Recent Days

Hanada: About three years have passed since your last solo exhibition. How have you been doing lately?

Kan Kishino : This winter, I tried serving oden in various antique mukozuke bowls, choosing a different piece for each ingredient. Sorry to jump straight into talking about food (laughs).

Hanada: Not at all. It sounds wonderful, please go on.

Kan Kishino : Since I don’t own a complete matching set of antique mukozuke, I hadn’t used them that extensively before. But doing this was far more fascinating than I had imagined. It really clarified for me why these pieces complement food so beautifully. Mukozuke, in particular, are all about how they focus the attention on the ingredient. By trying out various combinations, I began to see the patterns behind that focus.

Hanada: “Focusing on the ingredient”—that makes perfect sense. People often use the phrase “complementing the food,” but when you think about it, it is a rather vague expression.

Kan Kishino : Exactly. When you actually try to give it shape, “complementing” can be hard to pin down.

Hanada: Perhaps you were able to take this step forward precisely because you have spent so much time making pieces with those beloved antiques as your goal, and now you are truly using them.

Kan Kishino : As a maker, simply enjoying using them doesn’t turn into professional work. However, because I went through a phase of being completely immersed in the objects themselves, I feel that actually using them allowed me to gain a fresh perspective. In any case, being able to deeply consider how to focus attention on the ingredient was a major breakthrough. Looking closely, elements like form and line all serve as means to create that focus. I believe Rosanjin was intentionally doing this over and over again.

Hanada: He had a very clear purpose and was thorough about it. His theme was simple: “to eat well.”

Kan Kishino : And he approached it from a bird’s-eye view.

Familiar Forms, Yet Entirely New

Hanada: Lately, it feels as though you are facing your work with complete, direct focus.

Kan Kishino : Compared to before, I have come to see my work as focusing entirely on what captivates me and translating that directly into form. Instead of worrying about external things like what will sell, I think it is better to turn my awareness inward.

Hanada: Was there a particular turning point that led you to think this way?

Kan Kishino : (Thinks for a moment) When I made things while thinking about external factors, I found myself unable to be moved or fulfilled by them. It felt as though I was disappearing from the very things I was creating, even though I used to find genuine joy in that before.

Hanada: It sounds like this is not a matter of technical skill.

Kan Kishino : Until you master the technique, even if you approach a piece from an external perspective, your heart naturally goes into it as you strive to reach a certain technical level. But once you reach a point where you can do that effortlessly as a matter of course, you wonder what comes next. Exploring entirely new things is one path, but deepening your approach to the same things is another. Ultimately, the things I love don’t change all that much, and there is an enduring value in standard beauty. In a restless search for the “new,” if you try too hard to make something completely different from what you made before, it can drift away from standard beauty and become less practical to use. On the other hand, even when making the same form, if you stop viewing past creations or ancient ceramics as fixed templates for comparison, and instead focus on the piece right in front of you—shaping the beauty you feel in your heart at that exact moment—the result will be entirely new, even if the form looks similar. That is the mindset I strive for in my work.

Preparing for the Exhibition

Hanada: For this exhibition, you have prepared a wonderful variety of tableware, and the other pieces are equally impressive. This hanging flower vase is particularly intriguing.

Kan Kishino : It started with the suihatsu (hanging board). Flowers look so alive when you use one. When I wondered why, I realized the background enhances the appearance of the flower. So, I thought about making the vase itself serve as that background.

Hanada: The structure appears unique at first glance, but it seems versatile enough to accommodate many types of flowers.

Kan Kishino : I tried to design it so that arranging flowers would be effortless, making sure they stand upright naturally, whether the stems are short or long. I gave a lot of thought to how to make it look completely natural. Also, what do you think of that large jar over there?

Hanada: It has a wonderful, deep inner glow.

Kan Kishino : For the natural glaze effects on that jar, I am involved during the loading stage because I arrange the pieces while imagining how the flames will flow, but I don’t interfere during the actual firing. I used to think those raw, rugged textures only occurred in the very back of the kiln. This time, however, that dynamic was reversed. I loaded the kiln by taking advantage of the higher temperatures in the back and the lower temperatures in the front. I also paid close attention to the size of the firewood.

Hanada: Does the size of the firewood affect the final outcome?

Kan Kishino : It changes how the fire travels significantly. Especially in a down-draft kiln, the conditions shift drastically, so I make fine adjustments. While the resin content of the pine matters, the size of the wood has a massive impact.

Hanada: Is there an ideal size?

