#AFTER TALK　We come to a close of all 9 episodes of 2021's LIBRARY

For 2021, we followed the theme of “techniques” and “tradition”. This AFTER TALK looks back at the encounters of training sites transmitting the techniques of Kutani ware, parent-to-child succession, and sites supporting the Kutani ware industry, alongside Mr. Akimoto.

#09　The Tonya Wholesalers Who Distribute, Support Artists and Protect the Sites of Production

Inoseiho, an old-time wholesaler that has supported the Kutani industry over decades since its establishment in the Taisho period (early 1900s). And Kitano Tojudo, which has mastered the Internet to sell Kutani ware in the present. Through these two companies who serve as representatives for the production sites, we trace the transitions of the Kutani ware industry and its changes in distribution.

#08　Fusing Printing Technology With Artisan Techniques, to Open Up a New Frontier

Episodes 8 & 9 follow the theme of "Industry & Kutani", where we visit corporations that support the industrial aspect of Kutani ware. Specifically, Seikou, which leads the industry through its replication technology. We visit its production site where where products of unmatched quality and added-value are created through steady efforts at business management.

#07　Reviewing the History of Kutani Ware Through Its Export

We pay a visit to Shokawa Ryohei, a former player in the export of Kutani ware from Yokohama, who now plays an active role in telling that history. While browsing through precious records, we unravel the history of how Kutani ware has evolved through the eras, from the pre-war period to the post-war economic miracle.

#06　Unveiling the World of Japanese Poems Through the "Mohitsu Saiji Technique"

The last episode exploring an artists's studio. We visit Tamura Keisei III, who uses the mohitsu saiji technique of intricate letter-painting to express a unique beauty, and hear how the technique of mohitsu saiji, very rarely encountered within the world of ceramics, was born and inherited.

#05　Pursuing One's Unique Expression Through "Painting"

In continuation of episode 4, we visit another artist studio. This time, the Chikuryu Kiln, where we meet the father-and-son pair, Kitamura Takashi & Kitamura Kazuyoshi. Takashi works at expressing the excessive patterns that arguably characterize Kutani ware, while Kazuyoshi takes on new challenges. Just what charms and possibilities do these two passionate individuals envision for Kutani ware?

#04　Expressing One’s Individuality as an Artist, While Preserving the “Color” Inherited Across Generations

To the theme of “The Succession of Techniques & Individuality”, episodes four to six zoom in on the representative techniques of Kutani ware and the succession of those techniques. We visit the Shinkotoyo Kiln helmed by Asakura Isokichi III, a successor to the representative figure of Kutani Ware, Asakura Isokichi II.

#03　Shapes That Enhance Painting: The Inherited Kutani Techniques of Rokuro & Kata-uchi

It is with an elegantly-shaped base that the gorgeous paintings of Kutani ware are brought to life. We pay a visit to Azuma Ceramics, which has specialized in rokuro pottery wheel-shaping over three consecutive generations, as well as Miyagoshi Tokuji, one of the few successors of the kata-uchi mold-shaping technique to be found in the country.

#02　The Kutaniyaki Family Tree: Tracing the History of the Yoshidaya Kiln & Ko-Kutani

This time, we visit the Kutani porcelain kiln ruins where Ko-Kutani were once produced, as well as the Kaga City Kutani-yaki Kiln Museum, where the remains of the Yoshidaya Kiln which moved from the village of Kutani can be found. Through these two historical locations, we uncover the foundation and evolution of modern Kutani, as originating from Ko-Kutani.

#01　A Learning Hub Where Kutani Techniques Are Passed Down

With "techniques" and "tradition" as our keywords, this series unravels the genealogy of Kutani to discover its charms. For the first episode, we visit the Ishikawa Prefectural Research Center for Kutaniyaki Techniques, which has churned out many artists and craftspersons since its establishment. There, we get a chance to join in the classes for "Ko-Kutani Replication" and "Mold-shaping Techniques".