Ceramics for New value.
We, suzugama, rethink the connection between ceramics and people, and
and create new value for people who live in the present.
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Takashi Suzuhara
Born in Hiroshima in 1985. Grew up in Yokohama and Okinawa.
2010 Graduated from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, majoring in ceramics
2010 Studied under San Oizumi, a ceramic artist
2013 Built a kiln in his current location
2014 Established Suzugama
Sato Chie
1985 Born in Kumamoto Prefecture
2012 Graduated from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music
2012 Worked as a designer in the planning department of a ceramic manufacturer
2015 Joined Suzugama
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My name is Suzuhara and I am the president of suzugama.
I would like to tell you why my concept of suzugama is "Ceramics for New Value.
I started studying ceramics when I was 19 years old at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, majoring in ceramics. During that time, I was constantly told by my teachers that "pottery is a shady industry. I have heard the same thing ever since I became independent. Even in Gifu Prefecture, the largest ceramic production area in Japan, where my studio is located, there is no doubt that the industry is in a steady decline. In the first place, Japan's manufacturing industry is on a downward path, and I think it is natural for those involved to look down.
Mino ware in particular has a history of answering the demand for "ceramics as daily necessities. I have heard that it was very active in the time when tableware was in short supply (there is a huge coal kiln lying on my commuting route). However, in addition to the 3K (dirty, hard, stinky) work environment, the fragmented division of labor system deprived the workers of the ability to think. After the period of high economic growth, it is easy to imagine that the industry was swallowed by the wave of price competition with imported products.
This is not to say that social conditions are not a factor in the decline.
However, as a consumer, I can understand the consumption trend of "I don't want common things" from a micro perspective. We want to keep only what we like around us, and once we buy something, we want to cherish it for a long time. Of course we need inexpensive daily necessities, but we also want to cherish things, time, and experiences that enrich our feelings. It's hard to find items that can satisfy such a desire.
I would like to create "enriching experiences" through "thinking monozukuri".
When I was a student, I fell in love with medieval pottery and visited kiln sites all over Japan to study the process of manufacturing from the geology. In a time when information and logistics were as poor as they are today, the pottery of our ancestors, who managed to turn the materials around them into daily necessities, was innocent, deep, and beautiful. When I think of how blessed we are today, there is no reason why we cannot create new things.
I want to create new value from the "pottery" I love.
Through suzugama, I will continue to offer suggestions for richer experiences for everyone.
