Shigaraki Town, Shiga Prefecture is a production area of Shigaraki ware, famous for its raccoon dog ornaments. It is one of Japan's six oldest kilns and is a representative place for pottery that has continued since the Middle Ages, but it is also a production base for pottery makers and individual artists, and a place where people gather. Yasumi Kobo is a married couple making pottery in Shigaraki.
The works are mainly created by the husband, Hayato Yasumi, and his wife, Maki, is in charge of the painting.
He started his career in pottery through a pottery club during his university days. After graduating from university, he studied at the Shiga Prefectural Shigaraki Ceramics Experimental Institute, and after training in Shigaraki and Okayama Bizen, he became independent.
The vessels that he makes are simple in shape. Food looks best when it's served on a plate.
The soil used is Shigaraki soil. A beautiful ``powdered'' pottery with a warm, pure white color. It is also called ``white makeup'' because white clay is applied to the base material and glazed.
On the other hand, his wife, Maki, took advantage of her pottery training in high school to enroll in a pottery course in the arts and crafts department at university. After graduating, she worked in the planning office of Ceramic Shoji Co., Ltd. in Shigaraki. Apparently there was only one person in the department, and she was engaged not only in planning, but also in the production process, including design, drafting, and promotional items. Received the Good Design Award (G Mark) in 1999 and the Good Design Award in 2000! Both awards were for the design of heat-resistant pottery, and he says that his experience from this time is being utilized in the current production at the Yasumi workshop.
``I often use the nature around me as motifs in my paintings, and I am drawn to things around me such as vegetables, fruits, flowers, animals, and scenery.I try not to give a heavy impression. "I'm posting pictures while I'm at it," says Maki.
The blue part uses a technique called washi dyeing, in which a picture is drawn on washi paper, cut out and pasted, and the color is transferred. The brown and gray parts are then hand-painted one by one with a brush. He says he really likes hand-painting because the expressions change in so many ways.
Although it is a powdered product, it has already been treated to prevent staining, so there is no need to apply an eyelid. ( Do not boil it as it will be damaged by thermal shock.)
* Sealing = A process that prevents food from soaking in by soaking ceramic vessels in water or boiling them in a pot of rice soup before use.
I said hello to them at the Shigaraki Ceramic Art Market , where the owner also visited. This is a craft fair where only Shigaraki artists and makers with connections to Shigaraki can participate.
Yasumi Kobo's booth
The warm texture and bright patterns are exciting to look at. It was a popular booth at the venue.
``Keeping in mind that the user is the main character, we create vessels that support your daily life by playing a supporting role in important meals , and that make you feel a little better when you use them. That is the ideal of Yasumi Kobo,'' says Maki.
Thank you for taking the time to handle this matter.
I'm looking forward to your future works!
Click here for Yasumi Kobo's works
