Supporting Ceramic Artists, Becoming One Himself

Hanada: Mr. Ohira, you originally took over your family business supplying ceramic materials, and later began building kilns as well.

Shingo Ohira: I took over the materials business when I was 23.
We sold clay and kiln tools, so I built my own wood-fired kilns to test them.

Hanada: Today, you receive kiln-building orders from potters all over Japan. Was there a particular turning point?

Shingo Ohira: One time, after delivering bricks to a potter, he asked, “Could you build a kiln for me too?” I think I was about 27 at the time.

Hanada: Eventually, your own ceramic work also began to take shape.

Shingo Ohira: It all started as test pieces for materials. That said, they weren’t just fragments—I made them as complete forms. More like, “This is what this clay looks like when it’s fired.” It’s more convincing when it has a shape, right?

Hanada: What was the first piece you made?

Shingo Ohira: An Uzukumaru(a small jar). Then a dealer asked if I would part with it. Thankfully, more people like that appeared, and I eventually began holding solo exhibitions of my own work.

The Allure of Jars

Hanada: Speaking of dealers, you also handle antiques yourself and introduce them to others.

Shingo Ohira: I wouldn’t call myself a dealer, but I’ve been doing that since I was about 25 or 26.

Hanada: What sparked that interest?

Shingo Ohira: I’ve always loved medieval jars. Especially Tokoname, Shigaraki, and Sanage… Atsumi is wonderful too.

Hanada: What is it about jars that appeals to you?

Shingo Ohira: Their aura, I suppose. It’s hard to put into words, but they’re simply irresistible objects (laughs).

Hanada: You both create these “irresistible objects” yourself and engage deeply with old ones.

Shingo Ohira: Even when I introduce antiques to others, I don’t just pass them along. They come through my hands once, with a feeling of “off you go.”

Hanada: How do you engage with antique jars?

Shingo Ohira: First, I wash them with water. It’s partly about putting my own feelings into them—almost like a purification.
Then I choose the best “face” and display them where I feel they look right. Sometimes I add flowers, sometimes water. When I do that, the jar comes back to life.

Hanada: Do you drink with your jars?

Shingo Ohira: All the time. We talk (laughs). Jars have a night face, a morning face. They have a daytime face too—each moment has its own expression.
Living with jars like that, and eventually sending them to a good place—that’s the best outcome for me.

Hanada: Does your relationship with old ceramics influence your own work?

Shingo Ohira: Old Seto and Negoro bottles are the prototypes for my meipin(a small vase) today. My porcelain plaques are inspired by old Bizen plaques.

Straightforward Craftsmanship

Hanada: What do you value most when making things?

Shingo Ohira: Balance. Color, form, everything. When something is unbalanced… (pauses) it hurts my eyes.
When that happens, I go to the shard dump at old kiln sites. Being there feels like it resets my eyes.

Hanada: When you begin making a piece, do you have a clear goal in mind?

Shingo Ohira: Yes. There’s always some room for chance, but most of the image is already set.

Hanada: Where does that image come from?

Shingo Ohira: I think in relation to what I’ve made before— “Let’s give the shoulder a bit more tension,” or “Let’s make the rim more dignified,” things like that.

Hanada: Does the work ever change midway and end up different from what you first imagined?

Shingo Ohira: No. It’s a straight line. If I had to correct it midway, I’d probably stop altogether. The foundation would already be wrong, and it’s cleaner to start over from the beginning.

Not a Sense of Achievement, but “Gratitude”

Hanada: After firing a kiln, the joy of unloading it…

Shingo Ohira: I’m moved every single time.

Hanada: Where does that feeling come from?

Shingo Ohira: It feels like divine work. A sense of being helped.

Hanada: So rather than a sense of achievement, it’s gratitude.

Shingo Ohira: I can only be grateful that something beyond my own ability comes out of the kiln.
That said, if I were compromising within myself, I don’t think I’d be helped like that. I don’t know how others evaluate me, but I’m putting everything I can into my work right now.

Where “Cleanliness” Begins

Hanada: Recently, you seem satisfied with your work.

Shingo Ohira: I think it’s gotten much better, but even now I sometimes see my own work and think, “That’s rough.” So I want to keep working without cutting corners.

Hanada: You often use the words “rough work” and “clean work.”

Shingo Ohira: If you do clean work, things tend to go in a good direction.

Hanada: What do you mean by “clean work”?

Shingo Ohira: It means everything around the place where things are made is clean. For example, a kiln load that feels beautifully arranged.

Hanada: What does “clean” mean to you?

Shingo Ohira: At the most basic level, it means there’s no trash on the ground. That’s where it starts. Bricks sealing the kiln fitting tightly, not loosely. I don’t think customers would ever be happy with something that comes from a dirty place.

Toward the Solo Exhibition

Hanada: Is there anything you’d like to pursue going forward?

Shingo Ohira: I want to stay involved with things that make people stop in their tracks. Not just making them. Being involved. I want to keep encountering good things.

Hanada: We’re very much looking forward to your solo exhibition.

Shingo Ohira: I’ll be bringing the most heartfelt work I’ve ever made. It’s 100% of who I am right now, and I hope people enjoy it.

Hanada: Thank you very much.

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