Kasama Ceramic Techniques
Aya Kondo
In Kasama, there are relatively few long-established ceramic-making traditions or techniques. This is unlike many other pottery regions in Japan, where potters throw pots in a consistent style. For example: Hagi ware (in Yamaguchi Prefecture) is identifiable for its humble forms and use of a translucent white glaze, or Bizen ware (in Okayama Prefecture) is typically unglazed, simple, and fired at high temperatures (a method known as yakishime). By contrast, Kasama potters are part of a new wave of individual ceramicists, free to follow their own aesthetic values. For these potters, craft is as much a mindset as a physical act.
Kasama ware is highly durable, having a strong finish and an appealing utilitarian aspect. Across Kasama, the geology has been shaped by the presence of granite. Here, the clay used by potters contains a high iron content, that turns a dark brown colour after firing. A strong material, the clay is not always forgiving when manipulated by the potter. Nevertheless, the quality of Kasama’s clay fosters a close connection between the potter and the region. Kasama potters will typically work independently, making wheel-thrown ceramics as opposed to mass-producing pieces. In Kasama, one size does not fit all: potters have the space to think creatively, uninhibited by tradition.
Throughout Kasama’s diverse pottery community, potters of all ages and backgrounds are embracing a myriad of ceramic techniques and styles.
Monika Furuya & Hiroyuki Ōnuki
The icchin technique is one in which slip (a mixture of clay, water, and usually a pigment), is trailed—or dripped—on the surface of the ceramic article. Icchin is a form of decoration that Kasama potter Aya Kondo regularly makes use of. Kondo hand paints slip with a dripper to create intricate arabesque-like scrolls on her ceramics. Monika Furuya is another Kasama potter who deftly decorates her ceramics using the icchin technique. Furuya’s quaint pieces often feature flower-like shapes connected by uneven lines.
To achieve his delicate patterns, ceramicist Hiroyuki Ōnuki uses the zōgan technique of slip inlay. A one-time graphic designer, Ōnuki’s ceramics are based on hand-drawn Japanese artistic motifs. He outlines his designs on the moulded clay, painting each pattern by hand. Ōnuki’s work recalls the yūzen dyed kimonos that arose from the rich tradition of Japanese painting. Shinya Take uses a sen zōgan style of ceramic inlay, creating an ‘electric twig-like’ motif, that has a distinctive quality. Moreover, ash glazes from rice husks and hinoki are a pleasing aspect of Take’s work. A potter since 1980, Take’s ceramics have a charmingly delicate and graceful appearance. Zōgan is synonymous with Tatsuzō Shimaoka, a celebrated mingei (‘folk craft’) potter. Shimaoka mentored Tomoka Nomura, a Kasama potter who engraves patterns on her pottery with an artistic rigour. Using a pottery chisel, Nomura crafts each pattern with much practiced care and attention.
Shinya Take
Saideiji—a word that combines the characters for colour, mud, and a Chinese term for ceramics—is a technique conceived and employed by Hiroshi Kikuchi, a veteran potter on the Kasama scene. With Saideiji, Kikuchi mixes slip and pigment to create striking ceramics, defined by geometric blocks of textured colour and triangular black shapes (these shapes are achieved by applying masking tape to the clay). Gilan Sagawa is one of Kasama’s emerging young potters. With a keen interest in geometric slipware, he is part of a contemporary revival movement for slipware pottery in Japan. Gilan’s approach to slip is modern, bold, and vivid, resulting in beautifully patterned, geometric wares.
Gilan Sagawa
Hideki Inoue, a leading contemporary Japanese ceramicist, studied under the German potter Wendelin Stahl. Stahl’s work is characterised by its layered glaze coatings, a technique that very much inspired Inoue’s approach. Researching his own glazes, Inoue’s ceramics express deep gradations of green and blue—a style sometimes referred to as Japanese Modern. Inoue strives for perfection in his work, cleaning his kiln thoroughly after each and every firing, and removing any stains that might lead to an uneven finish. Furthermore, he ensures the kiln is at the exact temperature before firing any ceramics. As a result, Inoue’s work is both an accomplished piece of engineering as well as art. Kōji Toda is a Kasama
potter known for his large, brooding ceramics. Referred to as yakishime, this unglazed style of pottery is fired at high temperatures, with shades and patterns defined by the ash movements. Toda’s work recalls the ancient Sue ware style, a blue–grey form of stoneware pottery.
Hideki Inoue, Kōji Toda & Yukihito Nakata
The master potter Akio Nukaga uses the shinogi decorative technique in his work, carving ridge lines on the surface of the object. The technique takes its name from the appearance of ridges on a Japanese sword, known as ‘shinogi’. Nukaga also employs the kohiki firing technique, placing a white slip over a dark background. Working alongside his family’s business, Yukihito Nakata is a potter whose ceramics have a distinctly contemporary edge. Made with the user in mind, Nakata strives to produce pieces that offer beauty and encourage quiet moments. His ceramics have a human quality—Nakata uses a chattering technique to create exquisite ripples and textures on his tableware. In Japan, the use of a tobi-kanna chisel is the defining characteristic of the chattering technique. The Nakata family note that the style of tobi-kanna chiselling is a tradition found in Kasama, albeit one that is free from constraint.
Akio Nukaga, Kenji Tayama & Shūji Haneishi
Kenji Tayama fires his ceramics over a period of five days, in a wood burning anagama-style kiln (cave kiln). Anagama kilns fire at extremely high temperatures, and ash from the red pine wood used by Tayama creates a natural glaze. Tayama decorates his ceramics by means of kiln effects, known as yōhen. While Tayama can picture how each piece might look, he does not know for sure: he ‘barters’ with the elements, trying to retain control over the kiln, and discovers different effects on the pottery each time. Shūji Haneishi has mastered the art of firing ceramics in his maki-gama wood-fired kiln. Like Kenji Tayama, Haneishi seeks to control the kiln effects, where ash acts as a natural glaze. His focus is on using the most suitable wood and finding the best kiln conditions—a master potter, Haneishi will spend days achieving a perfect human and nature symbiosis.
