Upon returning to Kagoshima and embarking on my career as an independent ceramic artist, the first thing I created was a set of porcelain tableware. We dry the molded clay outdoors, but when ash from Sakurajima falls, it leaves black spots on the surface after firing.

One day, I had the idea to turn this formidable enemy of porcelain, the volcanic ash, into a glaze. I quickly swept up the accumulated ash with a broom, packed it into a plastic bag, and brought it back to the studio.

The base for this was a basic glaze known as iron glaze, which develops into black or brown colors. I experimented with various amounts of volcanic ash and firing temperatures until I was satisfied.

The ASH series uses this volcanic ash glaze. In the iron glaze, which turns a slate gray, the glaze sparkles metallically like stars scattered across the sky.

The interaction between the interior and exterior glazes during firing, and the variation in color depending on where the pieces are placed in the kiln, add an element of crafty intrigue. Finding textures that suit my taste is also part of the fun.