I visited Morimitsu Hosokawa in Kumamoto. His home is located within the grounds of his former family temple, a place where he spent his childhood with his father, Morihiro. He has his residence and pottery studio here, while his kiln is located near the foot of Mount Aso, away from the city.

The Hosokawa family, who were daimyo since the Middle Ages, are said to have three family temples, and this is one of them. Next to the residence are four large five-tiered stupa tombs of Hosokawa Yusai and Sansai, as well as several tombs of successive generations. In front of the large courtyard there is a building that looks like a shrine, and when asked about it, it was said to have been built after the Meiji Restoration as a shrine to enshrine the spirits of successive generations since Yusai. Therefore, Mr. Goko's residence and pottery studio are sacred places protected by the ancestral spirits who have become Buddhas and gods, and when Mr. Goko decided to pursue pottery, he longed to return here, and now he lives here day by day with his wife and eldest daughter, Tsubaki.

A few months ago, while spending an evening with Mr. Gokou, I suggested that he dedicate his life entirely to making tea bowls. He firmly resolved to do so and worked diligently to create tea bowls for this solo exhibition. Upon seeing the finished bowls, I felt that while there is much room for further research into the glaze and firing process, the wheel-thrown tea bowls were free-flowing and pure, and I was able to connect with them.

This exhibition will serve as a starting point for those who will dedicate their lives solely to tea bowls, and I wrote this essay with heartfelt anticipation.

Tokyo National Museum Honorary Member / Kikuchi Hiromi Memorial Satoshi Museum Director Harumi Hayashiya