Warm up the past and learn about the new

Okinawan pottery has been around since the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom. While inheriting this tradition, Matsuda Yoneji Kobo continues to work with the desire to create even better products. ``Creating new things while looking at old things, learning from the past and new things.Although things have been around for a long time, we are constantly trying to create something better.``Easy to use'' changes with the times, so we recognize the value and leave it as wonderful. I think we have to distinguish between what should be done and what should be changed.''Kengo, like his master, said, ``While I refer to old Okinawan pottery that I like, I don't want to just copy it.'' Instead, I want to place importance on arranging it to fit modern times, and I hope that people can get a sense of old Okinawa from that.''He continues to study hard every day.

Making and choosing for use

With the popularity of Yachimun in recent years, Kitagama's name is now nationwide. Its popularity has also spread to younger generations. Regarding what people of his generation have in their hands, Kengo says, ``I don't use it because it's popular or because it's a brand, but because I think it's a good tool to live with, and I use it because I want to use it.'' I would be happy if people would think that way.''

The master himself says, ``After all, we are making products to be used.That is the main premise.With that in mind, we strive to make what we make today better than yesterday.'' The generously decorated vessels will brighten your heart just by displaying them on your dining table. ``I believe that the work you do shows in your work.If you work while having fun, it will show in your energetic atmosphere.

Thank you for using it

Like his older brother Yoneji's workshop, Kyoji's pottery is extremely popular in Okinawa. While many different pottery makers create pottery in their own styles, many of the pieces made by Mr. Kyoshi have a traditional style that inherits traditional designs. ``Normally, people would try new things while studying, right?I can't do that myself (lol)It doesn't matter if my skills are ugly, but I have to face the soil of Okinawa. I feel like it's our destiny. Sometimes I think it would be easier if we incorporated good shapes and things from the mainland. So I'm really grateful that they're using it. I'm really grateful that they're using it. People who buy and use what I create while searching for the right answer are supporters."

Facing the soil of Okinawa

The main feature of Yachimun is that it is made from red clay, which contains a lot of iron, as a base, and then the decoration is made of white clay. Mr. Koji has an extraordinary feeling for soil, saying, ``Soil comes first, then baking, and finally color and shape.Color and shape are artificial, and soil is something that humans can't control.'' I have. That's because the soil of Okinawa helped me find who I am.

“Before I started making pottery, I instinctively loved making and drawing, so I left Okinawa and went to Tokyo to study design, but I kept thinking about who I am as a person.Okinawa I thought that I could become an Okinawan person by studying the culture and making pottery, so when I became an apprentice to Mr. Sanekyo Omine of Ishimine Kiln, the teacher said, ``Okinawa people make pottery with Okinawan clay.'' When I heard him say, ``Isn't it wonderful to cook ingredients grown in Okinawa and eat them in this bowl?'', I was very moved and thought that this was what I was looking for. hand.

The workings of nature are a treasure trove of creativity beyond human knowledge.

Her parents were painters, and she had paintbrushes and clay around her from an early age, so she developed an interest in pottery while playing. Since then, akae can be said to be synonymous with Mayan, who has been making pottery for 50 years. Although it is more expensive than other items because it requires more effort, many people instinctively feel the color and modern atmosphere, making it very popular at fennica. There are many fans of Maman's Akae.

The source of inspiration is the natural scenery of Okinawa. ``For example, in Okinawa there is a plant called croton, which has red and yellow leaves, and when it withers, it turns black and bright red spots appear. A bright red circle is modern.That's why I always remember that aspect of the natural world.''People may be fascinated by the richness that naturally oozes out from the vessels that are created in this way.

Protecting the light of Ryukyu culture and craft culture

When you visit Goldsmith Matayoshi and look at the workshop, the first thing you see are the many well-used tools. Most of them have been passed down to us from our father, the 6th generation Mr. Masayoshi, who worked hard to revive goldsmithing during the post-war period. ``When I was having trouble finding a successor, I wondered what would happen to the tools my father used when he passed away.Tools are meaningless unless they are used.And my father's work will continue to be shaped by what he made. This is a job that will remain as a legacy.Since it is a part of Ryukyu culture and a part of craft culture, I thought that someone had to do it in order to pass it on, so I said to my father, ``I'll do it.'' At the age of 40, Kenjiro, who had previously been working in another job, entered the goldsmith industry, determined to carry history on his shoulders.

Meeting people through goldsmithing

``I'm sitting here, and I've never left here. I have a tool here, I hit it here, I put it on fire, I put water on it, and I repeat this process. It's completed without even stepping outside.'' That's why I think this job is all about meeting people. I go out of my way to visit the workshop and get what they want, and the work is completed, so I naturally get involved."
Kenjiro humbly says that it's not the things he creates that are great, but the work that allows him to meet people.

