There are insights to be gained and landscapes to behold only when one wholeheartedly takes on the challenge of entering a realm no one has ever stepped into before. And if that realm is within the grand river of "tradition," elements like history and predecessors are added, making opportunities for external contact even scarcer. We were given such a precious opportunity to catch a glimpse of a part of the world seen through the eyes of Takashi Miwa, the second-generation Ishiyamajin, who creates stone vessels.
Takashi Miwa, Second-Generation Ishiyamajin
The second-generation artist of "Ishiyamajin Kobo," a potter who creates vessels from fire and stone. He apprenticed under Soichiro Ishiyamajin, the first-generation master craftsman and recipient of the Yellow Ribbon Medal, from 2015, and succeeded him as the second generation in 2015. Based in Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture, he creates stone vessels such as matcha bowls, sake vessels, and flower vases using a unique technique of cutting and shaping igneous rocks (natural magnetic rocks) selected from the natural world, followed by high-temperature firing. He has held exhibitions at Komyo-in, a sub-temple of Tofuku-ji, and solo exhibitions at Ginza Mitsukoshi and Palace Hotel Tokyo.
(*Article content is based on information at the time of the interview)
The True Form of Stone, Overturning Preconceptions
The true nature of stone and his master's thoughts, revealed by holding an unfabricated stone for the first time.
──Thank you for showing us the process of making vessels.
(Part 1) Cutting, melting, and bending stone. Reflecting the desired form of "stone," a gift from ancient Earth, in "vessels."
(Part 2) All traditions were once startups. The second-generation artist bending stone to create vessels takes on "history-making."
After more than 10 years of acquiring and perfecting a unique technique, I'm sure you've encountered various challenges and insights. Was there any particular turning point?
Don't you have an image of rocks as rugged?
──Yes, rugged, bumpy, rough... a rustic image.
Actually, when you break a stone and look at the fractured surface, it's quite sharp, like a piece of glass. That's part of its stoniness and charm. For example, in this vessel, there are parts where the stone is fractured and parts cut cleanly with a sander, right?
──Yes. The side has both bumpy parts and flat, cut parts.
I used to dislike cutting stone. I wondered why my master would intentionally cut those rugged, rocky fractured parts with a sander, why he would bother to interfere. I thought cutting away bulging parts was a job that failed to fully utilize the rugged charm of stone.
So, I vowed never to cut and to work as much as possible with "fractures." But after my master passed away, there was a time when I had to go collect stones myself, and as I looked at the fallen stones... I discovered the meaning behind why my master cut rocks.
──What was it?
This is the raw stone.
Look. Doesn't it break very straight? This is a naturally fractured shape.
In other words, the idea that rocks are rugged was just an image. When you actually go to the site, you notice these beautiful surfaces and sharp edges of the rock. I realized that this is how rocks naturally fracture, and this was the shape my master was carving.
──So, by cutting, he was expressing the straight fractures of natural rocks. But his master never taught him that in words...
Until then, I had only seen cut stone. So I never realized it, and always believed natural stones were rugged. But when I went to the actual site, I saw that stones had such straight and beautiful surfaces. Of course, there are also rugged parts, but that contrast is what makes them so appealing.
──It's surprising that the straight cross-section is a natural state, not an artificial one.
I realized it after my master passed away. My master cut the stone not just to remove bulging parts, but to bring out the stone's original form and beauty. I laugh at myself for taking so long to realize it.
I think these curves are amazing. You can never create them with human hands, but you want to get as close as possible. That's what this flat surface is about.
So, my master, even with his intentionality, saw the shape of the raw stone beyond and behind that intentionality.
──That realization was a significant event for you, Ishiyamajin-san.
The emotion I felt when I realized this was incredible. The beauty of these subtle curves, whether I could recognize it or not, I think it was a major turning point for me.
Reflecting on a World Revealed by Accumulating Experience in the Body
His master's techniques, which cannot be mastered overnight.
──It's an insight that comes from mastering something, and finding profound insights in "simply being there" is a perspective unique to those who have mastered their craft. Besides what you see and hear and understand intellectually, it seems there's a lot of embodied knowledge as well.
Yes, there is.
──Could you tell us more specifically what kind of embodied knowledge it is?
For me, it relates to the aesthetics of addition that I talked about earlier.
──You're referring to the story of the previous generation understanding the invisible grain of the stone and splitting it in one go. You said that to reach that level, there's only a path of adding time and experience, not multiplication.
I believe it took a long time for my master to reach that level where he could instantly discern the grain of the stone and split it. He must have failed countless times before that. But thinking that he ultimately reached that point after all those failures, I feel I need to go back and work my way up to that level again.
But it's not that easy to surpass him; it's not a matter of what can be done in 13 years. It's truly about time and experience. It absolutely doesn't multiply. You can only add one by one. Adding a hundred times to make a hundred, a thousand times to make a thousand... there are things that can only be achieved by continuously accumulating those additions.
My master, who understood the grain of the stone, had seen stones a countless number of times more than my few hundred. A difference of three or four digits, that's why he could do what he did. I've only been doing this for 13 years. I believe I need to spend another 10, 20 years to be able to "see" stones like he did.
──It sounds challenging, but also enjoyable.
Yes, it's very enjoyable.
Stone Vessels Led Me to a Perspective on Japanese Culture and Encounters with People
The preciousness felt in what is "normal" in Japan.
──Besides directly working with stone, have you felt any influence or change in your life or way of thinking after more than 10 years of engaging with stone?
I wonder why people don't care about the beautiful things and cherished traditions of Japan. Japan has "immutable" things that have been preserved for hundreds, sometimes over a thousand years, but they are neglected and swept away by overseas trends. That really scares me.
──Indeed, the value and trend that "what's popular overseas is good" seem deeply rooted.
The good things found overseas are good in their own right, and that's fine. However, it's wrong for that to lead to neglecting the good things in Japan. The point is to keep asserting that good things are "good."
I live in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, and when I invite people from outside the prefecture each month, everyone really enjoys the region. When I think about it that way, I feel there are so many places in Japan that people should visit. The food is delicious as a matter of course, too.
That's right, there are many things that are common in Japan but not overseas. No other country has water as beautiful and delicious as Japan's. Not just traditional crafts, but the very climate and natural features of Japan are extremely valuable, and I believe we need to re-evaluate them. I started to feel this way after I began making stone vessels.
──So, your perspective has changed on a much larger scale, beyond the stone vessels themselves and the technical aspects.
This insight was born precisely because I stepped into the world of Japanese tradition, and I consider it a treasure I've gained through these 13 years of continuous work. Through these vessels, and thanks to them, I've also come to truly feel the charm of this land.
Above all, the opportunity to meet various people through making vessels and to first realize this value might actually be my greatest joy.
──So, the encounters with people and the insights gained are more significant than the act of making vessels itself. It's wonderful to find your core way of life and values.
I believe I have been blessed with "people." By making vessels, I became involved with cultures like the tea ceremony, and the people at the heart of these cultures are all incredibly captivating.
These numerous encounters with people who embody the true essence of Japan have become as much a treasure to me as the stone vessels themselves. So, it's like learning about people through objects, or understanding their value. I feel that is one of the great appeals of this work.
──Ishiyamajin says that his joy lies in the updating of his values through encounters with people. The stone vessels created by his continuously refined sensibility will surely entrust those who hold them with the continuation of the story that stones have quietly woven since ancient times, and will undoubtedly enrich and refine their sensibilities.
