Severe Winter Days:
In Anticipation of Kyoko Hayashi’s New Tableware Exhibition

Kyoko Hayashi’s exhibition of new works, held every year and a half, will open on Wednesday, February 21st. On the first weekend of February, we visited Mr. and Mrs. Hayashi at their studio in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, for the final kiln opening and a planning meeting.

This year’s heavy snow and severe cold have been extraordinary. Even for the couple, who have lived in the Hokuriku region for a long time, they recall it as a harshness they have never experienced before. Although these are the final intense days leading up to the upcoming exhibition, she must brace herself whenever she sits at the potter’s wheel and touches the freezing clay. Even the hot water in the basin next to the wheel, meant to warm her hands, cools down in the blink of an eye. That is not all. After shaping the pieces on the wheel, they can freeze during the drying stage, making them completely unusable. Furthermore, due to the extreme low temperatures, the pressure inside the fuel cylinders fails to rise, resulting in insufficient heat. In the worst cases, this makes proper firing nearly impossible. The unusual cold waves that arrive like rolling waves bring unforeseen obstacles one after another. Even for Kyoko Hayashi, who loves making tableware more than anyone, it is often difficult to find the motivation under such conditions.

However, she holds close the promises made to her customers at the previous solo exhibition. With that in mind, she has been working diligently, spinning the wheel and holding her paintbrush to create these new pieces. For this new collection, she turned her attention to the peaceful and charming patterns of French textiles from the 1940s and 1950s. Many of them feature floral motifs and small animals, which she felt would be a perfect match for the gentle and warm atmosphere of her tableware. She fell in love with them the moment she opened the pattern book.

Along with her familiar everyday items such as mugs, soup cups, rice bowls, small plates, and tiny bowls, these patterns are brightly and humorously applied to newly introduced pieces like two-handled bowls, small dipping bowls (tonsui), and divided plates. Among them, her personal favorites include the small plate with a yellow fruit pattern, the divided plate with a mushroom pattern, and the small bowl with a triple dandelion design. Among the approximately two hundred new pieces, there are many exceptional works she is proud of that she truly hopes you will see and hold in your hands.

From inside the studio, nearly buried in the heavy snow of a harsh winter, a steady stream of pieces filled with heartfelt warmth has emerged from the world of Kyoko Hayashi. This warmth will surely melt away the deep, accumulated snow. These pieces are perfect for moments of coming together, whether it is a joyful family meal or a relaxed gathering with close friends.

View Kyoko Hayashi’s collection here

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