I Knew Nothing and Could Barely Do Anything, but It Was Pure Joy

Hanada: How did you find your path into making ceramics as a profession?

Atsunobu Koizumi : It wasn’t as though I had a clear path ahead of me. It feels more like I simply drifted along and eventually arrived here.

Hanada: So you drifted your way into it. How did you first encounter ceramics?

Atsunobu Koizumi : It was through the university’s ceramic arts club. Even that was purely by chance. Right after starting college, I was walking around campus when I heard lively laughter coming from a room. It sounded like fun, so I looked into it and found out it was the clubhouse for the ceramic arts group. I went back to visit a few days later and ended up joining.

Hanada: Do you remember any of your very early creations from when you started out?

Atsunobu Koizumi : A large 30-centimeter platter using a neriage technique with red and white clay. You combine two different types of clay and throw them together on the wheel to create a swirl pattern. I believe that was around the summer of my freshman year. It brings back memories.

Hanada: Starting off with a 30-centimeter platter is impressive. Did it turn out well?

Atsunobu Koizumi : No, not at all. I couldn’t do it at all. I would throw on the wheel and fail, throw and fail, throw and fail… and in the end, I was just utterly exhausted.

Hanada: And you spent all four years active in the club.

Atsunobu Koizumi : It was so much fun—just simple, pure enjoyment. Because I knew nothing and couldn’t do anything properly yet, I would just try whatever came to mind, which meant a lot of failures. I made teapots with spouts so small that water wouldn’t pour, incredibly heavy plates, and tableware with terribly bumpy surfaces from messing up the glaze recipe. Oh, and we even had a wood-firing kiln.

Hanada: Was that on the university grounds?

Atsunobu Koizumi : Yes, it was right behind our clubroom, so everyone called it the “back kiln.” This piece here was actually made in that kiln.

A Year Spent in Karatsu

Hanada: What did you do after graduating from university?

Atsunobu Koizumi : I had a deep admiration for antique Karatsu ware, so I apprenticed under Yasumoto Kajihara in Karatsu for a year. I prepared firewood and clay, helped out in the rice fields, and gained all sorts of experiences. It was a year where I learned truly vital things about clay.

Hanada: Those experiences form the actual foundation of your creative process today.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Mr. Kajihara began his clay preparation by crushing sandstone, which was a method I had never heard of at the time. It seemed that the clay minerals contained in that sandstone were remarkably close to those of antique Karatsu ware, and it resulted in textures that felt very faithful to the originals.

Hanada: Because of your admiration for antique Karatsu ware.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Right. But even though I had gone to work with Mr. Kajihara out of that admiration, along the way I began to question why I loved Karatsu so much. I started wondering if I had just influenced myself into believing I liked antique Karatsu ware because of external impressions. You see it featured so beautifully in ceramics magazines like Honoh-Geijutsu. I started to think I was merely swayed by that image.

Hanada: It sounds like an insight you could only gain by actually taking action. Still, it is fascinating. You went all the way to Karatsu out of admiration, only to return thinking, “Maybe Karatsu isn’t quite right for me after all.”

Atsunobu Koizumi : It isn’t that I grew to dislike antique Karatsu ware, but that year helped me clarify exactly what it was about it that appealed to me, rather than just liking it simply because it was Karatsu. I am still drawn to the straightforward forms and the simple painted designs of early and mid-period pieces, and above all, I love that quiet, deeply comforting quality of the clay texture.

Working the Way I Wanted

Hanada: You set up your independent studio almost immediately after returning from Karatsu.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Having spent four years working completely freely at university, I think I just wanted to start creating exactly the way I wanted as soon as possible.

Hanada: Was your style similar to what it is today?

Atsunobu Koizumi : No. At first, I made everything using red clay sourced entirely from here in Fujino. For the glazes, I would crush local stones to create them. This black glaze was made that way too.

Hanada: That sounds quite different from your current work.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Actually, that was another preconception of mine. You often read in pottery guidebooks that making pieces from raw local clay is best, or that using materials gathered from the local land creates the most natural and beautiful results.

Hanada: Yes, I suppose so. As a concept, that reasoning does sound quite convincing.

Atsunobu Koizumi : So I followed what the books said, but halfway through, I found myself questioning whether this was truly what I personally enjoyed doing.

Hanada: Again?

