Kokuzou-kiln; a kiln that conveys the warmth of handmade products

- The warmth of clay and the taste of hand-painting are pleasant to the eye -

Kokuzou Kiln was established in 1997. The kiln is one of the few kilns in the Kutani ware industry that handle all production processes in-house, from molding the base material to painting and firing. In addition, the kiln mainly produces earthenware, which is rare in Kutani ware. Kokuzou-kiln's pottery has the texture and warmth of earthenware, the taste of hand-painted pottery, and is comfortable to use. Yet, with their original shapes and designs, Kutani ware pottery stands out from the crowd.

"Ippuku Bowl", a popular & mainstay of Kokuzou kiln

The plump and rounded form. The warm texture of ceramics. The patterns carefully hand-painted one by one are also beautiful. This “Ippuku Bowl” is indispensable when talking about Kokuzo-kiln.

"Ippuku bowls have been a product since the early days when the kiln was established by the previous generation," says Takahiro Ichida, the representative of Kyokuzou-kiln.

Ippuku Bowl is a ceramic = earthenware. Does that mean you have been making earthenware since the establishment of the kiln? - "Yes, I have heard that the main production method was to make earthenware. The idea of my predecessor was to create warmth that only handmade ceramics can offer, which cannot be found in ready-made products. I think that earthenware, rather than porcelain, which is the mainstream of Kutani ware, suited the image of what my predecessor wanted to produce. This continues to this day, and it is what makes Kokuzou-kiln what it is today."
Certainly, the earthenware and handmade style of Kokuzou-kiln pottery is unique even among Kutani ware. And Ippuku Bowl is still one of the main products, isn't it? - "It is a long-selling product of Kokuzou-kiln. At the time of the previous generation, there were about 300 kinds of Ippuku Bowls alone. We did all the work of making the base material and hand-painting the bowls...I wonder how we used to make them, considering the scale of our kiln. Now, for Ippuku Bowl and small Ippuku Bowl, we have about 50 varieties, focusing on the most popular patterns.

Have the shapes and designs remained the same since the company's founding?

"The shape has evolved over time as we have listened to the feedback of our customers and others. We handle everything from making the base to painting in our own kiln, so we are able to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the time, which is one of our strengths. The patterns have changed over the years, but we still have Ippuku bowls with the same patterns as when the kiln was founded. The Kozome Tsubaki (Japanese camellia) is one example."

When placing the Ippuku Bowl and the small Ippuku Bowl side by side, I realized that making several pieces of the same shape and painting the same pattern on them in the same way may seem simple, but it is actually very difficult and requires a lot of skill. I take my hat off to the skill of all the potters and painters.

Left: Ippuku Bowl, Kozome Camellia (Red),

Right: Small Ippuku Bowl, Kozome Camellia

Turkish Glaze Series that radiates individuality

Many of the items in the Kokuzo kiln, including the Ippuku Bowl, are decorated with paintings. However, the Turkish glaze series stands out from the rest. This series is baked only with Turkish blue glaze, without painting.

He said, "I even went to a glazier to develop this Turkish blue glaze. After searching for the ideal blue, mixing and blending, it was finally completed. But the completion of the glaze is not the goal. The next hurdle is the firing temperature during kiln firing. Depending on the firing temperature, the color of the blue will vary and bubbles will form, and it probably took a year to be able to consistently produce a color that matched the image I had in mind. I think the development of the Turkish glaze products was the hardest part."

The central figure in the development of the Turkish glaze series is Tetsuya Ichida, who is also a potter. We asked Tetsuya why he decided to create the Turkish glaze series. - "I have always loved blue. I like the color of the ocean sparkling in the sunlight. And I can't paint, but I can sculpt. I wanted to create attractive products without relying on painting, but only on modeling. I wanted to create attractive products using only modeling and my favorite colors. That is how I ended up with the Turkish glaze series."

Takahiro told us that the pain of creation was considerable. - "People sometimes think that because there are no pictures, it must be easier, but that is not true. But that is not true at all. It took a long time to develop the glaze, and to determine the firing temperature through trial and error, and the firing process is still difficult, so I am always on my toes. Even so, it is a tough product because of the loss," he says.

Although there are turquoise-blue products in other production areas, I think that Kokuzou-kiln's products stand out for the beauty of their silhouettes. Attention to detail and originality in modeling are also evident in their work.

Thoughts and persistence in molding

"The Kokuzou-kiln sells handmade products. Therefore, we don't want to make things that can be made with molds. We make vessels that can only be expressed by handwork, such as rokuro and tatara molding".

Do the mugs you are making now also have the same characteristics that can only be expressed by your handiwork? - "Yes, there is. After shaping by ro-ro, I pull the mouth part in three places to distort it. It gives a soft impression. And the sides. About 1.5 cm from the bottom is shaved off to make the shape right, but from there on, we leave the unique flavor of ro-ro. If we shaved the bottom, it would be the best product, but that would be uninteresting. Rather than shaving it cleanly, we want to preserve the unique charm of hand-pulled rokuro," he says.

The comfort of holding a Kokuzou-kiln vessel in one's hand is largely due to the texture of the clay and the molding done by hand. And it is because of this handwork that the unique form of the Kokuzo-kiln is created. Speaking of unique forms, the silhouette of a teacup is also distinctive. Goblets in pottery are also interesting.

"I like myself to have a crisp, dignified form. Making the legs look thin is also something I am good at. I like to make the goblet legs as thin as possible. If I go too far, they become too squishy, so I really go for the very last possible inch".

Maximizing the strength of integrated production

In the Kutani ware industry, there are many places where the production of the base material and the painting are separated, but at Kokuzo-gama, both the base material and the painting are done by the company itself, making it an integrated production system. The clay is also used to make the base (base is a vessel before being painted). Painting and kiln firing are also done in-house. Any loss in making the clay base or failure in the painting process is the responsibility of the company, and therefore, a risk. Even so, the Kyokuzou kiln is committed to integrated production. We asked Takahiro again about the merits of this.

"We can make the products we want to make in a one-stop shop," he said. "We can make prototype vessels in-house without having to ask a specialized clay maker to do it. Since the potter and the potter work in the same office, it is easy to exchange opinions and it is very speedy."

What was the actual impetus for the product development? - "The impetus is very vague. Sometimes a casual comment from a customer gives us a hint, and sometimes it is because we like a color like the Turkish glaze series and want to make it. In the development stage, we take into account practical considerations such as productivity and profit margins, but the initial impetus is really vague."

Because of integrated production, we are able to take on the challenge of product development with free ideas. Products such as drippers and pots, which are rarely seen elsewhere, are only possible because of the integrated production of Kokuzou-kiln.

The Future of the Kyokuzou-Kiln

Again, we asked the president, Takahiro, about the future of Kyokuzou-kiln.

"In my predecessor's time, we introduced new products at every exhibition, and the cycle was fast. But now it is different. I feel that the time has come to nurture the series. Of course we intend to release new products, but not one after another as in the past. I want as many people as possible to know about the series that we have created and to like Kokuzou-kiln's vessels. That is why I want to appeal to them. Unlike the past, we now have various tools to appeal to many people. I want to make good use of them and have many people patronize Kokuzou-kiln vessels," he says.