Although we are sincerely working on manufacturing,
A creator who never forgets to be close to people's lives.

The six pottery production areas that have continued since the Middle Ages, the Rokuko Kilns, incorporate two elements: "ceramics" as industrial pottery, and "ceramics" as an art and craft aspect, and their history. I have been spinning. The reason why production areas have been able to continue to exist, even though they have often been forced to survive with the passage of time, is because there were many makers there who inherited the spirit of manufacturing. Koji Takahashi, creative director of the Six Ancient Kilns Japan Heritage Utilization Council, said, ``While we are proud of being a production area with a history dating back to the Middle Ages, we are still trying to understand the essence of manufacturing so that it can be utilized in today's lives. I believe that my job is to meet and talk with many of these creators, connect them both inside and outside of the production area, and connect them to the users and the future." I put my strength into it.

``For example, Hajime Kimura of Ichiyo Kiln, whom I first met at my previous job and who I am collaborating with as one of the Bizen artists in the Rokuko Kiln project. , one of the potteries that inherits the tradition of the Kimura family.

``When I think of a potter, I have an embarrassing image of someone who is a bit eccentric, someone who stares at the pottery they take out of the kiln and if they don't like it, breaks it, but Mr. Kimura is completely different.First of all, Mr. Kimura is completely different. , he values ​​his life and family very much, is interested in the manufacturing process of various genres such as products, clothing, cooking, alcohol, music, architecture, and rakugo, and has a high awareness of the natural environment. To quote Mr. Kimura, ``Bizen ware has only a 100-year history, even if it is considered ``obvious'' such as the established theories and rules of the production area. If not, perhaps we should simply follow what our predecessors and generations before us have said.However, in a history of about 1000 years, what was said just 100 or 200 years ago is really a long time ago. It's really interesting to think about this again.''

``I have a very strong sense of the fact that the materials used for making pottery, such as soil and wood, are finite, and I say things like ``I don't want to waste the clay that is visibly decreasing.'' That's why, if I'm going to bake, I want to bake things that are useful in daily life from the consumer's point of view.In today's world, there are many other issues in the manufacturing industry than just the natural environment. It is this kind of bird's-eye view that makes me think that it is an attempt to reinterpret tradition in a new way.In fact, when I look at what Mr. Kimura is making, I find that it is heavy and difficult to understand, which is typical of Bizen ware. Although it is on the same level as other products, it is not overbearing, and I feel that the technology of the region has been transformed to fit modern life."

A wealth of museums and
A training institution that also accepts overseas writers.
The “sacred place” of ceramics is opened to the world

Meanwhile, how does the world view the "Six Ancient Kilns"? As mentioned in the first part, Japan is a ``pottery powerhouse'' with an astonishing number of kilns in a small country, and the ``Six Ancient Kilns'' in particular are considered ``sacred places'' for those who aspire to make pottery. It's like that. ``There are many pottery makers in Europe and the United States, but most of them are studios or individual artists.They are not limited to the ``Rokukogama,'' which are regional industries, but there are also artists who want to visit pottery production areas. It's a great place to learn about the roots of pottery, as there are still many makers who dig clay from local mountains and rice fields and fire it in handmade wood-fired ovens. ``The appeal of Rokko Kiln is that there are more museums related to ceramics than anywhere else in the world, and there is an abundance of old materials.''

``We have a system that accepts artists from Japan and abroad, for example, the artist-in-residence ``Shiga Prefectural Ceramics Forest'' in Shigaraki accepts about 50 ceramic artists from all over the world every year.In Tokoname, where I live, The Tokoname Ceramics Ceramics Research Institute was established in the 1960s, and since its opening, Koie Ryo is one of Tokoname's leading potters and is world-famous. Mr. Ni was a staff member at the time of its opening.I think the fact that there are not only Mr. Koie but also superstar artists in the pottery world is why it is called a ``sacred place.'' I want people to go and see the production area. I want them to see the origin of pottery production, see the diversity, and feel that atmosphere with their whole body."

Stories and works created over 1000 years by the six ancient kilns
A special exhibition that allows you to travel with a bird's-eye view
Currently being held in Seto City and Tokoname City

The ``Rokuko Kiln'' is not a cultural heritage of the past, but a production area that is still alive today. Moreover, they are scattered in places where you can go on a day trip. As part of its activities, the "Travelling, Thousand Years, Six Ancient Kilns" project will hold a special exhibition "Traveling, Thousand Years, Six Ancient Kilns - Fire" from August 2019rd (Saturday) to September 29th (Sunday), XNUMX. "Landscapes where people and people, soil and people, and water and people meet" will be held in Seto City and Tokoname City. This exhibition will focus on Seto and Tokoname, the venue, and provide an overview of the history of six ceramic areas from the birth of the Rokko kilns to modern times, along with representative works. In addition, we will also clarify how the techniques of Seto kiln and Tokoname kiln were spread, which had a great influence on the surrounding ceramic industry. Before and after the exhibition, we encourage you to walk around each location and see for yourself the landscapes where fire and people, earth and people, and water and people meet.

(Titles omitted)

“Traveling through a thousand years and six ancient kilns: A landscape where fire and people, earth and people, water and people meet”
Seto Seto City Art Museum Special Exhibition Commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Enforcement of Seto City System
“Tracing Japan’s six ancient kilns – The history of each of Japan’s six ancient kilns”
Date: August 2019rd (Sat) - September 29th (Sun), XNUMX
Venue: Seto City Museum of Art, 1st floor permanent exhibition room/special exhibition room 1
Exhibition Approximately 50 works from the Seto kiln, Tokoname kiln, Echizen kiln, Shigaraki kiln, Tamba kiln, and Bizen kiln from the medieval period to modern times.
Admission fee: Adults: 500 yen (groups of 20 or more people: 400 yen), high school and university students: 300 yen (groups of 20 or more people: 240 yen)

Tokoname Tokoname Ceramic Art Institute Special Exhibition
“Tracing Japan’s six ancient kilns – the relationship between Tokoname kiln and other kilns”
Date: August 2019rd (Sat) - September 23rd, XNUMX (Monday/holiday)
Venue: Tokoname Tonomori Ceramics Research Institute
Exhibition: Approximately 40 pieces of six ancient kilns, medieval and early modern kilns (Atsumi kiln, Nakatsugawa kiln, Someya ware) and works by contemporary artists (Tokoname ware and Someya ware)
Admission free
https://sixancientkilns.jp/

→Click here for the charm of ceramic kilns that have lasted for a thousand years - Six ancient kilns (Part 1)