OKINAWAN 3rd WAVE again! A trip to Yachimun workshop in Okinawa .

The endless blue sky, the sun shining brightly in the endless blue sky, and time flowing slowly as if you were left behind somewhere else. Such a tropical mood peculiar to a tropical country exists as a reality in Okinawa. After a two-hour flight from Tokyo, you can feel this mellow atmosphere from the moment you step off the plane at the airport.

The buyers of the select store "Journal Standard" were the ones who guided us around this time. Among them, Tsubasa Yamaguchi (a.k.a. Chubby) took the lead in explaining the charms of Okinawa to us. In this age of easy access to information anytime, anywhere, his buying style is old school. No matter where he goes in the world, he always tries to communicate with local people first and then use the information he gets as a starting point to move his feet.

So, as soon as I arrived in Okinawa, I visited a local clothing store and did a lot of research. Since there is a U.S. military base in Okinawa, there were a lot of military items that had been sold off and a lot of old American clothes.

And we also enjoyed the local food. Chubby eats his rice really well. He says that is where his nickname comes from. Chubby" means "round" or "roundish. Of course, it is not meant in a discriminatory way, but in a friendly way. I eat a lot, so my senpai gave it to me," he told me. After working hard and eating well, I finished the first day. The next day, we will begin our visit to a workshop, which is the purpose of this business trip.

Yachimun, a traditional Okinawan craft, means "pottery" in the local language. Yachimun has been a part of Okinawan life since ancient times and has been used as daily necessities. Yachimun" is still being made in various parts of Okinawa, and many artists are active in the industry.

Among them, young artists are particularly noteworthy. While paying respect to tradition, they are contributing to the development of culture by creating works that reflect their own individuality.

On this day, we visited a town called Yomitan Village, located in the central part of the main island of Okinawa. Yomitan Village is a place where Yachimun culture has taken root since ancient times, and where many artists are based.

We first visited Mr. Taishi Nagahama of Shito Kobo. Chubby said, "I feel the power of Mr. Nagahama's work. I want you to pay attention to it first," said Chubby. When we arrived, Mr. Nagahama greeted us with a kind smile.

This is Mr. Nagahama's work. Once fired unglazed, he applies a material called "yuyaku" (glaze) to color his pottery. According to Mr. Nagahama, "What I am aiming for is strength and weakness. I give a sense of fullness to each piece by using thin, sharp lines and bold coloring like large waves.

Born and raised in Yomitan, Nagahama trained under a master who used traditional patterns and colors. However, after becoming independent, his approach was quite the opposite: abstract. In the beginning, I used to draw arabesque patterns," he says, "but I wanted to create what I liked, and that's how I came to this style. I became the person I am today because I studied the traditions of my hometown. But I knew that in order for people to see my work, I had to show my individuality. That is how I gradually became recognized," says Nagahama.

In addition to his style, Chubby told us, "Nagahama's works are also characterized by their ease of use in daily life. I try to make them light and easy to pick up. Okinawan clay is not strong enough to be thin, so I blend various kinds of clay to make it thin and strong," said Nagahama.

When asked about his future plans, he replied, "Goals? I don't particularly want to be famous or anything like that. I just want customers to use my products (laughs). That's all. I don't think too much about the distant future. I just do what I can do right now," he said with a smile.

The next stop was "Jikkaku," also located in Yomitan. Mr. Kosuke of this studio is very friendly, like a cheerful older brother. And his style of work is very pop, just like his personality. I have a mandrill figurine that is my favorite (laughs).

Kosuke Karamizo, a potter at this studio, is from Hirakata City, Osaka. He has wanted to make pottery since he was young, and came to Yomitan after seeing a special feature on yachimun in a magazine. He trained at "Yomitan-yaki Kitagama," a village-like place where four pottery studios are gathered, before setting up his own pottery business. Now, he is bringing a new style to Yachimun by introducing pop patterns such as coffee beans, skulls, and peanuts, which were never seen on Yachimun before.

I have no desire to create something new. If I did, all I would end up doing is making weird things, and my wife would always tell me I'm not good enough (laughs). Coffee beans were born from dotting. Dot-uchi means polka-dot pattern. When I was drawing oval polka dots, my wife's friend said, 'They look like beans. That's how it was born," he said, laughing again.

Another feature that expresses the individuality of Kobo Jutsuru is the skull. A colleague of mine from my apprenticeship runs a soba noodle shop in Aomori, and he asked me to make him a toothpick holder and a buckwheat noodle cup, so I drew his favorite skull," says Emizo.

Chubby also gives his stamp of approval, saying, "The patterns drawn by Kosuke have a unique strength to them, and that's what attracts me to them. At this event, Chubby plans to release shirts printed with pop patterns with such a lovely touch. I am happy to see my drawings being made into clothes. Whether it's pottery or clothing, I feel that I have to make good products because so many people will see them," he concluded, his face tightening.

