The Throat Shrine

Above Okawachiyama Pottery Village, tucked into the side of the mountain at the top of almost 400 stairs, there is a beautiful little country shrine.

Most shrines in Japan are associated with something - traffic safety, exams, sweets, and so on. This particular shrine is good for your throat.

If you visit Okawachiyama and have energy left after walking through all the lovely pottery shops, I recommend you make the climb up to this shrine. On a clear day you can see all the way out to Imari Port, so renowned in the history of Japanese porcelain.

Lest we forget

It was 65 years ago that the world changed and Hiroshima and Nagasaki almost ceased to exist. I find that Japanese people don't talk about the war much. A small minority have strong feelings and are quite vocal but most people never speak of and seem to only even rarely think of what happend. Japanese people seldom showing their emotions and me being a (American looking) foreigner means that I can still probably count on my hands the times I have had a substantial conversation about WWII.

But as this is the anniversary, there have been numerous specials on tv every night and people are more openly talking of the war than I can ever remember.

The other night I was having dinner at the home of a 70 year old pottery salesman and he, his family and I were watching one of these well produced and insightful specials. We all talked naturally of the horrors of war and even the thorny subject of where guilt should lie. But then, tongue loosened from shochu, the patriarch began to talk ... and remember.

I had always wondered how close to Arita/Imari the bombings came but this night, for the first time, I learned that they had been hit and hit hard. He told us of the lengths his Mother and Father went to to protect him as airplanes whizzed over head and bombs rocked the town. He told an amazing story about how one of the largets pottery companies in Arita was levelled when the Americans mistook it for a munitions plant.

It was as if, and if only for a few short minutes, he put aside his usually stoic demeanour and, with no prodding at all, gave me my first glimpse of a pottery town at war. Pushed by the knowledge that what he had to say was too important to be silenced by the years or the very human desire to forget, he carefully answered each and every question. It was moving.

The anguish, loss and pain that war brings is a curse on so many around the world. But no mater how uncomfortable, sad or even guilty it makes us feel, we must never cease to listen to their memories. Peace demands that we hear their stories; warnings of a dark path most of us are blessed never to have walked.

A few nights ago I found myself "out on the town" in Imari. Imari is a great place. I like the pottery and love the people but I have never really found the night life all that riveting. There are a few decent Izakaiyas and the beef is, of course, famous all over Japan but I haven't found many places that I really enjoy going after the meal.

So, the other night after eating at a nice yakitoriya a friend and I found ourselves wandering the downtown area of Imari looking for somewhere to pop into. The first place we stopped at was closed and the second was full, our prospects looked bleak.

But we pushed on. Japan really teaches a person a) how to work hard, and b) how to play hard. We were not going to so easily be denied a good time on this night. Before too long we happen on a local ceramics maker I have been friends with for some years now and I informed him of our little predicament. He quickly suggested a place called "A-Train" and seemed surprised when I told him I had never been there.

He gave us some directions and soon we were there. A~Train is a great little place. There was live blues, jazz and rock coupled with friendly staff and customers all crammed into a tiny space. We were there for hours, taking in the music and having interesting conversations with just about everyone in attendance.

I wonder how many more hidden treasures are left for me to discover in this low-key but talented and enormously creative corner of Japan.

Mark

Daigoro Dragons

A few weeks ago I wrote that I had been out to see the good folks at Daigoro Gama in Okawachiyama, Imari. I recently noticed that Dave has been adding more of their products on the Secret Kilns site and man do they look good.

I marvel at the thought and attention to detail that is put into every piece. This dragon is a great example. Sure, the dragon is as impressive as it is foreboding, but look closely at the porcelain waves jetting up from underneath. What an exquisite marriage of design and motion.

The Daigoro kiln produces so much impressive ceramics, but I think it is their dragons that set them apart for me. If you have a look at the vases in the Secret Kiln shop, you can see what is probably my favorite Daigoro piece, an unbelievably detailed vase featuring two fierce dragons. Love it!

Mark

Busy Weekend

Well, Sunday evening is drawing to a close and what a weekend it's been. On Saturday I spent most of the day at the Arita Ceramic Fair. On Saturday evening a collection of friends and weary pottery shoppers gathered in my yard for a BBQ/bonfire. This morning Dave and I were back into pottery mode, hitting some of the kilns who didn't set up a shop in the downtown area. This evening I have mostly been relaxing and wishing tomorrow didn't have to be as busy as it's going to be...

Most of the people in my area who are not working at Tokiichi seem to stay as far away from it as possible. I however still enjoy getting out battling the crowds. I think I may even be energized by it. I don't go to the to the fair to buy pottery as a rule, but it is a good chance to see the pottery that thousands of artists have been working on in a relatively short time. And it's a great oppertunity to catch up with the artists themselves. Some potters I see a few times a month, but in the past couple days, on the other hand, I have met SO MANY artists who I haven't seen since last years pottery fair (the 106th I believe).

So there are 3 days left. The weather (and therefor crowds) has been great.

I think Dave is schedualed to take some people on a tour of Okawachiyama tomorrow. I would like to pop by myself but I have a ominous feeling that I will probably be luck to have time for lunch tomorrow, let alone a leasurely stroll in Imari.

Mark