In anticipation of the two-person exhibition beginning on September 23, 2015,
“Time Well Spent: Haruya Abe × Maya Inamura,” we spoke with ceramic artist Maya Inamura.
Two years after her first appearance at Hanada, this marks her first curated exhibition with us.
We asked Ms. Inamura about how she first encountered ceramics, the path she has taken since,　and her thoughts and feelings toward making tableware.
Gentle and softly spoken, yet with a quiet strength beneath the surface, her words closely reflect the character of her work itself…
Please relax and enjoy the interview.

Years of Training Under Her Mentor
“When my teacher talked about good food, he always looked so genuinely happy.”

Hanada: What first inspired you to pursue making things, and specifically tableware?

Maya Inamura: Ever since I was young, I knew I wasn’t very good at working cooperatively with others… (laughs). That said, I do enjoy working. So I thought a job I could mostly complete on my own might suit me better.
At the very least, I knew being an office worker wasn’t for me. (laughs) I decided I wanted to acquire a skill and make my living that way. I grew up in Tokoname, so ceramics naturally came to mind. My uncle worked in ceramics in Seto, so it was familiar to me.
When I was fifteen, during high school career counseling, I declared, “I’m going to the ceramics program!” — and that’s how I entered this world.

Hanada: There are many kinds of craftsmanship, even within ceramics. Why tableware?

Maya Inamura: At first, I wanted to make sculptural objects. But my mentor, Mitsuo Fujitsuka, placed great importance on “eating,” and through him I realized how essential everyday tableware really is.

Hanada: If you were aiming to make objects, it doesn’t sound like you would naturally end up studying under Mr. Fujitsuka. (laughs)

Maya Inamura: That’s true. At the time, more than anything, I wanted to leave home as soon as possible… (laughs). I happened to see a job opening to work under Mr. Fujitsuka. He was based in Kyoto, so I thought, “I can live on my own!”
I figured I could convince my parents, and so I applied and went through the interview process.

Hanada: I’m curious — what kind of questions does Mr. Fujitsuka ask in an interview?

Maya Inamura: I was so nervous that I honestly don’t remember anything…

Hanada: Mr. Fujitsuka is known for taking great care of his apprentices and juniors. You can really sense that when you meet people who trained with him.
Of course, he teaches them how to make ceramics, but beyond that, it feels like he prepares them to live as ceramic artists — or as makers of tableware.

Maya Inamura: He even helped me find a place to live… I learned so many things from him. Above all, I learned firsthand about the joy of eating, about good food, and about a joyful table.
“Eating is the foundation of living” — it’s such an obvious thing, but also easy to forget. Those were truly fulfilling years, learning that lesson through experience. And whenever my teacher talked about delicious food, he always looked so genuinely happy.

Hanada: What kind of apprentice were you, Ms. Inamura?

Maya Inamura: Honestly, if I had an apprentice like myself, I’d be at a loss. I was quiet, hard to read, and didn’t show what I was thinking.
I’m amazed he was so patient with me. I made plenty of mistakes and caused trouble — and I was late sometimes, too….

Hanada: That would earn a scolding. (laughs)

Maya Inamura: He taught me very carefully about making as well. In particular, he often told me, “Keep throwing, over and over.” That’s something I still keep in mind today.

Hanada: Early Imari ware is an important theme in Mr. Fujitsuka’s work.

Maya Inamura: I love early Imari. There’s a sense of ease to it, and a kind of raw strength before things became overly refined.
The painting isn’t about technical skill so much as the momentum and energy the maker possessed — it’s very distinctive.

“Something I absolutely love, and want to keep forever…”

Hanada: Is there anything you particularly value when making tableware?

Maya Inamura: For me, ceramics are not art in the fine-art sense. I want to make pieces that are easy to use, that play a supporting role at the table, and that quietly enrich everyday life.

Hanada: That’s not an easy goal, but it really comes through in your work. And your painting, in particular, is very appealing.

Maya Inamura: I try to value whether I myself am enjoying the act of painting.
That said, while it’s good to have fun, I need to be careful not to go too far — I tend to get carried away.

Hanada: (laughs) It’s been two or three years since I first met you. Compared to back then, the range of what you make has expanded quite a bit in the last year or two.

Maya Inamura: Yes. I’m particularly fond of my pieces with deep cobalt-blue glaze. I wanted pieces like that for myself, so I’m honestly happy they turned out well.

Hanada: Not just in variety, but the overall atmosphere of your work has broadened too. It feels more open, more free.

