*Ms. Atsuko was unable to join us due to scheduling conflicts and joined after the interview concluded.

Garden Ash

Hanada: We’d like to ask you about the pieces you plan to present at the exhibition. First, could we start with this garden-ash glazed tiered plate?

Arata Anzai: I use ash made from weeds, fallen leaves, and pruned branches from our garden as glaze material. That’s why it’s called “garden ash.”

Hanada: So many different things are mixed in.

Arata Anzai: Pine, camellia, and even trees whose names I don’t know… We collect them while grilling food with our children, almost like play, so it’s one of our pleasures. Since we keep adding to it, the fired result is slightly different every time.

Hanada: Opening the kiln must be exciting.

Arata Anzai: There are pieces I aim to make the same way every time, but if that’s all, there’s no thrill—this offers a different kind of enjoyment.

Hanada: The form feels very natural, and the treatment of the rim especially has a very Anzai-like atmosphere.

Arata Anzai: This one was made by her (Atsuko), but when you think about usability, the forms naturally become more orthodox.

Hanada: What do you usually use it for?

Arata Anzai: Mostly Japanese food.

Hanada: Japanese food… (laughs)

Arata Anzai: That was a bit too broad. We use it for tamagoyaki, nanban-style marinated horse mackerel, and kobu-jime, which she’s been into lately. Everyday home cooking, really.

Plum Blossom Incised Motifs on a Lobed Rim

Hanada: Next is a new piece.

Arata Anzai: When a neighboring potter was closing their studio, they said, “I’m clearing out the workspace—take whatever you need.”
There were all sorts of things, from early Imari-like pieces to Chinese-style white porcelain, and among them was a white porcelain plate with an incised plum blossom motif like this.

Hanada: Was the placement of the blossoms similar to this?

Arata Anzai: Yes.

Hanada: What aspect of that plate appealed to you?

Arata Anzai: The whole thing.
The feel of the clay, the overall unity of the white porcelain, its stone-like clarity…
The pattern isn’t overbearing, and the sense of openness is well balanced.
I’d been wanting to add more incised designs, so I thought I’d try making something inspired by it.

Hanada: It really feels like the kind of East Asian ceramics you would choose.

Learning from the Original

Arata Anzai: This is the original piece.

Hanada: It’s quite close. That feels a bit rare for you. How was it when you actually started making it?

Arata Anzai: Old works are surprisingly rationally made.
In this case, the piece is wheel-thrown and then pressed into a mold, but it releases from the mold very smoothly. When you try making something from scratch, it might catch, not come out cleanly, or the clay might tear.
But the old pieces were clearly designed with all of that in mind.
If you exaggerate the decoration more than the original for visual impact, it can crack during drying… Each part is the result of careful consideration. It’s logical, with nothing forced.

Hanada: You only understand that once you actually try making it.

Arata Anzai: And because the incisions are shallow, they also appear more refined as decoration.

Hanada: It’s visually considered, yet settles naturally where it should.

Arata Anzai: Common forms are well thought out in terms of ease of making and design.
You notice many intentions only after trying to make them yourself.

The Number Ten

Hanada: Shall we move on to this one?

Arata Anzai: This uses weathered feldspar, a material often used in Shino ware. Normally, feldspar sinks in water and hardens solid.
What’s beautiful is when that feldspar melts smoothly, but this glaze doesn’t sink, so it’s easy to work with. And since it’s used in Shino ware, it feels very Japanese…
With celadon around here, you imagine something hard and rigid—East Asian, Chinese, Korean, even European—but this produces a softer impression.

Hanada: Did you design the form to match that quality? It almost looks like a rinka (petal-shaped rim)…

Arata Anzai: It’s a decagon.

Hanada: There’s a faint ring line in the well. Would it feel lacking without it?

Arata Anzai: I thought it might, so I added it. Ten is an interesting number. Powers of two like four or eight are easy to make, but ten is moderately difficult. A decagon might originally come from five, and if so, it feels quite Japanese.

Hanada: The glaze really shines here.

Arata Anzai: I went to see the mountain where the raw material is taken.
Near Shigaraki, an elderly man was excavating it with a power shovel.
It felt like “the whole mountain is feldspar,” with milky, translucent stones emerging everywhere.
It was a very beautiful mountain.

Hanada: That’s wonderful.

Things Sustained by Mutual Support

Arata Anzai: I found myself wondering, “What will happen to this feldspar when there’s no one left to succeed him?”
It’s the same with other materials—there are fewer and fewer successors.

Hanada: We often hear that even if materials exist, there’s no one left to extract or process them.

Arata Anzai: I’ve heard the same about Shunzo Masaki’s brushes—“It has to be the ones he makes.”
Craftsmanship relies on people supporting one another in different roles.
But those kinds of jobs rarely come into the spotlight, so they aren’t widely known.

