An Increasing Range of Namasu Bowls

Hanada: For this special exhibition, you’ve created a wide range of appealing new works.　You’ve also expanded the variations of your namasu bowls.

Maya Inamura: I’ve been using namasu bowls quite often lately, and I’ve really felt how practical they are—the ease of plating, how naturally everything comes together.
They’re a very comfortable, versatile size. That made me want to expand the range, so I created three new types.

Hanada: Specifically, they’re about 15 cm wide, or just under, with a height of around 4.5 cm including the foot,
and the well is fairly flat… is that right?

Maya Inamura: Yes, many of them are like that.

Hanada: Somewhere between a plate and a bowl.

Maya Inamura: Exactly. They work well for dressed dishes, and even foods with some liquid are fine. If you place the food in the center, it looks nicely composed.

Hanada: Which was the first namasu bowl you made?

Maya Inamura: This blue one here. It’s a very familiar shape, and I thought of it as the most basic form. At first, I tried it with a simple design—just a single flower. Next came the tiger. I was happy that even something playful like that was received better than expected.

Hanada: It feels like it’s been a while since I last saw your “tiger.” I remember that the tiger motif was what first introduced me to your work.

Maya Inamura: I recently started keeping a cat, and seeing one up close made me think again, “Tigers are great too.”

Hanada: What is it about tigers that you like?

Maya Inamura: That they’re carnivores.

Hanada: “Carnivores,” meaning…? (laughs)

Maya Inamura: When you go to a zoo, don’t you head straight for the carnivores first? They’re powerful and exciting to watch. And you don’t exactly see them around you every day.

Hanada: I see (laughs).

I’ve Always Liked the Kirin

Hanada: Next, this octagonal piece. We had you look at an example of old Imari ware.

Maya Inamura: The kirin is fascinating. The overall form, the delicacy of the brushwork, the composition… it really makes you feel the mastery of past artisans.

Hanada: The composition is particularly interesting.

Maya Inamura: The kirin is placed right in the center, and then there’s this grass arranged around it—that sense of strangeness. You wonder what connection the kirin has to the plants.

Hanada: You often see combinations like that in Japanese tableware.

Maya Inamura: It’s not something you’d come up with by thinking logically, yet it works so well. That’s what makes it amazing.

Hanada: How was it when you actually tried painting it?

Maya Inamura: Balancing the dynamic movement of the kirin with the softer feeling of the surrounding plants was difficult. And drawing curves—like the veins of the leaves—was challenging.

Hanada: Did you make any changes of your own?

Maya Inamura: I changed the back slightly. I wanted it to feel lighter.

Hanada: Yes, the original does feel a bit heavy.

Maya Inamura: I also hoped I could capture the overall spirit of the kirin.

Hanada: Did this make you like the kirin more?

Maya Inamura: I’ve liked the kirin for a long time.

Hanada: Please tell us a bit about this piece as well. It’s a common pattern in old Imari ware.

Maya Inamura: I wanted to try making a classic form myself, so I did. By keeping the rim flat, I think it avoided becoming overly cute.

For Tawara-Shaped Croquettes

Hanada: Next is this oval plate. We showed you a French antique as reference.

Maya Inamura: Lately, I’ve really felt that French ceramics and Japanese ceramics share common roots. At first glance they seem different, but there are many similarities. Japanese food also works beautifully with French pieces.

Hanada: You made this one slightly shallower than the original.

Maya Inamura: Yes. I thought asparagus would look good on it. You can place it on the plate whole.

Hanada: White asparagus here, green asparagus there.

Maya Inamura: The proportions feel just right, don’t they? I think tawara-shaped croquettes would suit it as well.

Hanada: Arranging two or three would look nicely balanced.

Maya Inamura: This wing-like detail on the rim is also charming.

Hanada: Yes, that’s what gives it a stylish feel.

Maya Inamura: I like that it’s not just cute. This is the kind of atmosphere I’d like to create.

Another Oval Plate

Hanada: Next is the larger, deeper oval plate.

Maya Inamura: It’s a simple form, but it was difficult. I struggled with the decoration on the rim, but decided to leave it as it was.

Hanada: Without anything there, it might feel a bit plain.

Maya Inamura: I felt it would become too ordinary.

Hanada: Right.

Maya Inamura: But I think that detail is probably there more for structural strength than decoration. If it were completely flat, it might warp more easily. The rim is folded back to add thickness, and understanding those functional reasons made it an interesting piece to work on.

Hanada: It also looks very practical to use.

Maya Inamura: Hayashi rice would be good. Pasta as well.

Hanada: Has your daughter started eating curry yet?

