Onozawa Koichi
Koichi Onozawa: An Artist Who Pursues Sculptural Beauty
Onozawa-san grew up with pottery artworks close at hand, as his father collected contemporary ceramic pieces. After experiencing pottery in his student days, he began to consider becoming a potter.
"Since I was a child, I loved playing with clay and drawing, so I always had the idea of becoming a potter in the back of my mind. I used to talk to artists at exhibitions about their work. Gradually, this became like research and study, and little by little, I started listening to their stories from the perspective of 'what if I were an artist.' I decided to pursue something I loved for work, so after graduating from university, I enrolled in the Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center. It's a place like a specialized pottery school, but not only did I learn the fundamentals of technique and knowledge, but I also became more aware of artistic individuality through classes and interacting with senior students. I was also able to deeply experience the history of Mino ware, such as Shino and Oribe, which I loved."
Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture: The Town of Pottery
Koichi Onozawa has his atelier in Mashiko Town.
Mashiko Town, located on the border of Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures, is famous as a production area for "Mashiko ware," but its roots lie in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The history of Mashiko ware began when Keizaburo Otsuka, who trained at "Kuno Kiln," the founder of Kasama ware, moved to Mashiko Town and built a kiln there. Until the Meiji era, Mashiko ware was valued as everyday necessities, but its demand decreased with changing times.
In the Taisho era, Shoji Hamada, a folk art potter, created unique works in Mashiko. When Soetsu Yanagi and others promoted these works as folk crafts, Mashiko ware regained attention.
Even today, it is known as a town of pottery, with about 250 kilns and pottery shops, and the "Mashiko Ceramics Fair" held in 2023 attracted a total of 360,000 visitors.
Tōtai Shikki: A Lost Technique
A characteristic of Onozawa-san's work is the "Tōtai Shikki" (ceramic-bodied lacquerware), a lost technique.
Today, when we speak of "lacquerware," it generally refers to items such as carved wooden bowls coated with lacquer. This is called "mokutai" (wood-bodied) lacquerware, where lacquer enhances functionality like water resistance and durability, as well as decorative appeal.
On the other hand, modern pottery uses glaze. Glaze is applied to bisque-fired pottery and then fired at high temperatures to transform it into a vitreous material. However, although not common, lacquer was also used on pottery as far back as the Jomon period. By high-firing clay and applying lacquer, water penetration was prevented, and a luster was produced. This technique is "Tōtai Shikki." It is a phantom technique that disappeared with the development of firing technologies, but it was an appealing method for Onozawa-san, who originally preferred ambiguous expressions different from glazes, even in his hakeme (brush-marked) and yakishime (high-fired unglazed) works. After encountering lacquer, he began to explore expressions through Tōtai Shikki.
From Artist
To capture the allure of ancient, weathered pottery, I repeatedly layer clay and age it, as if accelerating time. However, simply admiring old objects and processing them would result in an imitation. To encapsulate my actions and create a new expression that encompasses everything, I apply lacquer and tin. It might be said that the texture created arises from a respectful desire to approach works that have accumulated time, and the conflicting desire not to deceive with fakes. Ancient vessels include those that warped naturally and those that were intentionally warped, and I find both appealing. While a slightly distorted symmetrical dish is generally considered a failure, I pursue the sculptural movement created by distortion. When tilt is added to distortion, it becomes even more interesting. I suppose it's the same with humans (laughs).
