Encountering Ceramics

Hanada: What led you to pursue a career in making tableware?

Tetsuya Yamamoto : I was born and raised very close to the Kiyomizu ware district in Yamashina, Kyoto. When I was a child, relatives would take me to places like that, and I’d get scolded with “Don’t touch that!” (laughs). To be honest, it was so familiar to me that I couldn’t really take an interest in it. If anything, I almost disliked it (laughs).
Then later, when I was attending prep school in the late 1980s, clay work—ceramic objects and sculptural pieces—was becoming fairly popular. Seeing those works made me realize, “Ceramics can be like this too…” and it felt very fresh to me.
At first, I wanted to study product design, but partly because of that experience, and also under the influence of one of my prep school instructors, I decided to enter the ceramics department. The university I attended also had a very free and open atmosphere, so I was able to enter the world of ceramics naturally and without resistance.

Hanada: So the feelings you had as a child gradually disappeared.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : That school had excellent facilities. At the time, I believe it had the largest kiln among universities in Japan. I made quite a lot of large-scale works there.

Learning Through Conversations with Many People

Hanada: Was that when you began making tableware?

Tetsuya Yamamoto : It was after graduation, when I was working in a shared studio in the Kiyomizu ware district. Because of the environment I was in, it naturally led me toward making tableware. That said, during my student years I had hardly made any functional dishes, so I copied other people’s work, asked senior artists, teachers, and local craftsmen for advice… I would ask things like, “I want to make something like this—how should I go about it?”
From all the different answers I received, I chose the methods that suited me best. I’ve truly been helped by many different people. And not only by people in Kyoto, so I don’t think even my wheel-throwing style is particularly Kyoto-style.

Hanada: It sounds like you solved each challenge as new themes emerged.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : That hasn’t changed even now. I’ve been doing that for about twenty-five years already (laughs).

From Beginning to End

Hanada: And that brings you to where you are today.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : Looking back, I think making tableware really suits me. Even in product design, you’re rarely involved from beginning to end, right? Many different people become involved, and gradually the original concept starts to fade. But with ceramics, everything—from start to finish—is done by myself.

Hanada: That’s true.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : Also, when I was in my twenties, I participated in an event where chefs used my work in restaurants, and I had to prepare pieces for an entire ten-course meal.
I had to think about the flow of the meal, create a kind of story, and coordinate the sizes, colors, and overall feel of the pieces, which I found incredibly interesting. Experiences like that became opportunities for me to immerse myself more deeply in making tableware.

Nothing More Than the Basics

Hanada: What do you value most in your work and craftsmanship?

Tetsuya Yamamoto : It’s connected to what I just mentioned about that event—the overall balance and flow. And on an individual level: size, weight, stacking, and so on. For me, it’s really only those very basic things.

Hanada: Those aspects also affect the visual impression, so it’s not just about functionality.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : Exactly. With stacking, it’s not enough that pieces simply stack well—the appearance when stacked also matters. In restaurants, tableware is often placed where customers can see it, after all.

Hanada: Right now, you work with techniques such as carbonized firing, iron glaze, kohiki, yakishime, and silver decoration.
There’s a wide variety, but none of them are overly assertive in tone, and they really enhance the food. The forms are sharp, with very little ornamentation, and they almost feel close to porcelain.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : I prefer that kind of aesthetic over something overly heavy or imposing.

Developing Sensibility Through Dialogue

Hanada: You’ve worked closely with many chefs over the years, especially Kyoto chefs.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : Especially in the beginning, I remember receiving many requests like, “Could you make a rectangular plate in this pattern and this exact size?”

Hanada: How precise were those specifications?

Tetsuya Yamamoto : Down to the millimeter. And also things like depth, angle, and the feeling against the lips. Even the balance between tension and comfort…Through that process, I think I naturally developed a sense for what makes something easy to use.

White Porcelain

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

Tetsuya Yamamoto : For example, white porcelain…

Hanada: That sounds wonderful. It feels like it would suit you perfectly.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : White porcelain isn’t simply “white-colored porcelain,” after all. It’s something refined down to its essence, something with a kind of dignity that quietly emerges from within… It’s not something you can create just by trying to force it.
I hope that by continuing to gain experience, I’ll eventually be able to create that kind of quality when I make white porcelain.

Hanada: Finally, a few words for the upcoming exhibition.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : I often make black tableware. At first glance, people sometimes hesitate to use it, but it’s actually very versatile and easy to use.

Hanada: You understand once you actually try it.

Tetsuya Yamamoto : Exactly.

Hanada: Thank you very much.

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