Many famous people once visited Rakusai Kiln, a pottery studio representative of Shigaraki.

These include Toyozo Arakawa, a Living National Treasure; Sakuzo Hineno, a ceramics designer; Fujio Koyama, a ceramics scholar; Honan Tayama, a researcher of calligraphy; and the world-renowned painter Joan Miró.

The reason people were drawn to Rakusai Kiln was because the Takahashi family members had such wonderful personalities.

It was Mr. Yukawa of the Yukawa Gastroenterology Hospital in Osaka who suggested to Rakusai III that he hold an exhibition at Mitsukoshi. Apparently, Mr. Yukawa is the father-in-law of Hideki Yukawa, the Nobel laureate in physics.

With Mr. Yukawa's assistance, Rakusai III was able to establish his own kiln.

Carrying on this history, Rakusai Godai creates works in a simple and gentle style, based on classical traditions and making the most of the clay and firing characteristics of Shigaraki ware.

Among his works, the Rakusai kiln's distinctive features can be seen in vases with ridged surfaces. This time, he exhibited a powerfully sculpted "Dragon Pattern Vase," which was created by applying the same clay to the surface of the vase and smoothing it with a spatula.

This technique has been used in the production of braziers in the past, but this is the first time it has been used on a vase.

As you can see from the cover of the direct mail, the changing colors of the flames are magnificent.

A new direction can be seen in the tea bowls as well; they have a beautiful form, and the color and texture of the firing are captivating.

She's not the main character of NHK's morning drama "Scarlet," but apparently the number of female ceramic artists in Shigaraki has been increasing in recent years.

Rakusai's second daughter, Yoshiko, is one of them.

She used to work as a technical staff member at the Shiga Prefectural Ceramic Art Forest's Creative Training Department, but now she dedicates herself to pottery making at home.

The Shigaraki Shinogi jars, which could be considered a characteristic of Rakusai Kiln, exude both delicacy and sharpness, and their rounded, gentle form and soft, fired surface texture are particularly appealing.

Furthermore, her signature vibrant, fiery-colored "Rinka Flower Vase" reflects Miko's personality through its flower-shaped opening and bulging body.

I first became aware of Akira Tao 's work when I saw his award-winning piece, "Symbiosis," featured in the catalog for the 2016 "Contemporary Ceramics Hagi Grand Prize Exhibition IV."

I was surprised to learn that Mr. Tao is Ms. Yoshiko's husband.

Mr. Tao is from Nagasaki City. He studied abroad at The Putney School in Vermont, USA, where he developed an interest in art, and when he touched clay for the first time, he felt, "This is it!"

I love the feeling of touching it directly in my hands, and I've become captivated by clay as a material that can be used to create any shape or texture.

After graduating from university, I returned to Japan and, while working as a technical staff member in the Creative Training Department at the Shiga Prefectural Ceramic Art Forest, I create my own original works at home.

"Untitled" is a collection of prismatic shapes reminiscent of mineral crystals, forming a complex circular structure.

On the other hand, the highlight of "Open Form" is its sculptural form, which is composed of multiple different surfaces.

In recent years, many young people have moved to Shigaraki from outside the prefecture and are active as ceramic artists.

That trend seems to be blowing through Rakusai Kiln, a pottery studio in Shigaraki.

Kouichi Mori (Art critic, Standing Director of the Japan Ceramic Society)