A conversation with Yasushi Fujihira

The conversation with Yasushi Fujihira took place at the Fujihira Shin Memorial Museum. The museum's director and ceramic artist Miho Fujihira was also in attendance, and we had a relaxed and friendly discussion.

[Fujihira] → Yasushi Fujihira [Nishimura] → Ichimai Nishimura, Owner of Amagimichi

[Nishimura] Did you make pottery together with your father, Yasushi Fujihira?

[Tohei] No, we worked in different places so we didn’t work together. However, I was in charge of loading and firing the kiln.

[Nishimura] Is that something you've been doing since you were little?

[Fujihira] No, since I entered this world, when I was around 23 or 24 years old.

[Nishimura] I see. Have you actually seen your father making it?

[Tohira] I haven't really seen much of the actual making of things. I've mostly just seen the finished product.

[Nishimura] Your father started making pottery late. I heard that he started late, at the age of 30, after contracting tuberculosis. And that means he's been making matcha bowls for an additional 40 years now.

[Tohira] My father said that the world of tea is scary.

[Nishimura] When you started making pottery, were dolls the motif of your early works?

[Tohei] It started with household items, like vases.

[Nishimura] From there, you moved on to your own unique, poetic style of Fujihira pottery.

[Tohei] I started playing around in the latter half of my life. I worked at the University of the Arts, but after I retired at the age of 65, I think that's when I started my current style. I tried making playful mechanical dolls, copper rods, and silver.

[Nishimura] I like the title of the piece, "Swing." I think it's interesting when the piece actually swings.

[Tohira] My style has changed a lot. The previous exhibition (at the Tohira Shin Memorial Museum) was when I was in my 40s and 50s, a time when I was more interested in the shape of the pottery than in glazes.

[Nishimura] Was there a contemporary such as Yagi Kazuo?

[Tohei] We were professors at the same time at Tokyo University of the Arts. Another teacher was Osamu Suzuki.

[Nishimura] You were both active in the same workplace. How did you end up entering this field?

[Tohei] After graduating from university, I went to a pottery school that trained artisans for a year. Then I came back home and started doing my own thing.

[Nishimura] Is that when you started helping your father?

[Fujihira] I don't help my father.

[Nishimura] How were you influenced by your father?

[Fujihira] Thinking about it now, I think my father was influenced by cinnabar because he was watching over me.

[Nishimura] When you use cinnabar, it gives the impression of a poisonous red, but Fujihira's pottery is completely different.

[Tohei] You put the work in a sheath-like box and paint the outside with cinnabar, which then evaporates. I don't think there are any other techniques like that used.

[Nishimura] I think that Fujihira is a very particular pottery maker, even making matcha bowls without using a potter's wheel.

[Tohei] I have never touched a potter's wheel. A potter's wheel gives me the impression of being very hard. This is thanks to my father's advice. He would come into the workshop every now and then, take a quick look, and say, "There is also a way to make pottery by hammering it into plaster." I think that's how he guided me.

[Nishimura] It was a subtle way of guiding me. I think the natural shapes that are born from the lack of artificiality that allows pieces like Fujihira's vases to sink under gravity are fascinating. I also think the gentleness and natural feel of the glazes is a unique experience.

[Fujihira] That may be the tradition of our family.

[Nishimura] What kind of projects have you been working on recently?

[Tohei] Nowadays, pottery is the main focus of my work. I am particularly into tableware. In addition to that, I also make objets d'art.

[Nishimura] Are the dishes for everyday use?

[Fujihira] I mainly make things for restaurants.

[Nishimura] Do you create objects and tableware with the same ideas in mind?

[Tohei] It's different. When I'm working on pottery, ideas for objects come to me. When an idea comes to me, I either draw it next to me, or I start making the object right away. When I'm making an object, I'm completely focused on it.

[Nishimura] It seems like objects help you concentrate better.

[Fujihira] I think I can concentrate better on objects, and I think that's because what I want to do is create sculptures.

[Nishimura] When you create an object, does it turn out the way you intended?

[Tohira] Sometimes it's different. Sometimes it's different when you bake it, and sometimes it's okay if it's different. I think it's because of these things that I continue.

[Nishimura] In what cases is it okay for things to be different?

[Tohira] The color, tone, and texture are all new every time. The objects are fired in an electric furnace and reduced with gas. The temperature is raised to 900 degrees with electricity before gas is added.

[Nishimura] That method seems like it would damage the kiln. Will it not be damaged?

[Tohira] It will get damaged. It will get damaged, but we are doing it in pursuit of the finish.

[Nishimura] That's amazing. Have you been making works using gold for a long time?

[Fujihira] I've been making them for a long time.

[Nishimura] If silver pieces tarnish, can they be repaired?

[Tohei] That's right. I started doing it because of some chance encounter. A craftsman taught me how to work with silver.

[Nishimura] Are silver and gold treated differently?

[Tohei] Not at all. Silver is a powder.

[Nishimura] I thought the sheet had been pasted down.

[Tohira] That is one way of doing it, but for silver, the powder is dissolved in water. Once it is fired and a red overglaze is applied, this becomes the adhesive. Gold, on the other hand, is liquid. Whether you use silver or gold, it is important to consider how to match it to the shape. Inspiration for my work comes to me when I am dozing off in the morning. Other times, inspiration comes to me when I am concentrating while I am working.

[Nishimura] I learned that your father had been working since early in the morning.

[Tohei] That's right. My father was always a morning person and would come home early at 4pm. He would take the first bus to work in the morning. He lived a very regular life.

[Nishimura] It's a healthy lifestyle.

(The person in the photo behind Fujihira is his father, Shin Fujihira, who was also known as a "poetic ceramist." )

[Tohei] He was a very punctual person, but he had a routine and followed his own routine every day. However, if you ask whether his punctuality is present in his work, it's fine even if it's distorted. The punctuality of his life doesn't show up in his work. Even if there were cracks, it wasn't an issue. He had tuberculosis in the past, so he was aware that he had to take care of his health in order to work. He was particular about what he ate and made sure his legs and back weren't weak. He was a health freak.

[Nishimura] I think the most important thing for an artist to be able to continue working for a long time is health. By the way, is there ever a time when you want to quit pottery making after working for a long time?

[Fujihira] There are times when the work is tough, but I believe this is the only thing I have.

[Nishimura] It's cool.

[Tohira] There are times when I wonder if I should continue working. But I'm working hard, hoping to create something good.