Noriko Kawakami was drawn to Marimekko's textiles designed by Fujio Ishimoto, and when they started working together, she says that the more they talked, the more she was drawn to Ishimoto's charm. Ishimoto doesn't flatter anyone other than what he feels or thinks, and he doesn't change his story to suit the situation or the person he's talking about. He is always straight. He says that when he meets Ishimoto, he doesn't just feel happy or have fun, but that he has a deep time with him. He always accepts my heart, and I wait for Ishimoto's next words with some trepidation. Ishimoto says that not only his works, but also his words and personality are wonderful.

Written by Noriko Kawakami

In June of this year, Ishimoto explained his work at Spiral Garden, a solo exhibition venue in Tokyo that followed his previous exhibitions in Ehime and Kyoto. When we met in the spring, he said, ``I remembered the ``Noryo Folding Screen'' painted by Morikage Kusumi in the Edo period, so I went to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, which I used to frequent when I was a student.'' The scenery of the ``Noryo-zu Folding Screen'' that he had given us had been realized. (They were disappointed that they couldn't see it because it's not a permanent exhibit at the museum...)

Ishimoto's winter melon was relaxing.

While Morikage's work was of a family cooling off on a gourd shelf, Ishimoto's exhibit is of many winter melons. They sit on mats (rata), just like the family depicted by Morikage. "I wanted to put some winter melon there. It looks like the winter melon is relaxing." It looked like a farmhouse's summer garden, and even though it was indoors, I could feel the breeze blowing through it. This exhibition also seems to be Ishimoto-san's work. Without any pretentious presentation or embellishment, he simply shows the truly important aspects of what he wants to express. That too is lively. In front of me was a freshly picked winter melon. It's fresh, bright, and delicious. I couldn't help but want to stretch out my arms and hold him.

The first time we met was through work. In June, while I was returning to Japan to discuss an exhibition opening at Spiral in December 2012, I had the honor of being given the important role of being a listener at a talk event. Not only had I been interested in his work for some time, but also because Marimekko had just released a dress designed in 12 using "Nuru Mikko" (lawn) fabric, and it was one of my favorites, so I decided to reply. I received the listener. The talk at this time was a series of valuable anecdotes, unlike what I had heard that ``Mr. Ishimoto doesn't talk much in public.'' The talk begins with the inspiration he received from Scandinavian design when he was young, the challenges he faced during his time at Marimekko, including trying out non-repeat patterns, and the ceramic work he is currently working on. Everyone in the audience listened to Mr. Ishimoto's infinitely free sensibilities.

I am even more fascinated by Ishimoto's delicacy and dynamism.

After the talk in June 2012, I was given the opportunity to be in charge of the profile page for the collection of works ``Fujio Ishimoto's Cloth and Ceramics''. I wanted to know the ``interval'' and background behind the events that were already mentioned in his biography, so I decided to head to Helsinki at the beginning of September and ask him to tell me his story.

``Mr. Ishimoto's past'' was more dynamic than I expected. Ever since he started his design career, he has faced many challenges. The documents and photos that she has kept neatly show that she continues to approach each and every job with care. And warmth. He knows that the reason he is trusted by Scandinavian writers is because of his close relationship with master artist Kai Franck, and the charm of both his works and his personality.

On the last day after successfully completing the interview, Mr. Ishimoto started calling and saying, ``Oiva is alone today, so I'd like to invite her to dinner.'' Unexpectedly, I ended up having dinner with Oiva Toikka, a glass artist known for her bird works. Oiva, who is 10 years older than Ishimoto, was 81 years old at the time. She went to a no-frills Chinese restaurant that they both liked, and one of the plates served was the biggest sea bass she'd ever seen. ``Let's eat without using chopsticks,'' said Oiva. At the dinner table, where they silently ate the fish dishes with their hands, I felt the friendship between these two master craftsmen, who were strict with their work but warmly directed their hearts toward those around them.

In February of this year, I had the opportunity to visit Helsinki and revisit his atelier. While drinking fragrant tea served in a Tobe ware bowl, he asked about his plans for his next return to Japan. ``I hope that this time I will be able to see the Japanese cherry blossoms that I was unable to see because I missed the timing.''

While looking at the cherry blossoms in Japan, I think about my future artist activities.

In late March, the cherry blossoms bloomed as if in anticipation of Ishimoto's return to Japan. On the promised weekend, I drove to Kinuta Park and walked around looking at the magnificent cherry blossoms with their long branches decorated with flowers. As I walked with Ishimoto, I noticed that she often kept an eye on small weeds in the corners of sidewalks in parks. I'm not only looking at the cherry blossoms in full bloom, where people are cheering and pointing at their cameras, but also at the small flowers that are starting to appear here and there. I felt once again that Ishimoto was able to freely create large works of art based on her memories of the small flowers she saw in the wild when she was young. Even so, she walked away briskly on this day as well. I walked behind Mr. Ishimoto, who kept his eyes on the ground, so as not to fall behind.

Mr. Ishimoto looks a little embarrassed when he talks about something important. "Pottery is something you make by yourself. It's a pain just to put a large, heavy piece into the kiln. But I'd like to try it by myself, with my own body." It was the same when he told me the truth. And when Mr. Ishimoto talks about what he really likes, he smiles from ear to ear. We hope to see such smiles and are looking forward to our next appointment. Until then, I have to focus on my work. I asked myself if I was able to perceive and express my surroundings with an open mind like Mr. Ishimoto.

In the 1970s, when Ms. Ishimoto decided that she wanted to work at Marimekko, she went to meet Marimekko founder Armi Ratia, and her impressions were recorded. She is "a very charming Japanese person." She wasn't the only one who thought that. She has a wonderful senior in her life in Northern Europe, which is a little far away. How happy she is!