The Act of Firing the Kiln

Hanada: Michihiro-san, how did you get started in pottery?

Michihiro Domoto : My brother was going to take over my father’s woodworking business in Wakasa, Fukui, and when he went to Okayama to study woodworking, I decided to go along with him. I originally intended to do woodworking as well, but the school also had a ceramics course. I found myself drawn to it and changed my path. The core focus of that course was Bizen ware. Operating the pottery wheel and firing the wood kiln were both so much fun, and I just fell in love with pottery.

Hanada: So you were captivated by the charm of the wood kiln.

Michihiro Domoto : I found the actual act of firing the kiln fascinating. Plus, the people in Bizen were incredibly skilled with the pottery wheel. It really sparked my competitive spirit and was a wonderful learning experience. They would tell me things like, “Minimize your movements and touch the clay as little as possible when making something. Otherwise, the clay will lose its life.”

Hanada: And then you returned to Fukui.

Michihiro Domoto : After attending the Fukui Ceramics Technical Center, I continued to learn by helping out other ceramic artists with their wood kilns.

Hanada: Did you know from the beginning that you wanted to make tableware?

Michihiro Domoto : I was influenced by the people I studied with here in Fukui. Around that time, an approach was emerging that blurred the line between functional pieces and sculptural art, and my peers and I shared that mindset. I felt that there is a unique expressive depth that comes precisely from the limitations of usability, and I began to view pottery from that angle. The direction of expression shifted from a one-way communication to more of a shared experience. I found it wonderful to connect with people while sharing the things and activities we love.

Something Felt Wrong…

Hanada: Kumiko-san, how about you?

Kumiko Domoto : Since I was a child, I loved drawing and wanted to find a job related to that. I wanted to create things that reach people directly in their daily lives, like posters or album covers. So, I majored in visual design at university. However, once I started, almost all the classes were on computers. I was surprised because I had expected to do more drawing with my own hands.

Hanada: It wasn’t what you expected.

Kumiko Domoto : Because of that sense of misalignment, my attention turned to the world of tableware, which I had always liked. During my third and fourth years at university, I visited various pottery studios and ceramic artists. I wanted to understand what it meant to make pottery for a living and what kind of people potters were. I went to production areas like Shigaraki, Hagi, Karatsu, and Arita, and visited different artists everywhere.

Hanada: How were those visits? The environments where pottery is made must vary quite a bit.

Kumiko Domoto : They really did. One studio had a large group of people, but you were allowed to do whatever you wanted there. If you wanted to draw that day, you could draw. If you wanted to use the wheel, you could do that. If you didn’t feel like doing anything, you didn’t have to. Everyone just went about their work as they pleased. As for the pieces, you could paint any design as long as it was an adaptation of the master’s base style, and the shapes were free too. Everyone looked so happy, and it was a lovely sight.

Hanada: Are there any other places that left an impression on you?

Kumiko Domoto : In Shigaraki, I met someone making large jars. He kept building up the clay while talking to me about all sorts of things. Being in my teens, I knew nothing, and it just looked like repetitive, simple labor to me. I even asked a rather rude question: “Is this kind of work fun?” He just smiled and replied, “This is what’s interesting. I just love it.” I was caught completely off guard and thought, “What is this world?” I was instantly drawn into the world of ceramics.

The Reality is “Always on the Edge”

Hanada: Michihiro-san, what kind of work do you aim to do?

Michihiro Domoto : Since I started out simply wanting to fire wood kilns, I don’t really have a clearly defined goal in words. To be honest, there are so many unknown elements that I couldn’t learn them all in a lifetime, and I’ve just been firing through trial and error. But by doing so, antique pieces from Korea and China have started to look different to me.

Hanada: What do you mean by looking different?

Michihiro Domoto : Instead of just admiring them and chasing after the shape, I began to think about the mindset that led to that specific form. When you take a comprehensive approach—cutting the wood, building the kiln, preparing the materials, shaping the clay, firing, and finally using the piece—you start to feel that every single part is interconnected. This changes how I see the antiques I’ve looked at in the past, and I hope to create a good cycle where that insight feeds back into my own work. Well, that’s the ideal way to put it, but the reality is that we are always living on the edge. (laughs)

Hanada: I imagine there are times when things go well and times when they don’t.

Michihiro Domoto : If you only aim for stability just to get a successful firing, you end up with boring pieces. On the other hand, if you push the limits too much, everything ruins. (laughs) I think the moments of true satisfaction come when your skills successfully back up your challenges.

Hanada: So a balance between maturing technique and a desire for something new is important.

