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Just for whom are you making it?

When I create guinomi cups for the drinking of sake, the users of my wares who always come to mind are the people I have met over the years as fellow lovers of Japan’s most famous tipple. To offer more detail, when shaping an individual piece, I often posit as to whether a certain drinking buddy will take a shine to it. Likewise, sometimes I experience great happiness when daydreaming while working, and thinking as to whether a certain seductiveness will be drawn from whatever I am making when held by a particular friend.


These days I sometimes visit local schools in order to teach the basics of pottery to neighborhood children. On such occasions, the theme of my lessons is “Just for whom are you making it?” To offer more detail, before having them get their hands dirty, each child is asked to decide for whom they will make something. Likewise, they are asked to think about their mindset when doing so, and to consider the nature of what they hope to make. Once that has all been decided, their youthful eagerness and expression is let loose, and the lesson then goes through to the point of something tangible being produced, which the children will then give as a present to whom they have in mind as a recipient. To wit, among the youngsters whom I have taught to date, in almost all cases the recipients of the completed works have been mothers. However, on occasion, there are also examples of great effort being put into gifts to fathers, grandfathers, special friends, and even being kept by the children themselves.


To mention the effort thus expended, the youngsters really put their hearts into it. Likewise, the lessons themselves provide the enjoyment of making something by hand. There is also the satisfaction of giving something to somebody else as a present. Finally, such lessons also expose such youngsters to the very roots of my own profession. Thus, when I personally see the seriousness of my young charges as they think about what they are doing, I understand that such activities represent an important first step in assisting the penetration of Japan’s traditional arts and crafts into the collective conscious of society.


Before concluding, I should mention that an exhibition entitled, “the first link to Japan’s traditional arts,” was held at the Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo. It showcased the works of such budding artists. Furthermore, with the cooperation of Panasonic, a record of the event was recorded for prosperity. Personally, I was grateful for that because, while the creators of the individual pieces remained nameless, it was possible to appreciate that among their number, there might be some youngsters who take up pottery as a profession in the future.

 Just for whom are you making it?

© 2023 Ikai Yuichi All rights reserved.

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