The Journey to Tableware Making

Hanada: Could you tell us how you started your career in making tableware?

Noboru Yagihashi : I was studying painting at an art university, but I was feeling lost about my future. At that time, a professor from another department advised me to think about “water,” one of the five elements. That conversation sparked my interest in pottery, which requires all five elements to create. After graduating, I initially joined a pottery studio in Koisago, Tochigi Prefecture. Because of my art background and painting skills, my work there focused mainly on hand-painting the pottery.

Hanada: How did it feel to work with pottery after studying painting at an art university?

Noboru Yagihashi : In terms of creation, painting aims to appeal to the visual senses. While there are elements like scent and brush pressure, clay feels much more direct. For me, making pottery involved more sensory elements than concepts or techniques, so right after graduation, I actually felt that it did not suit me at all. With no real reason, I kept thinking that woodwork or bamboo crafts would suit me better. However, once you start something, you cannot just give it up so easily. (laughs)

Hanada: That is true. (laughs)

Noboru Yagihashi : So, I spent my time throwing on a traditional kick wheel entirely in my own way. As with anything, it eventually became second nature to me, and I completely forgot that I ever thought pottery did not suit me. Then one day, during a company trip with the studio, we visited the Hakone Museum of Art, and there I encountered an antique Shigaraki jar.

Hanada: Was that what brought you to Shigaraki, where you are based now?

Noboru Yagihashi : Yes, exactly. After working at the studio in Koisago for three years, I moved to Shigaraki and spent some time at a local pottery studio. Every night after work, I would stay in my boarding room and continuously make jars by hand-pinching. When the master of the studio saw my small room completely filled with jars, he kindly said, “Why don’t you try firing one whole batch in our anagama kiln?” I just kept repeating that process. Over time, I began to aim for making casual, everyday tableware.

Hanada: Was there a specific turning point?

Noboru Yagihashi : I realized one day that working on those kinds of everyday items made me feel the most at peace.

What Changes and What Remains Through Repetition

Hanada: What does tableware mean to you?

Noboru Yagihashi : I would say it is a “space.” Among the spaces where people eat, where items are placed, and where food is served, it is just one of those elements. It is similar to how a house is a space. The table, the tableware, the ingredients, the various dishes, the coffee, water, or wine—they are all gathered in that space and then they disappear. Within this repetition, some things change, and some things remain the same. The world changes, and I change as well. Naturally, tableware also changes through these experiences. I work with the mindset that tableware is a space, and it is something that can change at any time.

Hanada: Does that apply to the pieces you create as well?

Noboru Yagihashi : Yes, I believe they change naturally.

Hanada: Yet, there are some items you have been making for a quarter of a century.

Noboru Yagihashi : Even for the same item, the raw materials change, and I slightly alter the shape—for instance, the inner space of a bowl. This is because my own sense of what feels right also evolves.

“Breathing” Shapes the Form

Hanada: You have always used a kick wheel.

Noboru Yagihashi : When using a kick wheel, the form will not take shape unless your body moves. Your physical movement directly connects to the birth of the form. However, my body is in a different condition now compared to twenty or thirty years ago when I started. The times are different too. Knowing that things will continue to change, I just go with the flow. Also, when I am working on the kick wheel, I realize how important breathing is. It feels as though breathing itself shapes the form.

Hanada: Do you feel that breathing connects one thing to another?

Noboru Yagihashi : Yes. And this might not just apply to working on the kick wheel. I feel that objects themselves breathe. When I look at antique Shigaraki jars, especially around the rim, I sometimes get the illusion that air is moving in and out, or that the piece is about to come alive. It is similar to the feeling you get when looking at sculptures, where you imagine they might suddenly start to move.

No Answer Comes Back…

Noboru Yagihashi : Certain parts of pottery making involve heavy labor, which makes your breathing heavy. Working like that makes me feel connected to the craftspeople of the past, thinking they must have panted in the exact same way. I believe the awareness gained from repeating these actions is what truly matters.

Hanada: That makes sense. They must have done the same work and breathed the same way. Would you say you are conversing with the clay through that heavy breathing?

Noboru Yagihashi : That connection is all I rely on.

Hanada: Does the clay ever respond to you?

Noboru Yagihashi : It never answers back. (laughs) Even when I feel the clay’s reaction has changed, it is usually just me who has changed. In the end, nature is indifferent to humans.

Perfect for Cake

Hanada: I would like to ask you about some of your new pieces for this exhibition. First, this ruffled plate has a wonderful, elegant presence.

Noboru Yagihashi : I usually find it difficult to make decorative pieces, but I am very pleased with how this one turned out. I made sure the ruffles were not overly pronounced.

Hanada: What kind of food would you use it for?

Noboru Yagihashi : It would definitely be perfect as a cake plate.

Hanada: It really is perfect. The size is just right too.

Rimmed Bowls in Four Colors

Hanada: Next, let us look at the rimmed bowls.

Noboru Yagihashi : I previously made six-sun (approx. 18cm) bowls with a rounded rim in this size, but I wanted to try something new. I designed this shape aiming for a piece that can also be used for main dishes.

Hanada: The rim creates a beautiful accent.

Noboru Yagihashi : Thanks to the extended rim, I feel the overall appearance looks beautifully defined.

Hanada: It looks versatile enough to serve salads, or even dishes like Nikujaga (Japanese beef and potato stew) and beef stew.

Noboru Yagihashi : Yes, absolutely.

Hanada: These come in four different colors. It seems like it would be fun to mix and match all four on the table.

Noboru Yagihashi : I hope customers will choose according to their preference and enjoy bringing a cheerful touch to their dining table.

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

Noboru Yagihashi : Thank you, I look forward to it too.