TSUTSUMI

TSUTSUMI

MAKI TAKEUCHI

  • Kurashiki, OKAYAMA

Biography

1955 Born in Kurashiki City, Okayama prefecture
1960 His father, Seijiro, builds the Sakazu Tsutsumi kiln in Kurashiki
1977 After graduating from Tamagawa University, he became an apprentice at Hamada Kiln by Shoji Hamada in Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture
1979 his father Seijiro passed away and inherited the Sakuzu Tsutsumi kiln
(later renamed Kurashiki Tsutsumi Kiln)
2006 Received the 6th Kurashiki Folk Crafts Museum Award

The Kurashiki Tsutsumi kiln was built by Seijiro Takeuchi in 1960 on the site of the old embankment of the Takahashi River, which flows west of Kurashiki City.
Mr. Seijiro Takeuchi was born as the second son of Kiyomi Takeuchi, the first director of the Ohara Museum of Art in Kurashiki.He learned from Kanjiro Kawai, Shoji Hamada, Muneyoshi Yanagi, and others who started the Japanese folk art "MINGEI" movement, and he focused on slips and molds, focusing on molds. Pottery was created using techniques such as pressing, neriage, and inlay. Even after his death in 1979,"Seijiro Takeuchi Exhibitions" were held at folk craft museums all over the country, and he continues to be recommended by many fans and continues to have a great influence on modern potters.

His son, Maki Takeuchi, was born in Kurashiki and entered the Hamada Kiln in Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture in 1977. When Mr. Seijiro passed away in 1979, he took over the Sakuzu Tsutsumi Kiln in Kurashiki and later renamed it Kurashiki Tsutsumi Kiln. Since then, pottery has been made using clay produced in Kurashiki. In 2006, it was also awarded the Kurashiki Folk Crafts Museum Award.

When you visit Kurashiki Tsutsumi Kiln, you will find a quiet atmosphere that is far removed from the hustle and bustle of the Takahashi River and Sakazu Park. Flowers are planted along the approach to your dignified home, and a wonderful large jar is placed at the entrance. Before you ring the doorbell, you can't help but look around.

Mr. Maki Takeuchi is a very sincere person.He lived a polite life from an early age and grew up surrounded by beautiful things, which we think is reflected in his pottery. His motto is to create pottery that can be used widely and has unadorned beauty and strength, and we feel that gentleness can be seen in his finger drawings and slips. When he is making pottery, he is enveloped in the serenity that is unique to craftsmen, just like other people who work on folk crafts. We take a break from that and talk about various things each time, but they are all really interesting."The time I spend at the potter's wheel is really short.There's a lot to do when making pottery.That's why I can't make that many because I am working alone,'' says Mr. Maki Takeuchi. Apparently he goes to collect local clay himself, but soil is a natural product. It is said that the level of the slip will change completely depending on the soil removed. The place were the previous owner and his father, Mr. Seijiro Takeuchi, used to go to collect clay is now a golf course.

A number of vessels are made in this workshop."This is still a prototype, but..." he said, showing us the cup. Through repeated trials, we not only pursue our motto of "unpretentious beauty and strength," but also pursue ease of use so that users will continue to use our products. Every time we talk to him, we are impressed by the honest attitude of Mr. Maki, a folk craftsman who has been involved in folk craft for decades.

Kurashiki Tsutsumi Kiln Maki Takeuchi does not have a sales office in her workshop.
He does not sell his products to the general public at his workshop, so we appreciate your understanding.

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