Taro Yoshita's family business is a pottery called Kinzangama Kiln in Ishikawa prefecture, which has been specializing in painting of Kutani ware for 110 years. His grandfather is a Living National Treasure and his parents are both Kutani ware artists.
“When I was in my second year of high school, my teacher told me, 'You entered this high school thanks to your grandfather.' It was such a shock that it felt like a bomb had been dropped on my heart. The high school entrance exam was the first challenge by my own decision for the future, and I had worked hard to pass it. But when my teacher told me so, I realized that no matter how hard I tried, people looked at my family, not me.”
He was hurt, and he became unable to express his intentions thereafter. After graduating, he majored in art at a university in Kyoto, but it was not by his own will but the advice of his parents. Yoshita had a semi-abandoned attitude not caring about anything, but some encounters during his university days changed him. Yoshita says that the turning point in his life was meeting his classmate,Tai Ono, who is now also a ceramic artist. Unlike Yoshita at the time, Tai had convinced opinions and expressed them clearly, and he was deeply impressed by that. Spending time with Tai, he gradually regained the desire to try something voluntarily. Another important encounter for him was Tai's father, the ceramic artist Teppei Ono.
“The first time I met Teppei was when I was invited by Tai to help his kiln firing. It was my first time to see a wood-fired kiln, and it was completely different from the electric kiln in my home workshop. it was an overwhelming sight. At that time, Teppei asked me a simple but big question: "What do you create for? What do you want to express?” But I couldn't answer that question at all. It made me realize how worthless I was, and I felt strongly I had to change. Teppei's question has been in my mind ever since.“
Yoshita has changed through various experiences. Graduating from university, he decided to continue making earthenware pottery as his own work while helping the family business. After studying at a Kutani ware training center, he joined his family's Kinzangama Kiln and learned his grandfather's Yuri-kinsai (glaze painting with gold) techniques. He helped out at the family business during the day, and at night he went to his studio to work on the potter's wheel and test glazes for his own creations. During his university days, Yoshita was attracted to glazes, which differ from the painting on Kutani ware, and expression of glazes is particularly important for him. However, he says he wants to value not only the expression of the glaze, but also the texture when touched. Yoshita's signature moss grey glaze, which resembles rising clouds, and the smooth white glaze that evokes the feeling of human skin were discovered after testing over 2,000 different glazes in search of the face and texture that suited his ideal.
Once again, we asked him why he made pottery.
“The hole in my heart that formed before remained unfilled for a long time, and it was tough, but I feel like that hole has been filled by making vessels. Unlike physical wounds, cracks in the heart don't heal naturally, but, little by little, I feel they are healed by kindness of others, a beautiful sunset or moon, a good movie or music, etc. I believe tableware we use every day can also fill holes in our hearts. I think everyone has emotional wounds that they can't tell anyone about, so I make vessels with the hope that I can fill those gaps in people's hearts.“
Seven years have passed since he graduated from university. While helping out at Kinzangama, he has deepened his own artistic creations. Now that he has gone through major events such as getting married and having a child, we asked him how he felt.
“I can now face things about my family business that I didn’t like before. The work at Kinzangama is the pursuit of refined techniques, which is opposite to the work I do as an individual, but I think being able to see both is a good environment that broadens my horizons. Getting married and having a child affect me as well. Looking at my child reminds me of the sense of security I felt when I was little and was protected by my parents. I hope to create works that reflect the feeling of being fulfilled.“
Yoshita says he likes to gaze out at the sea of his hometown and spot blue sky through the gaps in the grey clouds. The natural scenery he loves has become the landscape of his heart, and perhaps it's connected to the expression of his glazes, he thinks. Through the talk, we sensed in the expression of the moss grey glaze the strength and depth he has gained after his struggle, and in the white glaze the peace he seeks.