Kenta Nakazato

中里健太

Ceramic Artist • 1993 –

A ceramic artist living in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. Kenta studied under his father, Taki, at the Ryutagama kiln founded by his grandfather, Takashi. While building on the traditions of Karatsu ware he has inherited, he applies the same free spirit to creating treasured ceramics as he does to enjoying everyday life.

BASED IN

Karatsu, Saga Prefecture

WEB SITE

www.ryutagama.com

POINT OF VIEW

Kenta always envisions the scene where the food is to be served, and people around the table with smiles on their faces, as he creates new expressions of Karatsu ware. Each of his dishes conveys his free and relaxed sensibility, reflecting his upbringing in a family deeply in love with food.

CRAFT ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

1993: Born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture
2011: Spent a year in New Zealand
2015: Graduated from the Men’s Creative Apparel Design of Fashion Technology Department at Bunka Fashion College
2015: Studied under his father, Taki Nakazato
2019: Participated in “three generations” exhibit at Manyoudou Miyuki

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Yakishime Shallow Bowl

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Yakishime Tapped Jar

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INSIGHT

RESOURCE

Kawa-kujira
- Technique
One of the decorative techniques of Karatsu ware. The blackened rim of the vessel’s mouth is painted with iron-based pigment. The name comes from comparing the black of the rim to the skin of a whale (“kujira” is the Japanese word for “whale”, and “kawa” for “skin”), and the color of the vessel itself to the whale’s body.
Mishima
- Technique
One of the decorative techniques known as zogan or inlaying. The technique involves decorating the base material before it dries with patterns such as patterned stamps (inka), or carved lines; applying slip (a liquid clay mixture used to decorate pottery) to the depressed areas; and finally coating transparent glaze over and firing the piece.
Ichi-Raku, Ni-Hagi, San-Karatsu (First Raku, second Hagi, third Karatsu)
- Generic term
An expression that refers to three kinds of pottery treasured by Japanese tea ceremony experts. They are Raku ware from Kyoto, Hagi ware from Yamaguchi and Karatsu ware from northern Kyushu.
Karatsu ware
- Generic term
A general term for ceramics fired in western Saga and northern Nagasaki Prefectures. This region prospered as a major pottery production area and is especially renowned for its ceramics made for the tea ceremony, which were first produced in earnest during the Momoyama period (1573-1603). Following a period of decline, it recovered during the Showa era (1926-1989). Karatsu ware is notable for the variety of decorative techniques such as E-Karatsu (Painted Karatsu), Madara-Karatsu (Mottled Karatsu), Chosen Karatsu (Korean Karatsu), Mishima Karatsu and Kawa-kujira (whale skin), and as such has a wide variety of expressions.

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POINT OF VIEW

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