From the workshop in Ushimado where Mr. and Mrs. Ogawa live, you can get a good view of the majestic form of Mt. Kumayama, which boasts the highest peak in the Sanyo region.

Mr. and Mrs. Ogawa pay their respects to Mount Kumayama every morning before starting work. I believe that the mysterious power emanating from their work is certainly not unrelated to this daily routine.

I once climbed Mount Kumayama, which is 507 meters above sea level, guided by Bizen ware artist Harada Shiroku.

Kumayama is a sacred mountain where Shinto and Buddhism are syncretized, and it is home to both Kumayama Shrine and Reizanji Temple.

Near the summit of the mountain lies the Kumayama archaeological site, a three-tiered, rectangular stone structure resembling a pyramid. From its pits, ceramic cylindrical containers and small Nara-style sansai pottery jars have been unearthed.

Furthermore, it is said that groups of potters from the Oku region, who produced Sue ware and Haji ware, sought the patronage of Reizanji Temple and built kilns near the mountaintop, producing tableware such as cups, bowls, plates, dishes, flat bottles, long-necked bottles, and roof tiles. This suggests that Kumayama and potters have had a deep relationship since ancient times.

Shinichiro Ogawa was born in 1958 in Tsukumi City, Oita Prefecture, into a family of mandarin orange farmers.

He decided to become a ceramic artist when he was 22, but he had loved pottery since high school, and was such a pottery enthusiast that he even created a pottery club with a teacher who was knowledgeable about pottery.

Afterward, he studied pottery seriously under Harada Shiroku, a ceramic artist from Bizen.

Mr. Harada is a ceramic artist who studied pottery under Mr. Matasaburo Katsura, a researcher of old Bizen ware, and he is also my teacher of old Bizen ware.

I have fond memories of visiting the old Bizen kiln sites together and being shown various types of clay.

Mr. Harada is a rare ceramic artist who is challenging himself to create Bizen ware that is true to the Bizen style, rather than Bizen ware that is tailored to the sensibilities of city dwellers.

There is absolutely no hint of pandering in his approach to pottery. It is likely that Shinichiro was drawn to Harada because he admired this very attitude.

The exhibition guide reads, "Please enjoy the finest example of the flame-colored kiln transformation technique, which I developed while researching the ancient Bizen ware firing method, and the pale jade-green 'blue of dawn'."

Shinichiro is also a person who is uncompromising and single-minded.

Shinichiro's greatest supporter is his wife, Mayumi.

Mayumi is a true Hakata native, being the eldest daughter of a long-established lantern shop in Hakata.

Mayumi initially studied under jewelry designer Hiroko Fujino, but influenced by her father, a researcher of Chinese ceramics, she became interested in pottery and became a trainee at Arita Ceramic College, where she studied underglaze blue porcelain.

Afterward, he studied Bizen ware at the Bizen Pottery Center in Okayama Prefecture, and after graduating, he trained under Kenji Kimura, the 17th generation of the Momoteido pottery school.

In 1993, she married Shinichiro, and four years later, in 1997, they built a joint kiln called "Shoyo Kiln" in Ushimado.

Shinichiro's works may appear somewhat unrefined at first glance, but they possess a strong will and unwavering sculptural power.

As mentioned earlier, it possesses a mysterious power.

On the other hand, Mayumi's work is natural and in harmony with the flow of energy, and exudes a gentle, maternal warmth.

They are a very close and loving couple.

She recently exhibited her vases at the "Yamato Enshoji Yamamura School Ikebana Exhibition," and they were understated yet possessed a strong presence, resonating with the very life of the flowers, in line with the sentiment of successive head priests that "flowers should be as they are in the wild."

I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of flowers will be arranged for this exhibition.