Bizen ware pottery bowl white glaze hana hidasuki Tomoyuki Oiwa

Bizen ware pottery bowl white glaze hana hidasuki Tomoyuki Oiwa


-- Mr: Tomoyuki Oiwa: A Potter who Pursues the Strength and Beauty of Clay --

Besides crafting Bizen ware, Mr. Oiwa trained under the world-renowned potter Ryuichi Kakurezaki for eight and a half years, after which he struck out on his own. Pursuing the strength and beauty of clay, Mr. Oiwa is a potter who creates original pottery.
After striking out on his own, he is now building his own ascending kiln in his studio grounds, and he is aiming to complete it in the summer of 2015.

A Commitment to Bizen Clay
Mr. Oiwa does not utilize various ornamentation such as glazes and painted pictures. In trying to express the inherent beauty of clay, he has worked with clay from various regions but Bizen clay is most suited to his preferred style; therefore, he is committed to using only Bizen clay in his pieces.

He works with a unique blend of raw clay extracted from Bizen. He carefully prepares his clay from the removal of iron in the clay, unnecessary stones and small roots by hand that will adversely affect his pieces; up until the finishing touches of his pottery clay.


*The left-hand side of the photo shows raw clay that has been extracted and the right-hand side shows raw clay that has been finely crushed by hand. This will form the base of pottery clay.


Utilizing Glaze as Ornamentation to Beautifully Highlight the Clay all the more
He utilizes glaze to further express the inherent strength and beauty of the clay. He even highlights parts of the insides of cups, lending to changes in the texture of his pieces.



Original Shapes
In addition to basic techniques such as wheel work and hand work, he also utilizes a pottery technique called “kurinuki” wherein shapes are created by shaving pre-hardened, large pieces of clay with a plane. While this technique takes time and effort, he continues to polish his skills in order to create original pieces.


Points to Note about the Pieces

Mr. Oiwa's pieces employ techniques and textures that highlight the clay's inherent properties. We mention it here just in case they may look like defects to some at first glance.

The photo on the left shows “ishihaze,” an expression representative of Bizen ware. This happens when small stones in the clay appear on the surface during firing. The photo on the right shows some slight cracks on the surface and in the interior that happen during firing; as well as lines that appear when small stones scratch the clay when it is being shaped.
*Each piece has been tested for leaks by putting water in them for half a day. We do not sell pieces that leak or other defective products. These are part of the natural clay's properties and hand work, so please enjoy this unique texture not found anywhere else.