Mr. Yamagami, who aspired to be a ceramist, did not enter an art university but instead gained experience through various apprenticeships. In the first part, we traced his journey of learning the potter's wheel at a vocational school, researching glazes, and attending a school influenced by the Wiener Werkstätte, absorbing specialized skills. In this second part, we delve into his philosophies and ideas, from the origins of the ceramist profession to his arrival at the state of "rihin" (離品), transcending the concept of "shu-ha-ri" (守破離).
Manabu Yamagami
Born in 1959, 67 years old. From Osaka. Studied pottery and printmaking in Kyoto. In 1989, he established "Hotarugama" in Motegi-machi, Tochigi Prefecture. In 2004, he moved to Ogimi Village in the northern part of Okinawa main island. He is loved by many fans for his unique worldview based on the concept of the Okinawan sea and his warm and humorous personality.
(*Article content is based on information at the time of the interview)
Chapter 3: The Birth of the Profession of Ceramists
The genre of "–ka" (artist/master) created by Hazan Itaya in the Meiji era
──Mr. Yamagami, what are your thoughts on the profession and history of ceramists?
The term "ceramist" is actually a relatively new genre.
In the past, there were large kilns like the Kakiemon in Arita ware, where production was divided. The representative was Kakiemon, but Kakiemon didn't do everything himself.
In the Edo period, the Dutch East India Company came, Jingdezhen*2 was ruined, and the Ming Dynasty closed its borders.
*2 Jingdezhen: A huge ceramic production center in Jiangxi Province, China
That's why Vietnam and Japan were able to produce porcelain.
At that time, England was experiencing a porcelain boom, and since it was profitable in Eastern countries, Japan was chosen over Vietnam because its technique was slightly superior.
That's how Arita ware from the Saga Domain was adopted. From there, Japan gained an enormous number of overseas customers.
Especially in England, the English drink tea, right? Wealthy people seemed to collect all kinds of Japanese Oriental jars.
──At that time, were there no ceramists as artists, as we would call them today?
That's right. The ceramist as an artist emerged in the Meiji era when a famous ceramist named Hazan Itaya created the genre of "ceramist," which uses the suffix "-ka" (家).
It's like "painter" or "novelist." The meaning of "-ka" is someone who can do everything by themselves, within their own studio.
Hazan Itaya, along with fellow ceramists Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai, and philosopher Muneyoshi Yanagi, collaborated in Kyoto to develop the "Mingei Movement"*3.
They started the Mingei Movement in Japan, somewhat mimicking the British Arts and Crafts Movement*4.
*3 Mingei Movement: A movement for the "beautification of life" that sought to find beauty in everyday household items made by anonymous craftspeople.
*4 Arts and Crafts Movement: An artistic and social movement that aimed to revive the beauty of handicrafts and the skills of artisans.
Originally, kilns from the past, like Kakiemon, produced ceramics offered to feudal lords, so they were not Mingei. Sen no Rikyu's Raku tea bowls were also not Mingei.
In contrast, Mingei were items that anyone could use and were not very expensive. In today's terms, they were like items from a 100-yen shop.
──The Mingei Movement was a movement that significantly changed the aesthetic values of its time.
Besides the Mingei movement, there was also a craft movement.
The craft movement was design-centric, aiming to create well-designed pottery. While Mingei also reflects the characteristics of its region, the craft movement was simpler, focusing purely on design.
Those movements have ended, and now, I think we've gone beyond all of them and entered a freer era.
Since I prefer practical skills, rather than studying unnecessary things, I want to go straight to what I'm interested in now.
──Speaking of pursuing interests, you mentioned that you were also involved in contemporary art.
I also worked in contemporary art in Tokyo. I didn't do any pottery at all (laughs).
Contemporary art can be made from various materials other than clay, so I did installations and exhibited them in galleries in Ginza.
Regardless of whether they sold or not, I rented a small gallery and expressed what I wanted to do. And publications like "Bijutsu Techo" would pick it up.
There were aspiring critics who wrote about it every week, every month.
──Is there a difference between ceramics and art?
Basically, I think art and ceramics are the same.
As you all know, art became self-expression, but originally, Western art was also the work of craftsmen.
When photography emerged, there was a revolution in painting, right? Impressionism appeared, and it was deemed pointless to paint like photographs. That's where new philosophies and ideas emerged.
In Japan, there was no word for "art" during the Meiji era. Someone translated the word "art" as "geijutsu."
Chapter 4: Shu-Ha-Ri, and Beyond to "Rihin"
Sacred products, wondrous products, good products. Ceramics as a cosmic view.
──Your works, Mr. Yamagami, convey a worldview that transcends mere technique. Could you tell us about your philosophy behind it?
Technique and a cosmic view are very similar. There's the term "shu-ha-ri," right? That's quite accurate. It's a kind of cosmic view.
If you think about the quality of things, there are defective products, and above them are "good products." Good quality items, right? What do you think is above that?
──Artistic masterpieces...?
No. They are called "myohin" (妙品), which means "excellent product." There are products superior to good products, and above those, there's something else.
──I have no idea... Masterpiece?
A masterpiece is one type, but a masterpiece is something that someone names. The correct answer is "shinpin" (神品), a divine product.
Tools used for gods are also shinpin, but a shinpin is a product that is close to a god. If you imagine a diagram, it's a triangular structure of "shinpin, myohin, ryohin" (divine, wondrous, good products).
──"Shinpin, Myohin, Ryohin" I've never heard of that before.
But actually, there's one more. It's called "rihin," written as "separated product." I think of it as the universe.
In the human world, we create this triangular system of "shinpin, myohin, ryohin."
However, there is something called rihin. It's difficult to grasp what rihin is, but I believe it's a cosmic view.
──Like a completely different universe.
Exactly. So, many of us live only in this triangular society, but I believe there is also "rihin." That is probably the cosmic view.
──Does it relate to the "ri" in "shu-ha-ri"?
Yes, it's the same as Shu-Ha-Ri, meaning to eventually "depart." It means to detach oneself from the things of the human world.
I hope I can create something like a shinpin, but my goal is probably to "depart."
However, when you're young, it's all about "shu" (守 - protect/follow). The "shu" of a master is very important.
The basics are extremely important. Without them, you'll end up creating things purely out of your own ego.
──What is your definition of the universe, Mr. Yamagami?
That would get very difficult, and I'm not a scientist or a philosopher. Probably, in truth, I don't know.
Even though I don't know, to live that unknowing is what expression is.
──To live the unknowing is expression.
If you knew the answer, you wouldn't need to be in this world, would you?
Perhaps you'll know the answer at the moment of death, or after death. But no one has ever gone to the underworld, right?
So, perhaps that's what life is about. Not just me, but you, everyone, are probably on the same level.
I think of myself as probably the same as others. Sometimes we dislike that, but it's probably because we're on the same dimension.
