Mino Ware
Home of Clay Arts
Today we’re at Shibata Setsuro’s studio, the Home of Clay Arts, in Tajimi, Gifu.
Shibata-san has been sculpting clay for 50 years,
designing works of art and displaying at galleries and exhibitions around the world.
This studio also doubles as a classroom,
where Shibata-san teaches the art of clay to anyone willing to learn,
including foreign students.
We're really excited to meet you, too!
Oh, bonus!
I guess the ladies are excited...?
I have no idea what they just said.
So you're 75?
Yes, I'm 75.
You look younger.
I'm about to go to the other world.
You can't say that!
Minoyaki gets its name from the region it’s produced in—Mino,
where it’s said to have originated more than 1300 years ago.
It’s Japan’s most popular type of pottery,
making up more than 60% of Japanese clay tableware.
I mainly create art.
Just making traditional ware like Shino, Tenmoku, Oribe...
It isn't challenging enough for me.
I don't like doing that, so I became an artist instead.
In America I've had exhibitions in Los Angeles and New Jersey.
In New Jersey I met a worker from an art gallery in New York
and then the next year I had an exhibition in New York.
I remember David Bowie came to see my work.
I took pictures with him.
Shibata-san isn't actually a shokunin.
The word "shokunin" translates to craftsman,
but it means a person of great skill who makes certain products over and over again to sell.
Shibata-san is a sakka, or an artisan.
An artisan continually makes new and unique items as works of art,
which can be displayed in exhibitions or galleries.
While many shokunin also need to be creative in inventing new products to sell,
the difference between the two is marked,
and most shokunin and sakka will tell you very clearly which category they fall into.
He's so fast.
Yeah.
Ah, that's just...
There are two things that made me who I am now.
I used to go to Kyoto a lot
and I got inspired there all the time.
I also got inspired a lot by another artist.
You may not know but there's a famous Ministry of Education undersecretary.
Hi name is Koyama Fujio. He was also a great ceramic artist.
I started working for a ceramic institution right after I graduated high school.
And I met him there.
He was creating pottery no one had ever made before.
Hi new style of pottery looked as if the celadon on the surface
of the pottery was melting even after they were baked.
Now everyone makes it, but back then it was revolutionary.
I got inspired by his work, and it made me want to make pottery like this.
These are the two reasons.
I opened a school about 20 years ago.
I was able to make a living off of it.
And I've been teaching ever since then.
This kind of job suits me. It's better for my work.
For a while I had only Japanese students,
but after two years we started getting students from all over the world, every month.
The very first step of making pottery is to make a cylinder.
Everyone starts from this basic step.
I like teaching.
Although my students say I don't teach them enough.
Sally said she chose your school because it's good for beginners.
I teach them the basics, but they have to create on their own.
For some people even if I teach them everything, they won't learn.
But for some even if I only teach them a little, they learn everything.
Making pottery needs creativity.
You have to be able to think on your own.
It looks really soft.
Oh yeah.
Look.
Wow.
I'm under pressure.
I'm so sorry.
No, you're all right.
(Shibata-san) No pressure.
No pressure, no pressure.
This is not an instructional video of how to do it.
Sally is a student from Australia,
studying under Shibata through an international ceramics program.
For more information, we also have a full interview with Sally
about her experiences taking his class.
How is this?
The bottom's a bit fat but I'll fix that later. 0:07:06.900,0:07:06.600 I'm limited by obviously size and things I can take home.
Ahhh so you can't make big ones.
I can't make big bowls, or vases.
It's gonna break.
It's gonna be too heavy and too expensive.
Ahh I see.
So this is where you're staying here, right inside the workshop
We're literally at the entrance of the workshop.
Yep, it's right there.
It's about... 7 steps to the wheel.
So there's no excuse for being late.
This is nice.
It reminds me of my grandparent's house.
Oh really?
They're in Gifu, too.
Where in Gifu?
Ibi, Oono.
Ahh, Oono.
Near the mountains.
This is great.
I love the atmosphere.
Rachel, I want to live here.
I know! Isn't this nice?
It's great!
Jun, you have to see out the window here.
You can see the mountains.
The names of everyone who stays.
Very, very comfortable.
Thank you for letting us intrude on your space!
No, no, not at all! No problem!
It's great. And I'm really, really happy with the choice.
I actually extended my stay
because I wanted to stay longer than my original choice.
And I don't understand a word of Japanese.
Well, about 5 words.
That's about it.
Shibata-san opens his class to anyone,
so if you’re interested in trying it out then check the links below.
(Japanese) Yu- (English) Slow, slow, slow.
If you want to make a cup, use both hands.
Thin the sides.
If you want to make a plate, do it like this.
If it's a dish, open it up.
Okay.
For thick parts...
So if it's thick, you place your finger and make it thin.
Rachel, what are you making?
Tea cup?
A cup, I guess.
A cup? A tea cup.
I'm fine with anything.
Well, now it's a bowl.
I wonder what it'll become next.
Right, like that.
Wow, this is hard!
You're doing fine.
There you go. Well done.
Thank you very much!
The room and other students are warm and welcoming,
and even with the language differences
Shibata-san is able to teach his craft to people who don’t speak Japanese.
I had a lot of fun meeting everyone and trying it myself,
and I definitely recommend it as an experience if you ever end up in Tajimi!
Good luck on your competition!
Number 1!
See you later!
I'll see you! Very nice to meet you!
Bye!
Thank you very much!
Do you still create new things?
I'll keep creating until I die.