Only When You Have a Clear Vision of “What You Want to Create”…

Hanada: What first sparked your interest in making things?

Shinpei Ido : Even as a primary school student, I loved playing with clay. I would make action figures from Saint Seiya and think about what kind of armor would be cool. In junior high, I was completely absorbed in baseball, and in high school, I joined the shogi (Japanese chess) club. My older brother was really good at shogi and made me play against him since I was little, so I was quite confident. But once I got to high school, the level was completely different. (laughs) In terms of skill, I was about upper-middle.

Hanada: You really threw yourself into a variety of things.

Shinpei Ido : I like competitive things, and I enjoy thinking through strategies step by step.

Hanada: What did you do after graduating from high school?

Shinpei Ido : Watching “Iron Chef” made me want to become a chef when I was in primary school. But my whole family was strongly opposed to it, saying I was just being influenced by TV. In the end, I studied architecture at a local university. That was very enjoyable in its own way, but it didn’t match the scale of what I actually wanted to create. Architecture is just too big and complex.

Hanada: Yet, you were still drawn to the act of creating something tangible.

Shinpei Ido : Studying architecture still helps me today. No matter what you are making, you cannot create it if your vision remains vague. Only when you have a clear idea of “what you want to create” can you begin moving toward it. That is why constantly asking myself what I want to make is a vital part of my work.

Discovering My Life’s Work

Hanada: Did you enter the world of tableware right after graduating from university?

Shinpei Ido : When I was a university student, I worked part-time in the kitchen at an izakaya. Whenever the head chef changed, the way the food was plated changed too. Seeing how drastically the presentation transformed the overall impression made me realize how much difference a piece of tableware could make, even for the exact same dish. That is what sparked my interest.

Hanada: So you already enjoyed cooking.

Shinpei Ido : It was mostly just for myself, but since primary school, I used to make simple things like fried rice, ramen, and curry. When friends came over, I would bake cheesecakes. Getting praised and seeing them happy made me even more enthusiastic. (laughs)

Hanada: I see, so you already had that kind of background.

Shinpei Ido : Once I discovered the appeal of tableware, things moved quickly. It just clicked all of a sudden. I knew I had found the life’s work I had been searching for.

Hanada: That is how meaningful encounters often happen, isn’t it? They arrive completely out of the blue one day.

Shinpei Ido : While talking to people and doing my own research, I came to know about Ryuta-gama. Their philosophy on the relationship between food and tableware resonated with me the most deeply.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Hanada: How many years did you spend at Ryuta-gama?

Shinpei Ido : Three years. I learned a great deal from Mr. Taki Nakazato.

Hanada: Do apprentices there always start by throwing small plates on the wheel?

Shinpei Ido : Yes. Just like with Mr. Takashi Nakazato, the training begins with small plates and culminates with Tokkuri (Sake carafe). During the day, we did the pottery’s routine work. At night, we received lessons and practiced relentlessly. For a while, I only did preparatory work like wedging clay. After that, when I was finally allowed to try making small plates, it took me about eight months just to get approval.

Hanada: And it wasn’t as if you had attended a ceramic art school before that.

Shinpei Ido : Exactly. (laughs) So at first, I was completely at a loss. What I made looked absolutely nothing like Taki-sensei’s work. I remember borrowing a video camera to record myself; seeing how differently the clay moved as it was shaped was incredibly eye-opening and educational.

The Greatness of the “Ordinary” and “Everyday”

Hanada: Are there any words from Taki-sensei that left a particularly strong impression on you?

Shinpei Ido : I remember working hard after he told me, “Everyone’s hands are different, so you can only find your own sense of touch for yourself. I cannot teach you that.” Also, he always said that starting from small plates, the sake carafe is the culmination of all the basics. There was a moment when the meaning of those words clicked for me, and I felt incredibly happy realizing I had finally begun to understand the pottery wheel a little better.

Shinpei Ido : In any case, the moment you master one thing, you move straight to the next challenge, so you constantly feel like you can’t do anything right. I used to feel anxious, worried that I might lose the skills I had already acquired.

Hanada: So you were constantly hitting a wall.

Shinpei Ido : At Ryuta-gama, the level of the “ordinary” and “everyday” is extraordinary. The baseline of what is expected is incredibly high, and that is simply treated as the norm. It comes down to a stoic dedication to the craft and a fierce pride in making tableware for a living. Half-hearted work was never tolerated, and that tense, focused atmosphere filled the entire workshop. However, I only truly realized this after setting up my own studio. Doing it myself made me understand, and looking back, I realize how exceptionally serious and dedicated their attitude was.

Hanada: What was the happiest moment for you?

Shinpei Ido : When my graduation from Ryuta-gama was decided, Taki-sensei made a water jar and gave it to me instead of a diploma. That made me very happy.

Hanada: A tearful graduation ceremony, then.

Shinpei Ido : No… I’m actually not the type who can cry at moments like that. (laughs)

Admiring Kenzan

Hanada: What kind of pottery do you aspire to make?

Shinpei Ido : I greatly admire Kenzan Ogata. It’s not that I want to replicate his exact work, but I want to try creating pieces that carry that same kind of presence.

Hanada: A presence.

Shinpei Ido : His work has a certain allure, yet it never interferes with the food. His sense of color and composition is just incredible. It possesses a power that makes anyone who cooks feel an irresistible urge to plate food onto it.

Hanada: Is there anything in particular you love among Kenzan’s work?

Shinpei Ido : I like his mold-formed small bowls—the ones featuring motifs like maple leaves or flowing water patterns.

Making the Basics a Matter of Course

Hanada: Is there anything else you prioritize when making tableware?

Shinpei Ido : It sounds obvious, but being easy to use is essential.

Hanada: What does “easy to use” mean to you?

Shinpei Ido : For example, it means a piece that never makes you think anything negative when you pick it up, like “this is too heavy,” “the rim feels fragile,” or “this looks unrefined.”

Hanada: Those are the fundamentals, but they are incredibly important.

Shinpei Ido : Also, a chef friend of mine recently told me, “I think a great piece of tableware is one that requires no extra effort when plating food.” Hearing that was a real revelation. I want to aim for pieces where you don’t need decorative tricks; you just place the food on it, and it naturally looks beautiful. Even for everyday home cooks, a tiny bit of effort makes the exact same dish look completely different. Tableware like that is my ideal.

Shogen Imari

Hanada: Are there any new projects you would like to tackle in the future?

Shinpei Ido : I am thinking about expanding my range of glazes a bit more. Recently, I was captivated by a piece that looked like Shogen Imari with a celadon-like quality, and it made me want to try making something similar. The tone of the color was beautiful; it was bright, yet it immediately made me think, “This would showcase food wonderfully.”

Hanada: Could you share a brief message for the upcoming exhibition?

Shinpei Ido : I hope everyone enjoys choosing pieces while imagining the everyday meals they cook at home. Thank you very much.

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