Archive for the ‘Dealer’
Spreading the Word about Pottery: Utsuwa Shoken
There’s a little pottery gallery hidden away near Kamakura’s Kataseyama Station on the Shonan Monorail. The name of the shop is Utsuwa Shoken. If you walk down the quiet residential street, you’ll find its little signboard there. Look past the signboard and there’s a lovely building situated up on high ground. This is Utsuwa Shoken. For some reason even on a weekday afternoon the customers come in a steady stream. Despite the tough economic situation and the less-than convenient location, people still gather here. The person behind this wonderful place is a multitalented woman. In addition to running the shop, she also writes and edits for print, as well as producing music. Her name is Tomoo Shoken. She’s got a remarkable ability to execute her own vision one after another. We discussed her secret over tea.
Looking for Grandma’s Comb: Kita Factory
There must be a lot of women out there who are on a constant search for the perfect comb. However, the world today is flooded with cheap plastic combs. I don’t mean to criticise man-made materials, but surely there’s something better! Of course the modern gentleman also has an interest in finding a good comb. After all, it seems like it would be better for the scalp… yes, baldness prevention! I remembered a special woman in my life who has always had beautiful hair, and asked her where she got her comb. My grandmother doesn’t always remember things well, but she was very sure that her comb was a tsuge kushi comb. With these words in mind, I paid a visit to Kita Factory, a tsuge kushi maker located in Ibusuki, on the southernmost tip of the Satsuma Peninsula, in Kagoshima prefecture.
Ashes to Dishes: Ougaku Tougei
Sakurajima has a special place in the hearts of the Kagoshima people. It’s an active volcano located in Kagoshima Bay, just off the coast from Kagoshima City. The volcano has minor eruptions on a regular basis even today. Sakurajima-yaki is a local pottery made from volcanic ash and natural hot spring water. It’s completely unique to the Sakurajima area. The pieces themselves have a primal quality that speaks of the dynamic source of the materials. The makers of Sakurajima-yaki run a little kiln at the base of the volcano called Ougaku Tougei. The kiln they run isn’t a traditional one with several generations of history. It was in fact established one generation ago by a man who managed to make his passion a success within his lifetime.
