Sculptor Sachiko Kutsuzawa lives with her family in a rural village in Misugi Town, Mie Prefecture. There are fields on the premises, including a tea plantation. A river flows beside her home, and she finds inspiration from the days when she senses the presence of animals that live in the mountains behind her house. She says, ``Creating things is a little like diving deep into water or walking silently through a mountain.'' She is Kutsuzawa. You can see her sense of beauty in living naturally and without pretense in her works.

Written by Sachiko Kutsuzawa

Strength and gentleness coexist in works that breathe “life”

"Beautiful water is flowing"
“Shiro the goat can eat a lot of grass.”
“I want to grow tea plantations and rice fields.”
“You can burn the fields without hesitation.”

These are the ideal conditions that my family and I discussed eight years ago before moving to Misugi Town in Mie Prefecture. It feels like the conditions are very haphazard, but I found a place close to it that I have a connection with. It was an old folk house deep in the mountains that had been abandoned for some time, and the building and land were all about to be swallowed up by trees and plants. However, the water of the valley river running nearby was sparkling, and the mountain god of this village, whose deity is made of stone and wood, was a simple yet powerful presence, so I thought it would be okay here.

In the spring, I can feel the mud of the rice fields with my bare feet, and in the summer, I can idly think of ideas for my next production while letting my children swim in the valley river. In autumn, deer compete for delicious flavors such as persimmons, akebia, chestnuts, and mushrooms. Its appearance is also a good model for sculpture. In winter, they collect fallen trees from the mountains to keep warm and burn the soil. I now feel deep joy in being able to create things while living in harmony with nature.

Now, the deer eats almost anything, but apparently it doesn't like tea leaves, and as a result, wild tea plants are growing all over the place.

Someday we will build a foundation with the stones of this land,
Build a pillar from mountain wood,
Paint the walls with dirt,
Pottery made from mountain soil is fired using fallen wood.
Making tea from the tea tree,
Drawing water from the valley river,
Brew some tea.
I want to create a place like that.
This is the form of sculpture that I am secretly passionate about.

1. Xie Xiaoran (Kyoto Xiaoran owner)
2. Wataru Hatano (Japanese paper maker)
3. Kazumi Kawai (ceramist)

(Titles omitted)