Pottery is often imagined as a solitary craft practiced far from civilization, but ONE KILN is located in a residential area just a ten-minute drive from the bustling downtown of Kagoshima City. I was 24 when I first aspired to pottery, reaching out to artists I admired and attending a vocational school in Kyoto, only to face rejection everywhere. It was a time filled with a sense of blockade.
Eventually, through contacts from my time at an architectural firm, I was introduced to a kiln in Saga and began my pottery life. When I moved from Tokyo to Saga, my friends joked that I was going to become a hermit in the mountains. I established ONE KILN in its current location to dispel such notions and create an open space where people interested in crafting could easily come to work.
Among those who applied for a part-time job at ONE KILN was Shuo Iwakiri (hereafter, Shuo), likely around 24 at the time. After graduating from university and initially working, he couldn't give up on pottery and was considering returning to graduate school. As a pottery major, Shuo was knowledgeable and helped immensely with glaze production and other tasks.
In this field, it's common to speak of masters and disciples, but I've always considered him a fellow craftsman, and we've worked together for six years. When Shuo solemnly expressed his desire to go independent, I felt a sense of loss but wanted to break the blockade I had felt in my youth, so I made a proposal.
"After you become independent, let's create pottery together using the shapes Shuo envisions and the Bonotsu clay we use at ONE KILN."
Saint-Exupéry wrote in 'Night Flight':
There are no solutions in life. There is only the force moving forward. We must create that force. With it, solutions find themselves.
Recently, Shuo joyously informed me of the birth of his child. Given his love for crafting, his patience, and his suitability for pottery, I'm sure he will continue to create excellent works. While persevering alone is indeed valuable, having a family has given him a new 'force to move forward.'
Although there may be obstacles, as those who have once crafted together in the same kiln, let's continue to create, now and into the future.
Shuo Iwakiri's pottery will be available from July 2nd at 10 AM on onekiln.jp.
Please visit the link below: https://onekiln.jp/search/shuo-iwakiri
