I went to visit Eki noriko's porcelains exhibition in Keio Department Store, Shinjuku, TOKYO

I bought Eki noriko's porcelains. Eki noriko lives Mashiko-machi Haga-gun, Tochigi, Japan. 

The pottery's that I bought coler is like beautiful sea's blue.

Keio Department Store, Shinjuku, TOKYO(6th floor) is good to meet famous Japanese pottery shops-大倉陶園(Okura Touen)・源右衛門（Gen-emon porcelain）・ノリタケ(Noritake)・深川製磁（Fukagawa seiji）.

I recommend you want to go to the famous Japanese pottery shops in Tokyo at once. Those famous porcelains and pottery shops come from all over Japan. And They have a special temporary exhibition like Eki noriko's porcelains exhibition!

I went Shoji Hamada Memorial Mashiko Sankokan Museum* in Mashiko.

The Museum exhibits many items that the potter Shoji Hamada. Shōji Hamada (1894–1978) was a Japanese potter. He in 1955 became the first person to be designated a Living National Treasure.

Hamada was impressed by a Tokyo exhibition of ceramic art by Bernard Leach. Hamada accompanied Leach to England in 1920.  In 1924, Shoji Hamada, came to settle in Mashiko.

He promoted the Folk Crafts Movement with Soetsu Yanagi. They pursued an ideal that beauty in Everyday Crafts strongly.

Mashiko Sankokan Museum exhibits works by fellow potter and close friend Kanjiro Kawai, and Bernard Leach, with whom Hamada traveled to the UK and subsequently worked.

 I love Bernard Leach’s pottery. He painted animals on dishes, it so cute and good design.

*About Mashiko

** Mashiko Sankokan Museum

Address: 3388 Mashiko, Mashiko Town, Haga-gun, Tochigi

Phone: 0285-72-5300

Photo is OK at this museum

Ref.

Japan official guide

I went an excibition “Yoshihiko Yoshida - The Potter between Mashiko and Mino” at Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art* in Mashiko.

Yoshihiko Yoshida (吉田喜彦) studied with renowned Mino potter and Living National Treasure Arakawa Toyozo (1894-1985) for 13 years. 

He studied painting at his hight schools days. His pottery is very soft and grace like Japanese traditional painting or "Rinpa"**.

Yoshida lived amid a forest in the hills of Toki City in Gifu Prefecture. I feel his work the beauty of forest and nature. I thought the form of his pottery is like a flower or walnut or coconut.

His potterys are not only beautiful but also good to use.

His work is excibited at Musée Guimet.

I read “日本の手仕事をつなぐ旅 うつわ (written by久野恵一(1947-2015))”

鎌倉でもやい工藝という陶器のお店をしていて、日本の民藝の運動に大きな影響を与えていた、久野恵一さんの本、“日本の手仕事をつなぐ旅 うつわ (久野恵一(1947-2015)”を読みました(^^)

I think the author thought good pottery had

(Of course the skill of forming and artistic quality is most important)

著者がいい陶器の条件としていることは、

（もちろん成形の基礎的な技術や芸術性があっての上のことだと思いますが）

●warmth 暖かさ

●ununiformity 均一ではない

●left-right asymmetric 左右非対称

●simplicit 単純さ

At Japanese culture the contingency and the natural is important by tradition(See). 

日本の文化では伝統的に、庭園などでも苔を生やしたり左右対称を嫌ったり、偶発性や自然さを大事にしますが、著者も手作りの持つ偶発性•自然さを大事にしていたのですね。

I read “日本の手仕事をつなぐ旅 うつわ (written by久野恵一(1947-2015))” He did for Arts and Crafts Movement (by William Morris) for pottery in Japan. He had a pottery(Arts and Crafts) shop,”鎌倉 もやい工藝.” The pottery in Japan had a big influence on Arts and Crafts Movement in Japan. The Japan Folk Crafts Museum exhibit works as to Arts and Crafts Movement in Japan.

I went Mashiko for Mashiko special pottery market. Big pottery festival held in Mashiko from 29th March to 8th May in 2016. It was a big pottery festival in Mashiko. About 500 tent shops are there.

I bought Eki noriko's porcelains at that festival. Ekinoriko Eki. Lives Mashiko-machi Haga-gun, Tochigi, Japan. She graduated Joshibi University of Art and Design.

Mashiko, is the largest folk-art pottery center in eastern Japan. Mashiko is relatively closer location Tokyo (the capital city of Japan) than other pottery production areas. There are about 380 potteries and 50 pottery shops. In kasama-masiko region, almost 1000 potters works.

Mashiko, in Tochigi Prefecture, has been one of the folk kilns. Mashiko began producing daily life pottery in Japan -bowls, waterpots, and teapots.

In 1924, Shoji Hamada(a well‐known potter in Japan) came to settle in Mashiko. He promoted the Folk Crafts Movement with Soetsu Yanagi. They pursued an ideal that beauty in Everyday Crafts strongly. Not only the other craftsmen living in Mashiko but also people began to see pottery as ‘works of art’ as well as tools.

Many potters set up their own kilns and created pottery in their own way. Mashiko became one of the famous pottery regions in Japan. Pottery Fairs in Mashiko have been held in spring and fall.

(Yokoo was already closed in 2019!)

Yokoo in kichijyoji -cafe and pottery shop in Tokyo

The first floor is the cafe-yokoo. 

At yokoo we can have tea with pottery made by famous mashiko artist -kazumi yoshimura(吉村和美). The blue of her pottery Like beautiful ocean.

Now Kazumi yoshimura is popular and getting her pottery is difficult. 

Mari Kato's mashiko pottery is relatively thin and light .

So it's easy to use. It’s fired at the height temperature. They are relatively strong for pottery.

益子焼きの加藤麻里さんの陶器は、陶器の中でも薄くて軽いので、とても使いやすいです。陶器は、磁器よりガラス質が少なく、熱くなりやすいのも嬉しいです。

Cute apple dishes become the point of the table codination. You can feel the warmness of Handmade and handpainting by useing this  dishes. 

可愛い林檎の皿は、テーブルコーディネートのポイントになります^^

Today I write about major Decoration technique of Mashiko pottery, “KOHIKI”. 

“KOHIKI” is pottery’s white Decoration. “KOHIKI” means “pull powder” in Japanese.

Before Glazed, nomal brown clay coverwed with white clay. It’s more natural and warmer white than porcelain`s white.

“KOHIKI”-white ecoration pottery is easy to use daily meal. “KOHIKI” suits decorated table setting. Useing “KOHIKI” Pottery, we can feel natural clay and lands’ warmth.

Store-Mashiko pottery