Arita was the first porcelain production area in Japan, with its origins from the discovery of Izumiyama porcelain stone in the early 17th century. Although Izumiyama porcelain stone contributed greatly to the development of Arita ware for the next 200 years, today it is no longer used due to its difficulty of handling, and most modern Arita ware is created from Amakusa porcelain stone.

The charm of Shinji’s sometsuke works stems from the profound and lovely painting that brings us joy simply from looking at them. You can see this clearly when you look into his guinomi sake cups. In contrast, the hohin handle-less teapot, which was made with every pour in mind, and the miniature katakuchi lipped bowl, which can be used for a wide range of purposes, were also well received by visitors for their precise functionality. While the clay used for the works is all Izumiyama porcelain stone, by constantly refining both the mix of transparent and gosu cobalt blue glazes and the firing method, each piece obtains a unique and rich expression. Shinji’s passion for Arita ware seems to be reflected in every brush stroke of painting and fingerprint of glazing, which are inspired by Old Imari and reminiscent of the potters of that time.

Written by Kyoko Tsutsumi

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