Black Inlaid Design

Hanada: To begin, I’d like to ask Mr. Shimura about the tableware you will be exhibiting this time. This is a bowl with a black inlaid arabesque design.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: Until now, I’ve mainly worked with white inlay such as Mishima ware, and I hadn’t done much black inlay.
I had wanted to try it for a long time, but black inlay posed challenges in terms of materials and firing.
Recently, those issues were resolved and I was finally able to achieve a good finish, which is why I decided to include it in this exhibition.

Hanada: This pattern is an arabesque, isn’t it?

Mutsuhiko Shimura: Yes. Depending on the context, it’s sometimes called a “Korean ginseng motif” or simply a “ginseng pattern.”

Maiko Miyaoka: You see similar motifs in iron-painted designs as well.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: For example, on tokkuri(flasks for sake) from Gyeryongsan.

Hanada: What made you decide to use this arabesque motif?

Mutsuhiko Shimura: It’s a classical pattern that I’ve seen often, and I find its rhythm lively and enjoyable. It suits upright forms like bowls very well.

Hanada: It’s simple, yet very eye-catching.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: When drawing it, I was careful not to lose the sense of momentum. And also to make sure the pattern connects properly at the end (laughs).

Hanada: It would be a problem if it didn’t come together in the end.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: If you worry too much about making everything perfectly consistent, the design becomes dull, so I try to strike a balance. That’s why the number of arabesque elements sometimes varies from piece to piece.

Hanada: The shape looks very practical.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: It’s called a bowl, but I think it could also work well as a small donburi. For example, for nyūmen noodles.

Hanada: That sounds perfect for enjoying the broth. Have you already used it yourselves?

Maiko Miyaoka: We had rice topped with salted pork soup.

Hanada: Your salted pork sounds delicious.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: It makes a great soup. We keep the stove on all the time this season.　It feels wasteful not to use the heat, so I end up putting something on top… which means we eat a lot more soups (laughs).

Mishima Chrysanthemum Plate

Hanada: Next is the Mishima chrysanthemum plate.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: This is a new piece for this exhibition.

Hanada: The continuity of the pattern is very appealing, and the brushed exterior creates a nice contrast.
Is it that the inside is carefully done one by one, while the outside is finished in one go with brushwork?

Mutsuhiko Shimura: I covered the entire surface with chrysanthemum motifs, so when food is served, it looks as if the pattern gently envelops the dish.

Paired Fish Motif

Hanada: How about the Mishima deep bowl with the paired fish motif?

Mutsuhiko Shimura: I originally worked with this motif in celadon, but I hadn’t used it much in Mishima ware.

Hanada: It has a charming, humorous feel. The expressions of the fish are very cute.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: I find it interesting that the relief is reversed between the fish in the center and the surrounding chrysanthemum pattern.

Hanada: What would you use this piece for?

Mutsuhiko Shimura: For simmered dishes, one per person; for dressed dishes, as a serving bowl.

Maiko Miyaoka: At home, we also use it as a small donburi.

Hanada: If used as a small donburi, what would go well with it?

Mutsuhiko Shimura: A three-color rice bowl, bibimbap, Yakitori don…, though we don’t eat that very often at home (laughs). Oden would also be nice.

Hanada: Do you often have rice bowls for lunch?

Mutsuhiko Shimura: Yes, quite often. We also eat a lot of noodles, pasta, for example.

Hanada: Pasta sounds great. What kind of pasta do you like?

Maiko Miyaoka: I make it with whatever ingredients we have. Carbonara is pretty common.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: Right—and we use salted pork instead of pancetta.

Hanada: Salted pork really gets a lot of use.

A Peony Bowl After a Long While

Hanada: Next is the six-sun peony bowl.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: I made this for the first time in quite a while.

Maiko Miyaoka: We use it often at home.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: It looks very festive when food is served.
Even simple dishes like simmered foods look appealing, and it’s also great for agedashi tofu.

Hanada: Compared to the shallower peony bowl that’s one of your staples, this has a very different feel.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: The shallower one was made with something like a matcha bowl in mind, so it has a celebratory feel.　This one is meant for everyday use—something you can use freely without hesitation. There was also an inlaid version, but I think the raised relief feels gentler and is easier to serve food on.

Hanada: Finally, do you have a message for the exhibition?

