Interview: Ryotaro Kato (Ceramic Artist)
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We share a variety of information and perspectives on Japanese crafts, including exhibition information and interviews.
VOICE VOL.7
KOGEI & Me VOL.32
KOGEI Topics VOL.16
Featured Exhibitions & Events VOL.41
Nov 27 – Dec 9, 2024
Nihonbashi Takashimaya
Nov 28 – Dec 8, 2024
Seiko House Hall
Nov 30, 2024 – Feb 2, 2025
The Shoto Museum of Art
Nov 30, 2024 – Mar 16, 2025
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu
Mr. Shusaku Yamamoto and Ryosaku Yamamoto were born into a family of pottery artists of Bizen ware. Their late grandfather, Mr. Toshu Yamamoto was a human national treasure and their father, Mr. Izuru Yamamoto is the holder of Okayama Prefecture-designated important intangible cultural property. For them, pottery was as ordinary as air that it was not a subject of their interests. However, they had the chance of being involved in pottery making during their early twenties when their father held a solo exhibition in France. For that event, the brothers had worked as his assistants and gradually experienced a sense of fulfilment after having acquired the skills. Subsequently, they started training in earnest under the guidance of their father. Although both of them have established their careers as pottery artists, they forged ahead with the launch of a new brand “Izuru Seitou” in 2014. The project was started from a suggestion by Shusaku to establish their own brand with the cooperation of his brother, instead of sharing the single family kiln, in anticipation of the future of Bizen ware. Coincidentally Ryosaku had the same wish. Since then, they have conducted their own product development by making use of the techniques rooted in Bizen which was inherited from their father as well as their own sensibility and are developing new distribution channels. “We want to revive our hometown by making products that we want to buy and which appeal to our generation.” said the brothers. With great devotion, they foster the brand which fits into their own life.