Kabukicho, Rosanjin, and Wandering…

Hanada: Did you enjoy making things since you were little?

Shingo Arakawa: I loved drawing. In school, I only excelled in art classes. I was terrible at everything else… Also, since my parents were working, I spent a lot of time alone drawing manga or doing craft projects. I felt fulfilled just by creating, and I enjoyed discovering things while making them. Even now, that hasn’t changed. More often than not, I feel disappointed when I open the kiln, but occasionally a piece comes out looking wonderful.

Hanada: When did you first encounter pottery?

Shingo Arakawa: Around the age of 20, after dropping out of fashion school in Tokyo. I lived in Kabukicho, and that chaotic, energetic city shaped a lifestyle that was far from ordinary (laughs).

Hanada: So you first started with fashion?

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, but I quickly got bored and quit within a year. I had no money but plenty of time, so I often browsed books at the nearby Kinokuniya bookstore. That’s where I discovered Masaki Hirano’s book on Rosanjin. Later, I visited the Seikoyo kiln site in Kamakura and some exhibitions, learning about his life and philosophy. I felt a strong sense of structure and rhythm in his work. Perhaps being in such a chaotic city made me notice it. I didn’t really know much about ceramics, but I was struck by how “amazing” it was.

Hanada: What did you do after that?

Shingo Arakawa: I traveled from Asia to Europe for a year, mostly by hitchhiking.

Hanada: Any countries that left a strong impression?

Shingo Arakawa: India, Pakistan, and Iran.

Hanada: You must have met many people along the way.

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, countless people. I was helped many times and am endlessly grateful. Whenever I was in trouble, someone would appear to help.

Meeting a Mentor

Hanada: And then you returned to Japan from your travels abroad.

Shingo Arakawa: I worked for about a year in Minamimakimura Village, at the foot of Yatsugatake, living on-site while learning the local life.

Hanada: You went to many different places (laughs).

Shingo Arakawa: There, I met a potter who introduced me to various aspects of the craft, and I began thinking about apprenticing under someone. Two years later, I discovered the work of Ryuichi Kakurezaki. At first, I thought apprenticing under him would be impossible, but his work was special to me. I went to him with nothing to lose and asked to become his apprentice. He said, “Wait six months,” so I worked nearby in Hiroshima while waiting, thinking he might be testing my resolve.

Hanada: Six months later, you officially became his apprentice.

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, he called me to come for an interview. He asked me to write an essay about my thoughts. Looking back, it was embarrassingly personal writing. Later, I learned the other apprentices weren’t asked to write anything.

Hanada: (laughs)

The Habit of Thinking

Shingo Arakawa: Master Kakurezaki didn’t care at all about my prior experience in pottery. In fact, he said it was better not to have clumsy experience, and even though I knew nothing, he let me help with production from the very first day. He would even ask me, “Do you have any better ideas?”

Hanada: That must have been surprising. Like, “Am I really supposed to answer this?”

Shingo Arakawa: Being asked like that all the time really trains you to think for yourself. And it wasn’t just asking for the sake of asking — he would actually try out what I suggested. He constantly updated his own production methods, so he didn’t care whether it came from a disciple or anyone else. I thought that was amazing.

Hanada: Such things can only be done if one has properly built oneself up, right?

Shingo Arakawa: Master Kakurezaki always kept his workspace impeccably clean, and you could sense a certain dignity in his work and as a person. In that sense, he scolded me often, because I was the exact opposite.
For example, early on, when I said “Yum…!” while eating with a customer, he said, “That’s not polite, Arakawa!” (laughs)

Hanada: Perhaps he corrected you out of affection?

Shingo Arakawa: No, I think he was genuinely annoyed (laughs).

Hanada: How long did you stay with Master Kakurezaki?

Shingo Arakawa: Eight years. Sometimes, the pieces we made would be repeated three years later, so we had to remember what we did. My role as an apprentice was to prepare everything for him so he could start working smoothly the next morning.

Hanada: That sounds demanding.

Daily Life Lessons

Hanada: You must have learned a lot during your apprenticeship.

Shingo Arakawa: I don’t remember him giving explicit lessons. Most of what I learned came from daily life and conversation. Apprenticing lets you experience how someone with a different perspective approaches work. Even now, I think, “This is what he would say” or “This is what he would do.”

Hanada: So it teaches you to see from different perspectives.

Shingo Arakawa: Yes. He would look at things from a macro view, a micro view, and intuitively. I wanted to learn his flexibility and approach to creating, more than copying his style.

Hanada: It’s an inner quality then.

Shingo Arakawa: Making pottery is not only about “shaping” — it’s also about “becoming,” “emerging,” and “encountering.” That’s what I aim for in my own pottery work.

Independence

Hanada: And then, it was time to become independent.

Shingo Arakawa: Toward the end, Master Kakurezaki told me, “You should start thinking about it,” and I felt, “Yes, it’s about time.” I was also cheeky, asking him for various favors. I even got him to fire the kiln just for testing my own glazes.