Kumiko Domoto : When a firing goes well, unloading the kiln is incredibly fast. (laughs) He unloads things one after another, but when it doesn’t go as well, it takes him a very long time to take everything out.

Making People Happy…

Hanada: Kumiko-san, what do you value most in your work?

Kumiko Domoto : I want to do work that brings joy to people and makes them feel excited. It is a true happiness to know that my work can bring joy to someone’s life. I am always thinking about what it truly means to make people happy.

Division of Labor

Hanada: Currently, for the inlay work, Michihiro-san prepares the clay body and Kumiko-san applies the decoration.

Kumiko Domoto : At first, I did everything by myself. But for me, having the clay body prepared for me and then thinking about the decoration from there brings out far more ideas.

Hanada: Do you leave the decoration entirely to Kumiko-san?

Michihiro Domoto : When I make a piece with a specific image in mind, I try to convey that to her. For example, I think fish-egg patterns (nanako-mon) are more interesting when they hit the eye directly, so I make the form more linear. Also, for Western-style items like coffee cups, I feel that finer inlay work suits them better, so I share those thoughts with her.

Kumiko Domoto : After that, I expand on the idea in my own way.

Hanada: Do you look to Goryeo celadon for inspiration?

Kumiko Domoto : Yes. I look at a lot of classical Chinese and Korean pieces.

Hanada: How do you decide on the composition?

Kumiko Domoto : I usually choose auspicious motifs. Having a traditional blessing or meaning behind the pattern makes it easier for me to work. I’m not particularly good at working purely on intuition, so I find it exciting when things are clear—knowing that a pattern has a specific meaning or has been used since ancient times. Also, I rarely combine completely unrelated things. For example, if I decide on a peony motif as the main focus, I’ll decide to add butterflies. If it’s a deer, I’ll pair it with auspicious Reishi mushrooms; if it’s a crane, I’ll use lotus patterns, and so on.

Their Respective Trends

Hanada: Michihiro-san, you must always look forward to seeing how the decoration turns out.

Michihiro Domoto : A few years ago, there was a phase where stylized, playful characters were popular, right?

Kumiko Domoto : Oh, there was. (laughs)

Hanada: Was that a personal trend for you, Kumiko-san?

Michihiro Domoto : Yes, it was. She would source characters from all kinds of places, so during exhibitions, when customers asked, “What does this say?” we didn’t know and couldn’t answer. (laughs)

Kumiko Domoto : For example, even with a character like “Kotobuki” (longevity), artisans in the old days would render it in a very stylized, creative way. I found that playful atmosphere really fascinating.

Michihiro Domoto : Lately, you’ve been doing a lot of chipmunks.

Kumiko Domoto : Oh, so you noticed? (laughs)

Michihiro Domoto : I did. (laughs)

Hanada: Michihiro-san, do you have any personal trends of your own?

Michihiro Domoto : Lately, I’ve been interested in Japanese pieces from the Meiji period. It was a time when designs increasingly took international markets into consideration, like teapots made using intricate Chinese overglaze enamels. I think it was a period when craftspeople were working with immense dedication. Instead of just doing things the way they’ve always been done, they brought in what they learned from old pieces and foreign styles, applying it to what they could do. I am really drawn to that spirit of dedicated research and trial and error.

Moving Forward

Hanada: Is there anything you would like to take on in the future?

Michihiro Domoto : There are many things, but first, I want to keep moving forward with what I currently value. For instance, while I don’t need to be overly extravagant with materials, I want to select them carefully. Instead of overly complex shapes, I want to focus on creating pieces with a strong, well-defined structure.

Hanada: How about you, Kumiko-san?

Kumiko Domoto : I want to deepen my work with inlay and sgraffito techniques. I also realized the sheer depth of the fish-egg patterns I started recently as I kept working on them.

Mukozuke, Demitasse Cups…

Hanada: We look forward to working with you for the upcoming exhibition.

Kumiko Domoto : I hope everyone enjoys seeing the fish-egg patterns in a more refined form. In addition to the thick iron styluses I’ve been using, I have started incorporating finer ones. As for Michihiro, he seems to be looking at books on Kaiseki cuisine quite a bit lately.

Michihiro Domoto : Yes, that’s true. Because of that, I think there will be more flat bowls and small bowls.

Hanada: You are very receptive. What you see seems to translate directly into your hands.

Michihiro Domoto : I have also made some demitasse cups, so I hope people will take a look at those as well.

Hanada: Yes, we are really looking forward to it. Thank you very much.