Atsunobu Koizumi : Looking back, I feel like I have always lived my life that way, even before I started making ceramics.

Hanada: Perhaps your path has unfolded precisely because you have always responded honestly to your inner feelings through your actions. Even so, you have moved forward by constantly exploring different approaches.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Yes. Since I had been working with white porcelain ever since my student days, I eventually began to run my work with raw clay and my white porcelain side by side.

An Emotional Resonance

Hanada: Do you have an ideal inspiration when it comes to white porcelain?

Atsunobu Koizumi : Pieces from the mid-Joseon dynasty. I love how the strong Chinese influence began to soften, and they don’t feel quite as rigidly high-fired as the later periods.

Hanada: You prefer a gentler quality.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Yes. I think of it as having a certain emotional resonance, something that moves the heart. Striving for absolute geometric perfection doesn’t really suit my nature, but at the same time, I can’t completely lean into pure rustic simplicity either. Beyond that, white porcelain just feels right for my hands.

Hanada: What do you mean when you say white porcelain feels right for your hands?

Atsunobu Koizumi : White porcelain often requires relatively precise forms, and that fits naturally with my habits when shaping and throwing.

Hanada: So rather than working with sheer momentum or a fast tempo, your process involves meticulous crafting and a focus on achieving a clean, beautiful finish.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Exactly.

Hanada: Which is why intricate work like inlaying doesn’t bother you.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Yes, I think doing detailed, patient work suits my personality well.

Hanada: Could you share what you value most during your creative process?

Atsunobu Koizumi : I want to stay true to my core and not waver, especially since I have done so much drifting in the past.

Hanada: I don’t think you have been wavering at all. I think it is wonderful and very true to who you are. By staying true to your core, do you mean maintaining a consistent style?

Atsunobu Koizumi : No, I expect my style will continue to evolve. What I want to preserve is that intuitive feeling of creating things simply because I genuinely love them. I want to keep making pieces that come from that place of honest appreciation.

A Quiet, Lasting Appreciation

Hanada: Is there a particular type of piece you have been creating recently where you feel a strong sense of fulfillment?

Atsunobu Koizumi : Flower vases, mostly. Sometimes I find myself quietly reflecting on a piece, thinking, “Ah, that turned out beautifully.”

Hanada: Is that right when you unload the kiln?

Atsunobu Koizumi : No, it is usually when flowers are placed in it. I don’t have a definitive answer yet to what makes a great vase, but I love it when it brings out the beauty of the flowers. I hope to make things that evoke a gentle feeling of comfort, where someone looks at it and feels a quiet, lasting appreciation for having it in their life. I feel the exact same way about tableware.

Hanada: Is there anything specific you keep in mind when making tableware?

Atsunobu Koizumi : I prefer not to leave too many prominent marks of the making process, so I tend to smooth away the wheel ridges. Fundamentally, I try to avoid overcomplicating the texture or the form.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Noticed, but as the Maker, I Hope It Is There

Hanada: With your work, features like the texture of the clay or the shape don’t instantly clamor for attention. Instead, the piece carries a wonderful overall presence. It feels like the kind of tableware where you bring it home, and its quality gradually grows on you the longer you use it. Rather than shouting about the firing technique or the wheelwork, it just possesses an effortless charm.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Yes, exactly. I want to aim for that subtle, wordless appeal where someone just feels that a piece is genuinely good.

Hanada: That sounds like how you fall in love with things yourself. Then you catch yourself tracing your steps back, asking why you like it so much. People rarely fall in love with something because of a pre-formulated list of reasons; the reasons usually come later when trying to explain it to someone else.

Atsunobu Koizumi : It isn’t about the texture or the shape alone. It is about creating something that conveys an intangible quality, even if it is invisible to the eye. For the person using it, it doesn’t truly matter whether that quality is consciously noticed or not, but as the maker, I hope it is there within my work.

Hanada: “It doesn’t have to be noticed, but as the maker, I hope it is there.” That is beautifully put.

Looking Ahead

Hanada: Are there any new endeavors you would like to focus on in the future?

Atsunobu Koizumi : I want to refine my inlay techniques further and bring even greater emotional resonance to my white porcelain. I would also love to try my hand at making tea bowls.

Hanada: We are very much looking forward to the exhibition.

Atsunobu Koizumi : Thank you. I will give my very best to firing the white porcelain pieces.

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