How is everyone doing? It’s gotten quite cold, hasn’t it? Winter is almost here, but it feels like autumn was awfully short... Anyway, today I’m continuing my interview with Kazuhiro Mori. Me: "I see. It certainly has a sophisticated impression. It feels stylish, in a way that reminds me of designer apartments." Mori: "But if you focus only on individuality, you lose the functionality." Me: "That's true. By the way, what was your training period like, sensei?" Mori: "Hmm... well, it’s not really 'training,' but I hardly did things like throwing on a potter's wheel." Me: "What?! Really? So you were able to make things pretty much just from your childhood experiences?" Mori: "Well, I could do it to an extent, but I couldn't make something like a crane-neck vase (tsurukubi) in a serious way, for instance." Me: "I suppose crane-neck vases really are difficult. This one here has such a sharp rim; it's amazing..." Mori: "Hmm, I’m sure my technique has improved since the beginning... but actually, this one (a crane-neck vase just over 1cm in diameter) is fine just by being thin. There's nothing particularly special about the fact that it's thin—you just have to make it thin. This one (a crane-neck flower vase) can't be too thin, and it can't be too thick. You have to stop right in the middle." Me: "I see. Indeed, there is a subtle silhouette there. This silhouette is difficult regardless of pure technique." Mori: "Exactly. That's why out of all necked vessels, the crane-neck is the most difficult." Me: "The balance between the mouth, neck, and body changes its quality, doesn't it? Is there any work you particularly like making?" Mori: "Hmm, I dislike making everything." Me: "What?! That’s a surprise. You dislike it? (laughs)" Mori: "Well, if it were just about having fun... you start by thinking about functionality and shape, right? In the beginning, it was fun. Once you understand it to a certain point, you start to realize, for example, that a tea bowl can't be used unless it’s this specific size. And then you understand more and more. Once you get to that point, you can't just make it for fun." Me: "That’s a truly delicate point." Mori: "Yeah (laughs). Well, it's fun around the time you come up with a shape. Once you start thinking, 'How can I make this as easy to use as possible?', it stops being fun (laughs)." Me: "It’s fun when it’s still in your brain, but it’s a struggle when you try to bring it into reality." Mori: "When you transform it into a real object, you start to think, 'Maybe this isn't very easy to use,' and you end up softening the curves." Me: "Is that so? You’re truly a stickler for detail (laughs)." Mori: "If the gap between what I imagined and what actually turned out is too big, it feels almost like starting over from scratch." Me: "Really? It seems like some of the design-oriented people often rework their pieces, but focusing on and refining functionality like that must be incredibly tough." Mori: "Yes. In the case of Bizen, you could just take a beaten plate, tap it a few times, and it would be ready to use. But if you just do that, it’s hard to show individuality. That’s why, even for a single beaten plate, I try adding a line (geometric patterns on a small cut-out section)." Me: "Oh! You're right. To think you’d go into such detail..." Mori: "I thought it would be nice because it creates a shadow when you set it down." Me: "So, how long does it take from the moment a shape comes to mind until it’s finished?" Mori: "It depends on the piece, but... I wonder how long? First, when I think of it, I write it down in a sketchbook. But then when I think about making what I wrote down in the next kiln firing... I lose the urge to make it. That all starts to pile up, right?" Me: "That's true." Mori: "And then, as you keep writing them down one by one, you find something and think, 'Oh, this is good.' But when you finally go to make it, you realize you sketched the same shape five or six years ago." Me: "Is that right? (laughs)" Mori: "So, there are things you thought of before but don't want to make now. From birth until now, I’ve seen various shapes and been inspired by them, and that comes out of me again. That's why keeping a sketchbook is truly interesting." Me: "I see. It’s like digging up ideas from within yourself, just like excavating fossils. So, are there ideas from ten years ago still sleeping in your sketchbook?" Mori: "Yes, there are. I look through my sketchbook and think, 'This is interesting too,' but there are still many I haven't made yet." And that is all for today. Hmm, we are gradually getting closer to Mori-sensei's inner world. Mori-sensei is a person who carefully chooses his words and speaks in a measured, deliberate way, and after hearing about his sketchbook, I think I understand why. I believe that because he has so many thoughts, he is very careful about what he chooses to convey. His works are the same; they are created by sharply and intensely pursuing an "ideal." Perhaps it is by chasing functionality, refining it, and tempering it, that it is forged into sharp and beautiful "individuality." I think some of the "individualistic artists" overflowing in the streets today should be very careful, don't you? By the way, today's photos are of the view from the 50-meter-long great kiln. The scenery, with a view like you've climbed a mountain, is quite spectacular. Also, look at the photos of the pine firewood—it’s absolutely massive!!! It’s about twice as big as regular firewood. Big kiln, big firewood... it's obvious, but I was struck once again by the sheer scale of the great kiln. My own firewood looks cute in comparison. See you next time. to be continued…