Maya Inamura: For now, it’s Anpanman curry (laughs).

Something to Use Slowly, Over Time

Hanada: About this cylindrical piece—sometimes you feel like doing more detailed painting.

Maya Inamura: Yes, sometimes I want to work on something more densely painted. I borrowed motifs from many sources, mainly old Imari ware. I included not only geometric patterns but also plants. Rather than everyday work, I aimed for something you can use slowly and thoughtfully.

Hanada: Have you used it for anything yet?

Maya Inamura: For shochu mixed with hot water.

Hanada: So your husband drinks shochu.

Maya Inamura: No, I do (laughs).

Hanada: My apologies (laughs).

Maya Inamura: My husband prefers shochu in small cups, drinking several in a row.

Hanada: That cylinder really reflects your personal style.

Maya Inamura: Yes.

No Offense to Birds, But…

Hanada: You seem to really enjoy painting now.

Maya Inamura: I really do. I feel more comfortable with the brush than before—it’s become easier to paint.

Hanada: Why do you think that is?

Maya Inamura: Probably just time and experience. Trying many different things. What I want to paint hasn’t changed, but what I’m able to paint has increased. I used to be especially bad at animals.
Birds were easier, but recently I’ve started painting four-legged animals too. They’re much harder to balance.

Hanada: There’s more movement involved as well.

Maya Inamura: And many different poses. Birds are… well, no offense to birds, but they’re simpler.

Returning to a Free State of Mind

Maya Inamura: This is a piece I consciously made after my child was born. I gave it a wide foot so it wouldn’t tip over easily, and focused on creating an overall sense of cuteness.

Hanada: When did you decide to make it?

Maya Inamura: For her first ceremonial meal.

Hanada: How did your child react?

Maya Inamura: She’s three now, and she seems to recognize it as “my own rice bowl.” She takes it out of the cupboard herself and eats from it.

Hanada: She brings it herself—that’s impressive.

Maya Inamura: Eating is everything to her.

Hanada: That sounds a bit like you (laughs).

Maya Inamura: Not just a bit—we’re exactly alike (laughs).

Hanada: Did the birth of your child influence your approach to making ceramic work?

Maya Inamura: It freed my mind. Before, I think I was deciding too many things in advance. Thinking, “This goes against the principles of ceramics,” or “I can’t paint this.”

Hanada: So you stopped deciding everything beforehand.

Maya Inamura: Now I try it first, and then think about it.

Hanada: What about your child made you feel that way?

Maya Inamura: She absorbs everything without overthinking, and when children are small, they feel like pure life itself. There are no fixed rules… freedom is a wonderful thing.

Hanada: Perhaps one day your child won’t feel so free anymore, after learning many things. And then you might say, “It’s okay to be free.”

Maya Inamura: Maybe I will (laughs). I wonder if she’ll remember this conversation.

The Drawings of Tomitaro Makino

Hanada: It’s been seven or eight years since we first met. Your range of work has expanded considerably. Originally it was mainly white porcelain, sometsuke, and lapis-blue glazes… and your decorative patterns have broadened as well.

Maya Inamura: I want to keep expanding. It still feels too early to narrow things down.

Hanada: I thought the barley motif was also a new approach for you.

Maya Inamura: The balance there was inspired by French tableware.

Hanada: The way the motifs are scattered. Speaking of plants… is that Tomitaro Makino on the wall?

Maya Inamura: No, that one is from overseas.

Hanada: My apologies.

Maya Inamura: But I do like Tomitaro Makino, and I’ve visited the Makino Memorial Garden in Nerima.

Hanada: His work is overflowing with love for plants… Drawings by people who weren’t originally professional artists have a unique charm.

Maya Inamura: He depicts plants down to the roots, showing their entire form. It’s not an image—it’s a faithful transcription of detail. They’re real, yet somehow not real. In everyday life, we don’t usually observe seeds that closely.

Hanada: The images we normally hold in our minds are closer to conventional drawings. Makino’s work is so true to the subject that, paradoxically, it feels less real to our memory.

Maya Inamura: That’s exactly what I like about it.

Hanada: Has his work influenced your own painting?

Maya Inamura: Not fully yet (laughs).

Hanada: There’s still so much to be explored—that makes what’s ahead exciting.

The Pleasure of Following the Work of a Living Artist

Hanada: Looking ahead to the exhibition.

Maya Inamura: I hope visitors can see what I personally find interesting right now.

Hanada: What we enjoy changes over time, and naturally our style changes with it.　That’s one of the pleasures of following the work of someone who is actively creating.

Maya Inamura: I agree. I think it will continue to change.

Hanada: Thank you very much.

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