Yoshihisa

Shigaraki has been famous for its ceramic kilns since ancient times, and is one of the six oldest kilns in Japan. Typically fired without a glaze, Shigaraki pottery’s major characteristics include a rough texture, that is highly fire resistant and versatile, proving particularly suitable for tiles and large ceramic products.

Born in Osaka in 1948, Yoshihisa is the founder of the Sōhōgama kiln.  When he was young, he wanted to become a painter, but when he found he could not make a living doing so, he came to Shigaraki because he had a connection with the area. In 1976, he graduated from the Kyoto Prefectural Ceramists’ Technical Institute.

Light-Transmitting Pottery was first developed in Shigaraki.  Pottery was originally impervious to light, but the local clay has the property of allowing light to pass through, even when thick. Using this patented new clay, Sōhōgama developed the world’s first translucent ceramic washbowls.

Shigaraki Translucent Wares have three major characteristics.  They are three times more translucent, and even thick ceramics allow light to pass through sufficiently.   Good formability means that as with conventional ceramics, it can be shaped with a potter’s wheel, and further formed by hand and in casting. It is resistant to heat deformation during firing and can be glazed.  The clay can also be kneaded.  The thermal expansion and contraction during firing are close to those of ordinary ceramic clays, and so can be kneaded together with opaque clays, making it possible to express a pattern like stripes and marbles.

Sōhōgama has a high level of technology and trust, and its washbasins have been a long-selling product for the TOTO CERA Trading for 23 years. The design, which combines high aesthetics and artistry, was created in collaboration with the product designer.  These complex, detailed shapes with their intricate and minute shading would be impossible to create by mass production. The fusion of Japan’s cutting-edge science and technology, traditional craftsmanship, and high design standards, has opened up a new stage in sanitary ware.

Yoshihisa’s study of oil painting while young has helped him in the creative process. Images sometimes come to him from the oil paintings he used to do. He finds inspiration in other ways as well.  For example,  K’z’s SARA was an image that suddenly came to him while he was driving on the highway during a delivery for work. This was the first piece he ever entered in a ceramic art exhibition, and it was awarded a special prize by the judges of the Shigaraki Ceramic Art Exhibition in 1999.

Yoshihisa finds that it is fun to create challenging art.  It is important to continue testing oneself in order to create something which has never before existed.  He develops products with the aim of becoming a kiln for the modern age, relying on the traditions unique to Shigaraki, nurtured by the local history and climate, while incorporating the latest designs, and new materials.   In doing so, he hopes to contribute to the world through his art.