Hanada: You really asked for that (laughs).

Shingo Arakawa: Sometimes I suddenly made huge objects and said, “Please fire this,” and Master Kakurezaki couldn’t refuse. He would just say, “If it turns out well, I’ll fire it,” and in the end, he always accepted my requests.

Hanada: He probably thought, watching all that, that it was about time you went independent.

Shingo Arakawa: I think he also considered my age. He would say, “How many more times can you fire the kiln in your life?” He always encouraged thinking on a long-term timeline.

Hanada: And then, independence.

Shingo Arakawa: I originally planned to return to my hometown in Miyazaki. Local Japanese pottery is always fascinating. I wanted to try making work deeply connected to the land. This particular kohiki clay uses nearby soil, but the iron content makes it unsuitable for pottery — it would collapse if fired as-is. By applying a slip coating, we can insulate it and prevent collapse. Kohiki may have been admired for its “ideal white,” but I also see it as a technique to make any soil workable for pottery, based on my own experience.

Hanada: It’s good that you found the right location.

Shingo Arakawa: But it wasn’t easy. I searched for six months, and just when I was about to give up, a property came along. Initially, the house was in terrible condition, but fortunately, it was built with good materials typical of an old folk house.

Hanada: And then began the long days of renovating your studio with your father.

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, and we argued every day. (laughs).

Hanada: What were you arguing about every day?

Shingo Arakawa: Our senses are different, and our ways of thinking are different, so we inevitably clash.

Hanada: Do you remember any particularly memorable arguments?

Shingo Arakawa: Too many to remember(laughs). For example, I wanted attention on fine details, but he would say, “Nobody will notice, so it’s fine as is.”

Hanada: But you were the one being helped, right (laughs)?

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, but still (laughs). My father would leave angrily, then call later saying, “Want to help a bit?” (laughs)

Hanada: He’s a wonderful father.

Step by Step Adjustments

Hanada: It took a lot of effort to finish, I imagine.

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, it took 2–3 years to complete both the studio and living space. I was making pottery at the same time, but most of the work was carpentry.

Hanada: Has your style changed since then?

Shingo Arakawa: No, not really. I haven’t been independent for that long. I visited Hanada just a year ago.

Hanada: So it was still early days.

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, it was my first time selling my own pottery. Before that, I had never sold my work to anyone.

Hanada: I felt a strong presence coming from the pieces, not just skill.

Shingo Arakawa: You saw my early, embarrassing pieces. You really don’t know until you make them. Then, you just refine them step by step.

Listening Carefully

Hanada: What do you value when creating pottery?

Shingo Arakawa: In the beginning, I focused on the clay’s character, but now I keep it simple: if it feels right when it comes out of the kiln, that’s enough.

Hanada: Did Bizen influence your attention to the clay?

Shingo Arakawa: I’ve always loved nature and mountains, so perhaps I subconsciously seek to feel it. I like glazes that feel like water or earth. I want to listen to the reactions of my body and draw out the material’s best qualities. This is different from beauty; even old, seemingly imperfect antique Japanese pottery can feel sublime. That’s the feeling I aim for. My work emerges from interaction with the clay rather than just my inner thoughts. And once fired, I can see the overall result, including any technical or mental imperfections.

Rice Bowls

Hanada: Which pieces give you the strongest sense of achievement?

Shingo Arakawa: Rice bowls.

Hanada: You mainly make rice bowls, right?

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, but it’s hard to explain why. Ever since becoming independent, I’ve mostly thrown rice bowls.

Hanada: Are there rice bowls that remain especially memorable?

Shingo Arakawa: Yes, though even ones I liked at first change over time.

Hanada: So you are always exploring something new.

Shingo Arakawa: I’ve always loved music, searching for new sounds with great effort. I tend to explore novelty. So, rather than making something everyone will like, I focus on what feels right to me at the moment, hoping it resonates with someone else.

Accumulation of Reading

Hanada: Your bookshelf shows a wide range of genres.

Shingo Arakawa: This shelf mostly holds photography and painting books. It’s messy. My reading is mostly detours — books other than pottery or ceramics.

Hanada: Humanities… like folklore or anthropology?

Shingo Arakawa: Comparative culture, history of imagery, contemporary thought… anything.

Hanada: So all these influences eventually connect in your work?

Shingo Arakawa: I don’t try to connect them directly, but while working, I often recall things I’ve seen in museums or mix ideas with miscellaneous objects in my mind. I don’t study pottery photos or books directly; I enjoy trial and error with glazes from scratch, ignoring prior knowledge and experimenting freely.

Hanada: So even struggling, you value progressing by your own efforts.

Shingo Arakawa: Exactly, though it takes a lot of time (laughs).

Hanada: Finally, any words for the upcoming exhibition?

Shingo Arakawa: I want to enjoy it while pushing myself. Hopefully, I can enjoy good sake in Golden Gai (laughs).

Hanada: Thank you very much.