Hanada: Even if we know the names of potters, we rarely see the names of those people.
Yet being aware of their support may be what allows makers like Shunzo Masaki and yourself to remain humble in your work. By the way, this is a serving bowl, isn’t it?

Arata Anzai: Yes it is.

Hanada: For simmered dishes…?

Arata Anzai: Winter melon, daikon, oden—she likes those kinds of dishes.

Hanada: Individual portions of oden?

Arata Anzai: Exactly.

Celadon Incised Five-Sun Plate

Hanada: Next, the celadon incised five-sun plate.

Arata Anzai: This ash glaze comes from the Iga region. I also visited the ash maker—again, an elderly man. His son was there, so it should be fine (laughs). I hope these mysterious “ash specialists” continue to exist.
Demand isn’t what it used to be, so ash alone may not sustain a business… Originally, dye houses used lye extracted from ash, and potters received the remaining ash afterward. Since Shigaraki and Iga often have glassy effects, I imagine that’s why ash makers existed there.
The idea of ash turning directly into glass is physically fascinating when you think about it—and quite interesting. And because it contains many impurities, the unexpected nuances and changes are what make it appealing.

Hanada: This motif has appeared in your work before, hasn’t it?

Arata Anzai: It’s from China’s Northern Song dynasty. I’m only using the inner part of the design.

Hanada: Was it reconstructed just from this photograph?

Arata Anzai: Yes, so it’s probably a little different from the original.

Hanada: It doesn’t really look like a Chinese reproduction.

Arata Anzai: Right—once you strip away the overtly “Chinese” elements. I like things where you can’t quite tell whether they’re European or Chinese. China exported many wares to Europe, and there are Islamic influences as well. With Xi’an and the Silk Road connections, that subtle exoticism is intriguing to me.

Hanada: Is this a standard side plate?

Arata Anzai: I think it works well for desserts too. At home, we use it for individual servings of fruit, kanten jelly, or mizuyokan.

Diamond-Shaped Chrysanthemum Bowl for Boiled Dumplings

Hanada: How about the celadon diamond-shaped chrysanthemum bowl?

Arata Anzai: This one is made by her, and each edge is carved by hand.

Hanada: It has a nice sharpness to it.

Arata Anzai: Yes. I like this crisp quality that porcelain has.

Hanada: The strong curvature of the oval feels just right. Do you use it regularly?

Arata Anzai: We use it for spinach ohitashi, for example. Also for fruit. Celadon works well with Japanese, Western, and Chinese food, so we use it a lot.

Hanada: Ohitashi again (laughs). Thank you for answering on Atsuko’s behalf.

Arata Anzai: (laughs). Oh, and we also serve boiled dumplings individually in these. Because they’re deep, they work well both for dishes with broth and without.

Hanada: That sounds perfect. This one looks slightly more fired.

Arata Anzai: The glaze is applied thinly to make the lines stand out.

Dessert Time

Hanada: This hexagonal piece is a recent one, isn’t it?

Arata Anzai: It’s relatively new. It’s meant for sweets or desserts. Dessert after meals has become a routine for our child. Serving small portions on individual plates seems to feel satisfying… We didn’t have that habit before having a child, but it’s become established.

Hanada: And the parents started joining in.

Arata Anzai: Exactly (laughs). So we thought, why not make tableware specifically for that?

Hanada: The elongated hexagon, the well, the slightly flared edges, the final rise—you’ve clearly paid close attention to the form.

Arata Anzai: Yes. I’m also planning to make it in amber glaze.

When You Make Without Strain, You Can Use Without Strain

Hanada: Next, the twisted form. A classic. I like its soft atmosphere.

Arata Anzai: We like this thin quality too. The crisp porcelain-like character of the semi-porcelain comes through nicely, and it feels good to make.

Hanada: It feels good to make?

Arata Anzai: It comes out the way I imagine… This form makes it easy to express our image of celadon. Many of our standard pieces are made smoothly, with a good rhythm. They’re plain because there’s no excess intention behind them.

Hanada: A natural feeling while making them.

Arata Anzai: When you make without strain, you can use it without strain.

Closer to Our Own Daily Lives

Hanada: You’ve been independent for about sixteen or seventeen years now?

Arata Anzai: Yes. It’s been just over ten years since we started working together.

Hanada: Little by little, new pieces have been added and things have gradually changed.

Arata Anzai: The proportion of orthodox pieces has increased. We’re moving closer to what’s easy for us to use daily. Because we have a clear image, we can make them without forcing anything.

Hanada: Has your daily life become more closely linked to your work?

Arata Anzai: It has.

Hanada: And that’s made things feel more natural.

Arata Anzai: I think that’s exactly it.

Hanada: Thank you very much. We look forward to the exhibition.

Arata Anzai: Thank you—we appreciate it.

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