Okayama Prefecture's representative traditional craft, Bizen ware.
In addition to Bizen City, where many kilns are located, there are many specialty shops around the Bikan Historical Area in Kurashiki, selling a variety of products including tableware and flower vases.
Naoto Tsunekida, a ceramic artist based in Asakuchi City, is one of the makers of Bizen ware. After 14 years of pottery activities in Furano City, Hokkaido, from 2001 to 2015, he moved to Asakuchi City in 2016.
We heard about his unique career of moving from Furano City to Asakuchi City and his thoughts on creating Bizen ware that is not bound by tradition.
About ceramic artist Naoto Tsunekida
Naoto Tsunekida is from Kurashiki City and is currently a ceramic artist based in Asakuchi City.
His family runs the Tsunekida Pottery Shop located in the Bikan Historical Area, where he grew up close to pottery and ceramic artists, including Bizen ware, from a young age.
After graduating from university and working as a company employee, he decided to enter the world of Bizen ware.
After training, he had the opportunity to become independent as a ceramic artist in 2001 in Furano City, Hokkaido, where he had long stayed during his student days. He engaged in pottery activities based in Furano City for 14 years until 2015.
Later, in 2016, he returned to his hometown of Okayama Prefecture.
His encounter with a property suitable for pottery activities was the deciding factor for his move to Asakuchi City.
Since then, he has built a climbing kiln next to an 11LDK old folk house that he uses as both his home and studio, firing his works at a pace of once or twice a year.
Additionally, he continues to engage in activities that allow communication between makers and buyers, such as holding solo exhibitions in various places like Tokyo and Sapporo, and participating in the market event "Umi no Ichi" held at the shared studio Umi no Kousha in Kasaoka City.
Connections woven in the northern land and his unique pottery style
Tsunekida's pottery style respects the traditional techniques of Bizen ware while incorporating new values without being bound by them.
This reflects his various experiences in Furano.
The famous curry shop that became the origin of his move to Furano
Before becoming a ceramic artist, Tsunekida worked part-time as a cooking assistant at the famous curry shop Yuigadokuso in Furano. His experience there has influenced his current pottery activities, leading to the creation of vessels that enhance the presentation of food with bright colors.
The master of Yuigadokuso (at that time) was the person who later gave Tsunekida the opportunity to move to Furano and become independent as a ceramic artist, and he was skilled at entertaining people.
This mindset also led Tsunekida to serve as the chairperson for the craft event "Furano Creators Market," which he was involved in during his time in Furano.
His participation in various events today is influenced by the perspective and enjoyment he learned from the operational side during his time in Furano.
Preparing for kiln firing starting from firewood production
The climbing kiln that Tsunekida uses is a traditional pottery kiln that uses firewood as fuel. While many ceramic artists purchase firewood from suppliers, Tsunekida makes firewood himself from raw timber, utilizing his experiences from his time in Furano.
In Furano, there were no suppliers for firewood, so he had to procure firewood himself. Additionally, since there were no red pines (Akamatsu) used for Bizen ware in Hokkaido, he made firewood using larch (Karasugi) instead. During this time, he learned how to use a chainsaw and a log splitter, which has led to his current firewood production.
After moving to Asakuchi City, he procured raw timber of red pine from Hiroshima Prefecture and continued making firewood just as he did in Furano. He uses about 5 tons of firewood for each kiln firing, so firewood production takes about a month.
Creating works through the accumulation of "hypothesis and verification"
In the world of ceramics, there is an image that "years of intuition" are emphasized, but Tsunekida's approach is extremely scientific. His experience majoring in chemistry at Ehime University has instilled a "scientific mindset" based on experimentation.
One of the most prominent examples of this is "kiln firing." Even in the difficult temperature control environment of a climbing kiln, he conducts logical temperature management as much as possible.
Typically, he records a steady temperature rise using a digital thermometer installed next to the kiln. When raising the temperature inside the kiln during the final process, he uses disposable thermometers (Seger cones) and his own color samples (test pieces) to pinpoint the desired temperature range.
After that, he comprehensively assesses the melting of ash and the cross-section of the firing, and then stops the fire.
This sense is also utilized in the "communication" after completion.
He perceives the various events he regularly participates in as "observation points," collecting data on what types of vessels visitors are seeking, and using this as feedback for future work creation.
This directly applies the "hypothesis, execution, results, and consideration" from experiments to his work creation, and is one of the significant features of Tsunekida's pottery activities.
Creating vessels that are "a little fun to use in daily life"
The Bizen ware created by Tsunekida is not intended to be ornamental but is made with the intention of being used as tools for daily life.
For example, the vessels are "tools to make food look delicious," and the characteristic bright orange hues are the result of a conscious effort to enhance the presentation of food.
Additionally, he mentioned that he always keeps in mind to make the vessels thin for ease of use in everyday life.
Tsunekida's works are available for purchase at his studio in Asakuchi City as well as at his family’s Tsunekida Pottery Shop in the Bikan Historical Area of Kurashiki.
We spoke with Naoto Tsunekida about his reasons for moving to Asakuchi City and his commitment to creating Bizen ware.
Data of Pottery Artist Tsunekida Naomame
| Name | Pottery Artist Tsunekida Naomame |
|---|---|
| Address | 849-2 Jitōue, Kamogata-cho, Asakuchi City |
| Contact | TEL/Fax: 0865-44-3309 Mobile: 090-9758-6162 |
| Parking | Available |
| Business Hours | Sometimes closed, so please contact in advance when visiting |
| Regular Holidays | Irregular holidays |
| Payment Methods |
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| Website | Pottery Artist Tsunekida Naomame |