Maya Inamura: I think I’ve become more relaxed. Before, I was holding myself back in certain ways.

Hanada: Holding yourself back?

Maya Inamura: I was too concerned about not resembling my mentor. I avoided motifs he used, worried about looking like I was imitating him.
But when you focus too much on that, you end up becoming similar anyway — it’s strange. (laughs) At some point, I stopped worrying about it.

Hanada: Another artist said something similar just the other day. The influence of your mentor never truly disappears, which is why the first teacher is so important.
It’s not something you can simply remove. Rather than confronting it head-on, it’s better to think about how to live with it, how to absorb it and make it your own — that’s how you move forward.

Maya Inamura: Yes, I came to realize that.　After that, I felt much freer, and ideas began to flow naturally from within.

Hanada: Do you have an ideal piece — a dream vision of what you want to make?

Maya Inamura: I don’t have a concrete image, but it would be a piece that I absolutely love, and want to keep forever.

Hanada: “Absolutely” and “forever”… Those elongated words really convey the feeling of your ideal. It’s a high standard.

Maya Inamura: I always feel I can do better. I constantly think, “I should have done this,” or “That might have been better.”

Hanada: Being able to think that way is one of your strengths, and it shows how full your creative drive is right now.

Maya Inamura: Thank you. I’m having so much fun at the moment. Ideas keep coming — maybe this motif would work, maybe that form…

Hanada: It really feels like ideas are always bubbling up. Every time I visit and see your new work, I think, “She’s moved forward again.”

Maya Inamura: It might stay this way for a while. Perhaps it’s better not to see an end. There are always parts I can grasp and parts I can’t yet see — and I think that itself becomes motivation.

Hanada: Watching how you work, you seem quite bold. Do you ever struggle or worry?

Maya Inamura: Going back to what I said earlier, I do worry about relationships with people. But when it comes to working alone, I rarely have doubts. Working alone gives me freedom. I suppose I’m suited to working independently.

Hanada: Too much freedom can sometimes be a problem, but that doesn’t seem to be a concern in your case. For this exhibition, we looked at many older works as well.

Maya Inamura: Having real pieces close at hand while making things is incredibly educational. There are so many things you can’t understand from museums or　photographs alone.

Hanada: In the process of making, you notice many things and feel moments of wonder — and in those moments, it’s always the actual object that responds.

Maya Inamura: Yes, I struggled quite a bit this time as well…

Hanada: The Mokko-shaped plates were fascinating. They turned out exactly as I had hoped you would interpret them.
When you first showed me the samples, I was honestly thrilled — it just clicked.

Maya Inamura: I’m glad to hear that. I feel a distinctly Japanese atmosphere in those plates. That may be why they were easy for me to absorb and work with.
They can be used in a Western-style setting, but I think they’d also suit traditional sweets. I tried many different ideas for the painting, including the motif.
In the end, that deer appeared quite suddenly — and once it was finished, it felt just right. Personally, it’s one of my favorite new pieces in this exhibition.

Hanada: Not overworking the surface was a good choice too. The sense of space is just right, and it really brings out the beauty of the form.
The octagonal bowls are also striking — those were inspired by Belgian pieces, weren’t they?

Maya Inamura: I was very careful when creating the molds. I wanted them to be clean and precise, but not rigid. Clean, yet soft octagons.
I went through a lot of trial and error aiming for that balance, so I’m relieved it worked out.

Hanada: That seems fundamental to how you think about clay bodies. Your work is made carefully and precisely, yet it never feels stiff.
In any case, it’s a very rich group of new works — from classical to pop, with hints of new directions as well. Choosing pieces for this exhibition was difficult — in fact, we ended up taking almost everything.

Maya Inamura: Yes. This is my final exhibition before taking a break, so I put my heart into it and worked as hard as I could.
I’m also looking forward to exhibiting alongside Haruya Abe’s crisp, refined pieces. I hope visitors will enjoy the show. Thank you very much.

Hanada: I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with everyone.　Finally, do you have any thoughts about what lies ahead?

Maya Inamura: I’ll be taking maternity leave for a while, so during that time I’d like to revisit catalogs and old books — materials I’ve collected over the years. Even things I’ve seen before may reveal something new.
I also know an illustrator who found her work became softer and more expressive after giving birth. If raising a child changes how I express myself, I think that could be exciting too.
Balancing pottery and childcare won’t be easy, but I want to continue making tableware for a long time.

Hanada: We look forward to seeing that evolution as well. Thank you very much for your time today.

Maya Inamura: Thank you very much.

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