This project began with a strong desire to get young people, the same age as the artists, interested in contemporary crafts.

To achieve this, we commissioned ten artists, setting the following criteria: the pieces should be small yet appealing, possess a dignified presence, and be priced at a level that is affordable for those who stretch their budget a little.

Among them, Mr. Keiji Ito and Mr. Kiyoyuki Kato participated as special guests.

The participants this time are ceramic and metal artists, but we hope to invite lacquerware and glass artists to participate in the future.

Another condition I requested when commissioning the artwork was that it be placed in "a study and a tea room—two separate spaces."

A study, a space of knowledge, is more liberating than the constrained space of a tea ceremony.

On the desk, there are paperweights and water droppers, and on the bookshelves, there are jade, bronze objects, stone sculptures, gilded bronze Buddha statues, small ceramics, and other decorative objects.

While tea rooms contain small items such as incense boxes, incense burners, and tea caddies, tea utensils, tea whisks, and small tea bowls that are placed in tea baskets or tea boxes seem to be very popular with young people as well.

This exhibition, "Everything Small is Beautiful," attempts to apply these ideas to contemporary crafts.

Koichiro Isezaki's "stairs" is an object made of Bizen ware that is based on the motif of "stairs".

It's designed to be hung on the wall, but where does this "staircase" lead? It might differ from person to person, but I think people see something at the end of the "staircase."

Shinji Ichioka's "Mimicry - Tea Caddy" is a mimicry of an eggplant-shaped tea caddy.

Ichioka says, "In my case, the essence of mimicry is not about imitating, but about never being identical to the subject, no matter how far you go."

This is not a reproduction of the original, but a masterpiece that pursues what can only be expressed through metal.

Keiji Ito's incense box is a simple piece shaped like a pebble, but upon closer inspection, the uneven surface where the lid and body overlap is remarkably unique, almost like the texture of a real stone.

Furthermore, the inside is painted black where the lid and body overlap, and silver is applied to the recessed areas, showcasing the artist's undeniable design skills.

Kiyoyuki Kato's "Torso" depicts a nude figure using simple line drawings, applied with white slip to a black clay body using a ladle.

The author says, "If you exaggerate too much, it becomes unpleasant. So I depicted it in a light, understated way."

In this way, Eros is purified and transformed into eternal beauty. Several other Torso sculptures, both large and small, will also be on display.

Nami Takahashi's "Pearl Tea Set" is, as the name suggests, a tea set coated with pearl glaze.

The beauty of the shadows and forms created by the irregular ridges remains unchanged even in small pieces.

This exhibition will feature tea utensils and tea whisks to be placed in tea boxes, sculptural incense burners and confectionery containers, and small "fruit" pieces.

Koji Toda's "Unglazed Water Jar," though small, exudes a refreshing coolness and dignified presence.

The artist hopes that "regardless of the size of the work, it will be a quiet and universal presence."

By placing a water jug on a pedestal, a space for prayer is created—a true "form of prayer."

Masami Nakata's "SEN Bowl Yellow" and "SEN Bowl Turquoise Blue" were created with the concept of being bowls that can be easily slipped into a pocket or bag and carried around.

This piece was created by shaping porcelain clay, applying black slip, scratching away the lines with a needle, and then filling the scratched areas with colored slip.

Fukumoto Soko is an artist known for his unique works that express "wavering" by stacking bowls of different diameters, but this time he will be exhibiting a tea bowl with a platinum foil-decorated body and a pale blue glaze.

The title of the work, "Setsunashi" (meaning "heartbreaking"), was chosen because the artist expressed a strong desire to be pleasantly surprised and betrayed.

Tomoyuki Hoshino is an artist who has attracted attention for his unique technique called "neritsugi" (a type of clay shaping).

This "Red Glass Small Vase" is made by shaping pure white porcelain clay on a potter's wheel, then adding grooves to the sides after drying, and finally applying a glaze with a high glass content mixed with a small amount of pigment to create a faint pink color.

Rei Rusu's "fizz" is a box-shaped structure made by melting metal rods into strings and stacking them in a manner similar to string making.

As the artist himself said, "I've come to accept the varying depths of the melting and the resulting distortions with a generous spirit," the process of its creation is truly fascinating.

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