Takesue HiomiHiomi Takesue

Takesue Hiomi is a Tsushima potter who continues to create pottery that faithfully reproduces pottery from the Joseon Dynasty. His pottery studio, Oura Tougama, is located in Kamitsushima-cho, Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, so close to Korea that Busan, Korea, can be seen with the naked eye.

Successor of Yi Dynasty pottery

There are similarities between Karatsu and Joseon pottery. During the Joseon period, military commanders brought Korean potters with them when they invaded Korea, and Karatsu ware, which combined Joseon techniques with Japanese sensibilities, saw great technological innovation.
He is a potter who continues to create copies of pottery from the Yi Dynasty, which dates back even further than the Azuchi-Momoyama period when Old Karatsu ware was made.

While studying under Tsushima potter Togo Kobayashi, he stayed overnight at a temple in Korea and excavated kiln remains and pottery fragments from the Joseon Dynasty, which became his model. After that, he traveled by ferry from Kamitsushima to Busan many times to study and create items from the Joseon Dynasty.

Fusion of technology and creativity

His skills don't end there; he is also an extremely skilled user of the potter's wheel, producing beautifully crafted pieces.

For example, the piece called "Gohon" is a type of Karatsu ware called Okuhorai, which is the only type of pottery from the Korean Yi Dynasty. Okuhorai is originally considered to be the highest quality among Karatsu ware, and Mr. Ito produces this type exclusively.

Knowledge of glazes and materials is important, but skill is essential to making pottery. He has an excellent technique in his own style, and is one of the most skilled contemporary Japanese potters in recreating and reviving the classic Ido tea bowl.
Although other potters have attempted to reproduce Ido tea bowls, his work is extremely faithful to the essence of Ido tea bowls, and his skills are highly regarded, especially in terms of his wheel technique and expressiveness, as his works are said to contain the charm of true Ido tea bowls that cannot be found in other potters. For this reason, there are many pottery enthusiasts and collectors who are fascinated by his work.

Takesue Hiomi's signature work is undoubtedly the Ido tea bowl. Although each Ido tea bowl is expensive, he also produces various other types of ceramic works, such as Kohiki tea bowls, Mishima tea bowls, and sake cups. Sake cups in particular are popular with many people because they can be purchased at a more affordable price than Ido tea bowls. Ido sake cups are said to go very well with sake, and Takesue's works are of high quality, making them popular as collectibles. Many of his works have been exhibited at solo exhibitions, and Takesue carefully selects high-quality works from among them, making these very popular and supported by many people.

Takesue no Hiomi and Ichibankan

It was about 20 years ago that Ichibankan started to carry Takesue Hiomi's work. Ichibankan representative Sakamoto and Takesue shared an interest in Joseon dynasty pottery. One day Sakamoto visited Tsushima in search of Joseon dynasty works, and it was on that trip that he first met Takesue-sensei. At the time, his work was being carried by a specialized gallery, but later he approached Ichibankan , wanting to carry his work, and Ichibankan representative Sakamoto himself was fascinated by his work. Since then, Ichibankan has been carrying his work, and the relationship with Takesue-sensei has continued.

His main job is as a Shinto priest in Tsushima, and his family has served as priests for generations, so he is also a very earnest and respectable man.

Many of the people who purchase Takesue Hiomi's works are participants in the tea ceremony and tea gatherings, and he has particularly strong support from followers and associates of the Enshu-ryu tea ceremony. The Enshu-ryu is a school of tea ceremony founded by the tea master feudal lord Kobori Enshu in the early Edo period, and he was also highly regarded by the previous head of the Enshu-ryu tea ceremony family.
He has a deep connection with the Enshu school of Kobori Enshu, and the previous head of the school particularly held Takesue Hinomiya's work in high regard, with the two schools continuing to have contact even today.