Kan Kishino : Since I split the wood myself, I can adjust it in various ways. I even use pieces so large that most people wouldn’t dream of putting them in. But if you think about it, potters in the past didn’t have chainsaws; they must have used whole logs. They likely just burned long logs, pushing them in gradually.

Hanada: While we often deduce how something was made by looking at the object itself, it is fascinating that you can also deduce techniques from historical context, like the absence of chainsaws, concluding that they wouldn’t have done things the modern way.

Kan Kishino : I imagine those kinds of scenarios all the time.

Hanada: You often mention trying something only to realize that potters in the past would never have done it that way.

Kan Kishino : There are many things taken for granted in modern pottery that simply wouldn’t make sense given the historical environment of the time. For instance, no one back then would have cut firewood into neat 50cm pieces. They would have had to cut everything by hand with a handsaw (laughs).

Hanada: That would be an immense amount of labor.

Kan Kishino : Absolutely immense (laughs). No matter how strong your arms are, you just wouldn’t do it (laughs).

Hanada: Unless there was a very compelling reason to do so.

Kan Kishino : Perhaps if it allowed for an incredibly short firing time, but even that seems unlikely.

The Presence an Object Carries

Hanada: Looking at the pieces you brought for this exhibition, the overall impression is wonderfully serene and quiet.

Kan Kishino : I made them with what we just discussed in mind. I wanted my true feelings to transfer into the objects, ensuring that the pottery wheel didn’t simply slide along out of habit.

Hanada: What do you mean by the wheel “sliding”?

Kan Kishino : It refers to a state where the form comes out beautifully, but it lacks presence, as if the maker’s spirit wasn’t fully poured into it. Having worked as an artisan for a long time, I can easily shape things purely through technical skill.

Hanada: But isn’t that technical consistency exactly what is required of an artisan? If an artisan poured their emotions into every single piece, the work wouldn’t get done. Maintaining a steady, consistent condition is essential.

Kan Kishino : Yes, but I think that applies more to modern artisans.

Hanada: Even so, perhaps true expression is something built upon that foundation of consistency.

Kan Kishino : Until relatively modern times, artisan work was often delightfully unrefined, and I find those pieces possess much more soul. Among them, the work of highly focused artisans resonates with me deeply.

Hanada: Does that quality come entirely from the individual maker?

Kan Kishino : The historical background must play a major role. When the collective consciousness of society is high, the standards of the artisans rise too, and from that environment, individuals with exceptional sensitivity emerge. I imagine the masterpieces of the Momoyama period were born under such conditions. Many of those pieces possess a powerful presence that cannot be explained simply by the existence of a great producer.

Hanada: When do you find yourself noticing these qualities?

Kan Kishino : It starts with gazing deeply at a piece. The presence and atmosphere that the object carries simply speak to you.

Hanada: What kind of presence do you seek to bring to your own work?

Kan Kishino : I believe one’s daily life naturally becomes the atmosphere of the object, infusing it with a distinct character. There are pieces that make you sit up straight, pieces that bring a smile, and pieces that move you to tears—and it is wonderful to have that variety. However, things that make the heart heavy or feel careless are not things you can live with long-term.

Finding Joy in the Joy of Others

Hanada: Your daily life and your work are deeply intertwined.

Kan Kishino : To deepen my work, I believe I must deepen my own life. I need authentic personal experience; conceptual thinking alone won’t move things forward. Part of deepening life involves refining a sensibility that is entirely your own, not borrowed. That said, even if you approach life with earnest intent, it won’t last if it isn’t enjoyable. For me, this centers on what I eat and how I enjoy meals. I need to constantly refine how I perceive that time, how I feel about food, and how the ingredients look while I am actually eating. Lately, I have become particularly mindful of this. The story about the oden came out of that practice.

Hanada: That is truly what it means to bring joy to others. When trying to please someone, it is difficult to create something based purely on guesswork or assumptions without real personal experience. You mentioned before that things lacking authentic experience simply do not resonate. When I see how you host people, I can see exactly why your pottery turns out the way it does.

Kan Kishino : It ultimately comes down entirely to how much joy you can bring to that moment.

Hanada: The ability to find your own joy in the joy of others is a true talent.

Kan Kishino : Though, when I think about it, the reason I started experimenting with making meals more enjoyable was simply because I was working all the time and rarely went out. It began with a simple desire to bring some joy to my children at home.

Hanada: Quite simply, you love seeing the happiness of the person right in front of you. I am sure you will continue to work this way for a long time to come.

Kan Kishino : If the things I make can play a small part in bringing joy to people’s lives, I couldn’t ask for greater happiness.

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

Kan Kishino : Thank you, I look forward to it as well.