Yasumoto KajiwaraYasumoto Kajihara

[Introduction from gallery]

It is said that Mr. Kajiwara is the one who devotes most of his energy to the restoration of old Karatsu in present-day Karatsu. Sandstone is used as the raw material for Ko-Karatsu, which was originally made of clay, and over a period of 10 years, Karatsu is fired to such an extent that experts describe it as "Old-Karatsu itself." Since 2001, in search of the roots of old Karatsu, he has visited many old kilns in Korea and devoted himself to research activities.

After six years of training at a Karatsu ware pottery, Mr. Kajiwara headed to Kyoto with the aim of creating craft works with a sense of design. During those 10 years, I tried various things and searched for my ideal form, which became the foundation of my current life. After that, he returned to Karatsu and began to work on full-fledged reproduction of old Karatsu. The kiln is located near the old kiln in Ayugi, Hobashira, Kitahata-mura, Higashimatsuura-gun, Saga Prefecture, and all the materials used to make the vessels are locally harvested. Iido Kiln Kiln is the oldest climbing kiln that appeared in Karatsu for the first time in history.

Mr. Kajiwara, whose texture is clearly different from other Karatsu ware artists, first studied the geography of the kiln location and the production conditions of the pottery of the time in order to make most of the process similar to the potters who made old Karatsu. , limited material. Continuing original pottery under limited conditions. The material used is a lump of sandstone pulled with a stone mill, and only fine materials are used. The glaze is made from grass and straw near the kiln, and the oniita used for iron painting is also from this area. The kiln is made of traditional clay instead of refractory bricks, so if the temperature exceeds 1250 degrees, the kiln itself will break. Therefore, like the potters of old, they fire at low temperatures and for short periods of time, elutriated with finely ground sandstone to prevent leaks.

Many artists in Karatsu have tried making this base material, but I often hear that it is not possible to do it like Mr. Kajiwara is doing now. Mr. Kajiwara's knowledge and experience cultivated over many years, such as the weather of the day, the condition of the sandstone, and the balance with the glaze, make possible Kokaratsu that only Mr. Kajiwara can create.

In recent years, he has released a work named "Kare Karatsu", which is a different material from the materials used in old Karatsu until now, and is made by the manufacturing method of the time using sandstone. . It can be said that the so-called new Karatsu was born, and it is a unique piece that captures the hearts of Mr. Kajiwara's Karatsu fans. Although he used various methods, his consistent interpretation of Ko-Karatsu was supported by many people, and now he is one of the most noted Karatsu artists.

[Ceramic history]

• 1962 Born in Imari City, Saga Prefecture
• 1980 Graduated from Arita Technical High School, Department of Design
• 1986 Apprenticed to Taiko Sannomaru Kiln, Karatsu ware pottery
• 1989 Studied Sencha utensils under Kitamine Daimaru
• 1994 Selected for Asahi Modern Craft
• 1995 Selected for Contemporary Tea Ceramics Exhibition
• 1995 Became independent in Watada, Karatsu City
• 1996 Selected for Tankosha Tea Ceremony Art Exhibition "Kiko"
• 1997 Built an anagama kiln in Otani, Sari
• 2003 Received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the 100th Kyushu Yamaguchi Ceramics Exhibition
• 2003 Overseas training in Korea
• 2004 South Korea “Seeking the roots of Old Karatsu” Visiting old kiln site “Old Karatsu Study Group established”
• 2005 China geological tour
• 2005 Broadcast on NHK BS2 "I want to revive the wabi tea bowl"
• 2007 Participated in the Ceramic Art Walk Member Exhibition
• 2007 Appeared on NHK Educational "Bi no Tsubo"
• 2011 Solo exhibition at GALLERY Ichibankan

Click here for the artist's work