It was still a hot afternoon in August.

For some reason, I boarded the sleeper train bound for Chicago (actually the Tokiwa express train bound for Katsuta) with a grimace, feeling like Cary Grant, the protagonist of Hitchcock's film "North by Northwest."

I went to visit Hayato Sawada, a young ceramic artist who makes pottery in Katsuta, a town slightly north of Mito (actually, Katsuta is north-northeast of Shinjuku).

Ms. Sawada greeted me with a smile at Katsuta Station.

He's still the same sharp, pleasant young man.

In the clean and stylish workshop, while sipping on fragrant coffee brewed by the artist himself, we had a lively discussion about pottery making, including his strong commitment to form.

Up until now, he has repeatedly won awards at open-call exhibitions with his colorful and sculptural works, gaining considerable popularity.

For this exhibition, her first solo show at our gallery, we expected to see a colorful array of works, but instead, we found a wonderful collection of white and black pieces in her studio that we had never seen before.

I like these latest works, in which I deliberately omitted color, and although I will also be presenting my traditional works in color, I have titled this exhibition "Black and White."

When I picked up the latest "Black and White" tea bowl, I noticed some rough edges, such as around the base, but that was part of its charm, resulting in a unique and distinctive bowl.

"North by Northwest" has a happy ending, but what will happen in this exhibition...?

I'm really looking forward to it too.

Shop owner Takashi Yasuda