped blaze a new trail in the burgeoning era of large-scale televisions. With their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan in attendance, he received an award for invention from the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation. He also established new company centers for design development in Frankfurt, Germany, and in San Diego, USA. As the first general manager of each center, he propelled product design development tailored to each market. After returning to Japan, he was appointed as head of the company's AVC design department. He retired from the company in 2013. Thereafter, he enrolled in the Ceramics Arts Course of Kyoto University of Art and Design. As a potter who was previously a designer, he creates various pieces such as flower vases and objet d' art with motifs of bamboo shoots and bamboo trees prominently featured in his latest works. Aiming for the harmonious co-existence of utility and aesthetics in his work, and being particular about utilizing self-made clay and glazes, he hopes to practice pottery-making that yields pieces that soothe and calm people's hearts and minds.

1955年 東京生まれ。育英工業高等専門学校(Ikuei Technical College)工業デザイン学科を卒業後、パナソニックのデザイン部門に入社。HA(Home Appliance)機器やAVC(Audio Video Communication)機器のデザイン開発を担当し、様々な製品のデザインを手掛け、パナソニックの経営に大きく寄与した。

1994年には大型テレビジョンの時代を切り開いたとして、日本発明協会より、天皇皇后両陛下のご臨席のもと、発明賞受賞の栄誉を得る。

デザイン開発拠点を、新たにドイツ(フランクフルト)やアメリカ(サンディエゴ)に設立し、初代責任者として市場に密着した商品のデザイン開発を推進。

日本帰国後はAVCデザイン部門の責任者を歴任し、2013年パナソニックを退社。

その後、京都造形芸術大学(Kyoto Univ. of Art & Design)美術科陶芸コース入学。

デザイナーから一転して陶芸家として、花器やオブジェなどさまざまな作品を製作し、特に現在は筍や竹をモチーフにした作品を多く創作している。

用と美の調和を目指し、自作の土と釉薬にこだわり、心が和む作品創りを実践していきたいと考えている。