Mutsuhiko Shimura: In times like these, I think people are cooking at home more than ever. I’d be happy if people could enjoy their home-cooked meals using tableware they truly like.

Winter Scenery Seen Through a Window

Hanada: Ms. Miyaoka, please.

Maiko Miyaoka: I focused on the sense of season—plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, peaches, and the sea.

Hanada: First is the small lidded plum-blossom container. Even the knob is shaped like a plum blossom, and the lower half is finished with an iron glaze.

Maiko Miyaoka: I thought of the composition like a window frame, creating it as if you were looking at a scene through a window.

Hanada: It brings to mind the image of viewing plum blossoms from inside the house on a cold winter day.

Maiko Miyaoka: Yes—from a warm room.

Hanada: It makes me want to put konpeitō candy inside.

Maiko Miyaoka: I’d put pickled plums in it.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: For me, curry with fukujinzuke. At New Year’s, yuzu cups with salmon roe.

Hanada: All of those sound wonderful.

Scattered Cherry Blossoms

Hanada: This small bowl with scattered blossoms feels quite fresh for your work, Ms. Miyaoka.

Maiko Miyaoka: It’s a bit… feminine, isn’t it? I suppose I’ve mellowed with age (laughs). I’ve long been aiming toward early Imari ware, and in those early pieces you see many plum motifs, but not so many cherry blossoms. That may be why I didn’t have many chances to paint them. Rather than depicting cherry blossoms in a straightforward way, I wanted the pattern to feel lightly scattered.

Hanada: It feels like cherry blossoms used subtly… They appear in many forms—just flowers, or with branches.

Maiko Miyaoka: There are many kinds of cherry blossoms.
I painted them while imagining the pattern extending beyond the surface of the vessel.

Hanada: The gently restrained fluted rim also keeps the overall balance. The size and shape look very practical. In this season, it would work well as a bowl for hot pot, or for dressed dishes.

Maiko Miyaoka: I designed it to be versatile, like a namasu dish.
I think it could also work for a small soup.

Two-Tiered Box

Hanada: Next is the two-tiered box.

Maiko Miyaoka: I wanted to use a pattern that would work freely for many purposes. I think cute designs make using it more enjoyable. For Hinamatsuri, you could put hina-arare inside; for a cherry-blossom-viewing mood, your favorite sweets…

Mutsuhiko Shimura: At New Year’s—black beans, herring roe…

Hanada: That sounds great.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: If it were three tiers, we could add tazukuri too (laughs).

A Much-Loved Peach

Hanada: How about this peach-shaped plate with a peach motif? It feels like something you might find in Ko-Imari.

Maiko Miyaoka: Yes. I referenced patterns from early Imari plates. I’ve liked this motif for a long time and had always thought, “Someday, I’d like to paint this on something.”

Hanada: It’s a very stylish pattern.

Maiko Miyaoka: It’s simple, but depending on how you paint it, it can become too rigid, which made it challenging. And also it’s formed on the wheel and by hand, I think it has a softer feel.

Hanada: That explains why it doesn’t have the stiffness of a molded piece, and the softness carries through the entire piece.

Maiko Miyaoka: Because it’s hand-formed, each piece is slightly different. I think it’s fun to enjoy those differences if you have several.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: You really love peaches.

Hanada: As a fruit?

Maiko Miyaoka: Yes. I love them so much I could live on peaches alone (laughs).

Hanada: Then you’d want to serve peaches on it.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: A peach holding peaches on a peach-shaped peach-patterned plate. That’s a lot of “peach.”

Hanada: (laughs)

Oval Plate

Hanada: Next is this oval plate.

Maiko Miyaoka: The wave-and-plover motif is said to symbolize overcoming rough seas, making it an auspicious design. I also thought the balance of the pattern worked well.

Hanada: The way the rim decoration is subtly divided is lovely.

Maiko Miyaoka: I’d like to use it for Japanese sweets.

Mutsuhiko Shimura: Cake would be nice… mille-feuille for example.

Maiko Miyaoka: Sashimi as well.

Hanada: So many ideas—it really is versatile. Lastly, could you give us a message for the exhibition?

Maiko Miyaoka: This time, many of the pieces feature natural motifs such as cherry blossoms and plum blossoms, so I hope they bring a sense of calm and comfort to everyday life. Thank you very much.

Hanada: Thank you very much.

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