What Slipware Has Taught Me

Encounter

Hanada: You first learned about slipware when you were a university student, right?

Yoji Yamada: Yes, when I was 21, I saw a poster for the Folk Craft Museum. I was instantly drawn to it — it was a piece with a bird motif. I remember seeing on their website the lattice-patterned one that Muneyoshi Yanagi was holding in a photo.

Hanada: Back then, it must have been more instinctive than logical. Looking back, what do you think fascinated you so much about slipware?

Yoji Yamada: I’m not really sure… In retrospect, I think I was seeing a tangible form of what I had only vaguely imagined I wanted to do at that time.

Hanada: At that time, you were majoring in chemistry.

Yoji Yamada: In chemistry, everything can be expressed with symbols. Slipware, on the other hand, felt like something that couldn’t be expressed that way — something you couldn’t quite grasp. To me at that time, it was like, “What on earth is this?”

Hanada: What do you mean by that, specifically?

Yoji Yamada: The historical background of England, their way of life, materials, techniques — things that could only have come into being in that time and place. Compared to other soft-bodied ceramics in Europe made with similar materials and methods, slipware feels completely distinct.
I think it emerged through the interplay of local culture, climate, and traditions unique to that land.

Because It Was That Place and That Time

Hanada: Even though you later went to England to train, back then you didn’t really know much about the country as it was in the era when slipware was originally produced, did you?

Yoji Yamada: No, not at all.

Hanada: Yet, you still felt something.

Yoji Yamada: Yes. Saying “something resides within it” might sound religious, but I felt there were layers upon layers — a kind of depth or resonance that wasn’t just on the surface. Maybe “seen” isn’t quite right… but there was something deeply compelling about it.

Hanada: Do you ever feel a similar kind of presence when you look at Asian antiques or other forms of classical art?

Yoji Yamada: No, not since slipware.

Hanada: So, only slipware gives you that feeling.

Yoji Yamada: Well, there are partial elements in Seto iron-painting or Karatsu ware that connect to slipware in some way. Even outside ceramics — wooden kneading bowls, for example — whether European or Japanese, sometimes just the atmosphere feels like slipware. I find myself thinking, “Ah, this is slipware.”

Hanada: So for you, “slipware” isn’t just about appearance.

Yoji Yamada: Of course, the patterns and colors are distinctive, and it’s also appealing that they suit the Japanese dining scene. But as a maker, if you only extract and reproduce those superficial aspects, it wouldn’t last long. I feel a sense of urgency about that. I want to think about what I saw and felt in those historical pieces, how to interpret that, and how to express it in my own work — combining many layers of meaning, while keeping the forms simple and pop-like for everyday use.

Hanada: Just as slipware once emerged from its own environment — the society, economy, and customs of that time — you’re creating your own version today, responding to the world you live in now.

Yoji Yamada: I’m not trying to recreate old slipware exactly, but I do hope to carry it forward. I’m influenced by the old pieces, so there’s a part of me that wants to get closer to them. I sometimes use materials similar to those of the past to see how my work compares, but I’m Japanese, working in Shigaraki. So I want to make slipware that belongs to this time and this place.

Hanada: What do you think is most important to make that possible?

Yoji Yamada: Everyday life, I think. What I choose to live with, what I want around me.
The foundation of making things lies in creating what I myself would want. Without that, it loses its sense of reality. When I push myself to the limit, I sometimes go beyond what I imagined — but since tableware comes from daily life, that’s always my starting point.

Connecting with the Past Through Objects

Hanada: Is there anything new you’ve been trying lately?

Yoji Yamada: I’ve started sourcing clay myself. From an efficiency standpoint, it’s a terrible idea — digging your own clay. But there are things you can only learn by doing it. The clay doesn’t behave as you wish, and if you try to force it, it collapses. When that happens, you realize, “Ah, so this is what it means.” You start to understand the fine line — the physical limit where it barely holds together — and that line often turns out to be the most natural form.

Hanada: So the natural form is the one that the raw clay itself allows.

Yoji Yamada: Yes, I realized that recently. And when I finally shape something well and think, “This looks good,” I sometimes find that the folk craft masters of the past had already done something similar. I’m impressed — “Of course they had.” When I notice similarities or shared lines, I feel, “We were thinking the same thing.”

Hanada: That’s the moment you feel connected to the people of the past — one of the real joys of traditional craft.

Trivial Talk, Folk Songs, and African Drums

Hanada: Has your idea of what you want to make changed since you became independent?

Yoji Yamada: I don’t think the work I did back then was bad, but it has changed a bit. In the past, I worked like a “one-man pottery factory,” focused on making the same pieces in large numbers at low cost. Now I also want to make things that truly move me.

Yoji Yamada: These days, I even change the background music while working. When I need to mass-produce, I listen to the radio — lighthearted talk shows. When decorating slipware, I play Japanese folk songs or African drums.

Hanada: Japanese folk songs?

Yoji Yamada: They’re actually really good.

Hanada: That’s interesting — slipware to the rhythm of Japanese folk music!

Yoji Yamada: I like that the rhythm sometimes drifts — it’s not perfectly steady.

Slipware Before Firing

Hanada: What’s the most enjoyable moment when making slipware?

Yoji Yamada: Right after drawing the pattern, when the surface is still moist. It’s so beautiful — the slip slightly swells where the lines are drawn, glistening with freshness.

Hanada: Like a water surface, maybe… or is that too much to say? (laughs)

Yoji Yamada: Hmm, not quite (laughs). The clay itself is just beautiful. When you apply the slip and see it flowing smoothly — that moment is amazing.

Hanada: You really love slipware, don’t you?

Yoji Yamada: I think everyone who makes it does. You can’t help but think, “I wish it could stay just like this.”

Hanada: But then it disappears once it’s fired.

Yoji Yamada: Yes, though once fired, a different kind of beauty appears.

Hanada: That’s a maker’s perspective. Thank you very much — I’m looking forward to your exhibition.

Yoji Yamada: Thank you. I’m looking forward to it, too.