Being made of traditional Ryukyu glass

Ryukyu glass started out as recycled glass made from discarded bottles, but today there are many workshops that purchase raw glass and make it, so it is starting to lose its former appearance. Meanwhile, ``Glass Studio Seiten'' is making glass that is based on the original Ryukyu glass.

``During my training at several workshops, I came into contact with a variety of raw materials, including window glass, raw glass, and crystal glass.However, Ryukyu glass has a history that began with discarded bottles, so I was able to work with various materials such as window glass, raw glass, and crystal glass. It was time to start with bottles. Since then, I've been using awamori bottles for 20 years.''The rustic colors and flavors, such as clear, moss green, and brown, are the same colors as recycled glass. In the case of purple or blue glass, we use an empty bottle mixed with a small amount of medicine to create the color.

Handmade shapes that cannot be produced by machines

Seiten's glass has a thickness and weight that fits comfortably in the hand, something that cannot be achieved with industrial products, and a generous feel that comes from air-blowing. ``In the past, I wanted to make glass that was thinner and more beautiful than what was made by machines, and I wanted to go beyond machines.''At that time, a business partner told me, ``Leave thinner glass to machines, and make it by hand.'' I was asked, ``Could you make something that I can feel and feel safe in my hands?''From there, I started making things that would be hard to break and have a certain thickness. We create products that are simple and considerate of the users. "If you use one item, you'll want 5 or 10 more. We want to make products that are easy to use and that you'll want to keep using." This belief may be the reason why we have repeat customers and support.

Inheriting technology will lead to further growth in your work

Since Mr. Matsuda started his workshop, he has trained people who have the desire to make glass, and so far five craftsmen have gone independent and started work in various places. ``At our school, we have a system where you learn a technique and then become independent.I like teaching, and the reason I teach is because I want to improve myself by preparing and reviewing the techniques. I also learn and it leads to my own growth.That's why I teach even if other glass studios ask me how to make glass.I'm confident that I can't surpass what I make, and I think that's what technique is all about. Mr. Matsuda's unwavering confidence in his work and his never-ending desire to improve support the tradition of Ryukyu glass, which is passed down from hand to hand and continues to be passed on to future generations.

Don't think too much and be honest with yourself

Mr. Taniguchi naturally developed an interest in pottery by visiting potteries and antique stores from a young age, following his father, who is a painter who loves folk art. After majoring in pottery at university in the United States and returning to Japan, he joined Maya Yamada's workshop at the age of 26, continued his training, and became independent for eight years. Mr. Taniguchi humbly says, ``I still haven't fully digested what I learned at Yomitan, so I'm doing something different from other people, but I'm still at the stage where I can copy the shape of an antique and make it my own.'' For the past few years, I have been exhibiting my works in public exhibitions, and when I submitted them to the national exhibition last year, I thought, ``I had to take my technique to the next level and express Okinawan work. Mr. Koji (Matsuda) told me, ``Do what you like at the national exhibition and don't worry about Okinawa.'' The work I submitted with that feeling was selected for the first time.

A path to pottery made with a competitive spirit

Mr. Nakazato went out on his own after spending five years working at a pottery studio in the prefecture and eight years at Matsuda Yoneji Kobo. Since it is a difficult job where everything from preparing the soil is done by hand, there are many people who give up on the training midway through and quit.However, ``I don't like to lose.It was fun to take each step one by one.'' I was so busy every day that even though I had things to do, I couldn't see the goal.I wanted to do this, I wanted to do that, I wanted to learn something.''I kept a positive attitude and worked diligently to improve my skills. I learned a lot from Mr. Yoneji's teachings, such as looking at old things and creating your own pottery based on what you feel, and his style of craftsmanship. Looking back on his time as an apprentice, he says, ``I'm really grateful to have been nurtured by him.''

What I create is my true self

``Ever since I started my own business, I've realized that it's interesting how I can capture the feeling of ``like'' in people who use and buy my products, which I don't have myself,'' says Nakazato. The painting has a rhythmic and refreshing feel to it.

``I'm trying not to show anything original, but I'm surprised to see the lines and shapes appearing.I feel embarrassed because I feel like my true self is there, but I draw the same arabesque.'' But I guess I have my own rhythm in all of them (lol).'' Even so, I was greedy and said, ``If I come across something new and find that I like it, I can absorb that preference and make it my own.'' Mr. Nakazato pursues his own style. ``I want to work even harder on the red glaze that I tried for the first time,'' he said, continuing to make pottery today.