The day's work ended here, but this evening, a kiln unloading party was to be held at the studio of Mr. Masamori Yonahara, Mr. Emizo's teacher. Kiln unloading is the process of removing pottery from the kiln after it has been fired. The kiln always holds a celebration on that day. This time, we were invited to attend the party.

When we visited the workshop, we found a banquet hall set up for an impromptu gathering of people who support yachimun in Yomitan, including apprentices and independent artists who work under Yonabaru.

At the party, everyone was welcome, including Mr. Nagahama of Shitobo and Mr. Muro Taniguchi of Muro Kiln, whom we were planning to visit the next day. Mr. Nagahama told us the following story. In Okinawa, there is the spirit of "Yuimaru. In other words, it means the connection between people. Even if you live in different areas, there is a spirit of helping each other. The people in the kiln are the same way, and they are trying to support each other by cooperating with each other, not just with themselves. I think that is why Yachimun has developed as a culture. It is true that people living in Okinawa have strong bonds with each other, and that is why many of them are kind to others.

At the banquet, dishes are served on large Yachimun plates and glasses of sake are served to each other.

When everyone was pleasantly intoxicated, Mr. Yonahara, the master of the kiln, gave a speech. In fact, this party was not only to celebrate the opening of the kiln, but also to commemorate the independence of one of his apprentices. On the occasion of his graduation, Mr. Yonahara gave the following words.

The world of handicraft is a tough and difficult place. But we all live our lives enjoying handicrafts. When people make things, it is not just to sell them, but there must be a desire somewhere to deliver their own heart. I want people to eat delicious meals with dishes I made. This is the most important spirit in the world of Yachimun. I want the younger generation to have this feeling as well. The world of handcraft is very deep. But I hope you will pursue your own ideas and create dishes that will bring happiness to everyone.

After this, the master and his apprentice embraced, and the party continued into the deep hours....

On the morning after a pleasant night, we headed to Nago, further north than Yomitan Village, to meet Muro Taniguchi of the Muro Kiln, the third studio. Muro's work has a more traditional mood compared to the style of Nagahama-san and Kosuke-san," Chubby said.

In his home-cum-studio, Chubby's works were placed here and there with a sense of hard-edged austerity, just as he had said. I don't pay much attention to tradition. When I was working, ideas came to me, and I gave form to them. I don't have any fixed ideas about what a yachimun should be like," said Muroo.

I was impressed by Chubby's comment, "I think that the works with three-dimensional lines called 'shinogi' and those with dots in three different colors are representative of your approach," to which Muro responded with these words I think the three colors are representative of Mr. Muro's approach. I trained under a master named Shinman Yamada, who has a very innovative and bold style of painting. He was a very innovative and bold painter. For example, when I paint dots like this, I do not paint them so that they fit neatly into the plate, but rather so that they protrude out of the frame. This way, the pattern appears to spread out, creating a generous atmosphere.

In addition, Mr. Chubby had this to say. Chubby also said, "Muro's work is very easy to use. I actually use them at home, and they go well with a variety of dishes, so I use them frequently. In fact, ease of use is also something that Mr. Muro is conscious of. I make my dishes thinking about how they will look when I serve rice on them," he says. I am a good cook (laughs). People tend to think that this kind of pattern is noisy, but surprisingly, it creates harmony when the rice is served. Either you cover the entire surface with the pattern, or you boldly leave a blank space. I think it's one or the other.

There was another structural reason for the ease of use. Some of the plates don't have a foot on the back side, which is called a "dais," and are inside for easy storage," Chubby told us. This is another key point," Chubby told us. When we finally asked Mr. Muro about his aspirations for this event, he replied, "I had a great time at last year's event when I was allowed to stand in the store. In Okinawa, I don't have many opportunities to talk directly with customers, so it is very stimulating to hear various voices. Besides, it was good to know that there are many people who like vessels, and I will do my best," she said.

And so ends our trip to the Yachimun workshop. This trip allowed us to experience Okinawa's generous climate and the kindness of its people. Yachimun, which are filled with the atmosphere of Okinawa, are indispensable daily necessities for the local people.

Each piece, carefully crafted by the potters' hands, is imbued with not only Okinawan culture but also the artists' own thoughts and feelings. Mr. Nagahama of Shitobo, Mr. Emizo of Kobo Jutsuru, and Mr. Muro of Muro Kiln all said the same thing: "I want people to enjoy eating with yachimun.

At the "OKINAWAN 3rd WAVE," works from the three workshops introduced here will be on sale, as well as miscellaneous goods and clothes made in collaboration with each workshop. The artists introduced here are also scheduled to be present at the store. An opportunity for three popular artists to come together to sell their work is rare, even in Okinawa. If you are at all interested in this event, please come and visit.