Mashiko, a small town located sixty miles north of Tokyo in Tochigi prefecture, is known throughout Japan for its Mashiko-yaki, a distinctive, heavy, country-style pottery.

First founded in 1853, Mashiko pottery utilizes the nearby mountain clay and red pine wood for firing in the making of such daily items as plates, bowls, and teacups. Shoji Hamada (1894-1978), who settled and established his kiln in the town in the 1920s, is responsible for bringing the pottery to the attention of the world. A central figure in the Folk Art Movement, Hamada dedicated himself to preserving and passing on the traditional pottery techniques. The term mingei or folk art describes the simple art made by craftsmen centuries ago who, without artistic aim or pretense, were able to create functional objects of great beauty. Mashiko-yaki exemplifies the rustic charm and warmth of mingei pottery. Artists such as Hamada sought to create works that spoke to the spiritual and practical needs of life. Hamada was designated a Living National Treasure in 1955.

Other potters continue the mingei tradition. Tatsuzo Shimaoka (b. 1919), who apprenticed with Hamada for three years, was appointed a National Living Treasure by the Japanese government in 1996 for his extraordinary range of work using a variety of impressed designs, firing techniques, and types of clay.

Masayuki Miyajima, who apprenticed with Shimaoka for five years, continues the mingei tradition. Miyajima’s wife Darice Veri, a native of Ohio, moved to Mashiko in 1982 to pursue her interest in Hamada’s pottery. She and Miyajima later established their own kiln in the area.

Husband and wife work closely together while maintaining their own styles, creating pottery that is a blend of both modern and traditional. Miyajima might create straw wrapped stoneware while Veri uses a Japanese comb to form lines mimicking those found in rice fields prior to harvest. Their style is described in Veri’s words:
 

We both use several different kinds of high fire (2300° F) stoneware and porcelain clays. At least half of the clay we use comes directly from Mashiko. The majority of our production is done on traditional style Japanese kick wheels. We have a gas kiln and fire to cone 9. We use a variety of glazes and glazing techniques – clear glaze, ash glaze, nuka glaze (white glaze made from the ash of rice husks), celadon, and black glaze. We do a lot of faceting and carving and use different colors of slips, or liquid clay. Mostly the slips are used for inlay work, wherein a piece is carved and inlayed with a different color of slip/clay and then, when hardened up somewhat, trimmed away to reveal the design or pattern. What we make is always entirely functional with the focus being on tableware.

Mashiko pottery does not pursue artistry apart from everyday life, but creates practical beauty out of items that are used in daily living.

Support for this exhibition is provided by the Visiting East Asian Professionals Program of Washington University.