With a history of ceramics dating back to the Heian Period, Tateyama is a land rich in clay. The history of Etchu Setoyaki ceramics began about 430 years ago and continues to this day. According to a nobleman from the Kaga Domain, the first furnaces of this region were built by potters invited from Owariseto in Aichi prefecture.
Etchu Setoyaki Ceramics use high-quality clay collected from the wild woodlands in the region. Known as “white clay,” it is finely grained and highly fireproof, which allows for the creation of delicate porcelain.
Yo Shakunaga is one of the inheritors of that craft. She grew up in contact with the nature of Tateyama and the pottery of her father, Yukio. “I’ve been visiting Oyama Shrine in Ashikuraji Temple since I was small. I didn’t become interested in the legend of its founding until after I grew up. Whenever there’s a visitor, I guide them to the solemn Tateyama cedar forests, the temple hall, and the Nunohashi bridge. I’m quite proud of that.”
Ms. Yo showed us a single round flat dish with a design of a ripple spreading across quiet waters.
“I love ripples. I made this one years ago, but I’ve made the same design in different sizes.”
She said it doesn’t depict any specific set of ripples. Every ripple image Ms. Yo has seen to this day amalgamated in her mind, and the design emerged naturally as she worked.
We asked her what makes “Tateyama scenery?”
“Maybe it’s the woodlands? There’s nothing there, and there hasn’t been since forever. I actually want to say it’s the Tateyama Mountains (laughs). I’m too close to where I live, so there’s a lot of things I don’t perceive as scenery.”
“Too close to see.” In other words, Ms. Yo is saying she lives in Tateyama. As a creator in this region, this naturally means that Ms. Yo’s work is influenced by Tateyama.
“I believe everything in the creation process is connected. It isn’t limited to one specific shape.”
The shape may be unknown, but it’s certainly alive. The ripple motif on her plate also flows; in a flooded rice paddy, a puddle after the rain, in a river, and in the scenery of Tateyama that Ms. Yo has seen.
Ms. Yo is the oldest of three siblings, and the other two are a potter and a metalworker. Although she has always been close to ceramic art thanks to her father, she did not think about following that path herself.
“Because my father spent every day creating, I conversely never thought about doing so myself. But he had many craftsman friends, and so I also didn’t see myself as a white-collar worker. I started thinking that I wanted to create things with my hands maybe when I was in junior or senior high school.”
She properly set her eyes on ceramics after graduating from high school.
“I kneaded clay for the first time when I was uncertain about my future. I massaged the clay to push the air out. If you use clay that’s full of air, it’ll shatter inside the furnace, so it’s quite an important job. I kneaded and kneaded, again and again, and when I was satisfied I would cut it into 1 centimeter slices and check if the air was all gone. If any air got in, I would start over. It was a simple job but it was fun; the clay felt good to touch.”
After graduating from kneading, it was finally time to mold the clay on the wheel. While practicing, she would break the basic teacups she made, then remake them, only to break them again. She could not seem to reach the firing stage, because there’s no going back once the clay goes in the kiln. Clay is a finite resource in this region, making it especially crucial to use it wisely.
Once she finally shaped a teacup to her father’s satisfaction, Ms. Yo finally put it inside the kiln. “I was so happy to see my creation go into the kiln,” she recalled.
In the five years that followed, she gave away her finished creations to people who bought her father’s pieces. It took a long, long time, but when her training was done, Ms. Yo became a ceramicist worthy of inheriting the Etchu Setoyaki craft.
She says that she keeps the usability of her pieces in mind as she creates them.
“I love things that are convenient and easy to use. I’m always making thin, light, easily stackable dishes. While I work, I imagine what kind of food the user might eat on the plate I’m creating.”
Lastly, Ms. Yo teaches us the importance of maintaining “presence of mind.”
“Maybe it’s because Tateyama itself is so dignified. During the winter I always shut myself inside and work. I concentrate on the clay and approach it calmly during the cold season. I think Toyama is great because it is an environment that allows for that. It’s a land that’s well suited to craftsmanship.”
