Suzuki Goro Chawan
His career started way back in his teens when he would only get about three hours of sleep each night because he wanted to practice on the wheel. His goal: to make 1,000 yunomi (tea cups) in one day. Only then, he felt, could one be called a craftsman. He had a stopwatch next to the wheel and after three years of practice got to the point where he could make a yunomi in 30 seconds! He reached the 1,000 mark and surpassed it, finally resting after making 1,250 yunomi in 10 hours. The man was on a clay mission.
He's since moved on to other forms, focusing his ceramic vision on Momoyama-inspired Mino wares which include Shino, Oribe, Setoguro, and Ki-Seto. Yet instead of making boring copies of the masterpieces, Suzuki has allowed himself, after years of discipline, a little freedom and, very importantly, a playful spirit (asobi-gokoro). He also has a feel for clay in his bones and listens quite well to the voices of the many different clays he uses.
He's since moved on to other forms, focusing his ceramic vision on Momoyama-inspired Mino wares which include Shino, Oribe, Setoguro, and Ki-Seto. Yet instead of making boring copies of the masterpieces, Suzuki has allowed himself, after years of discipline, a little freedom and, very importantly, a playful spirit (asobi-gokoro). He also has a feel for clay in his bones and listens quite well to the voices of the many different clays he uses.
Tokyo boasts a permanent display of Suzuki's work at Gallery Goro, which is, I think, the only gallery in Japan devoted to a single ceramic artist. Gallery Goro is a one-minute walk from the south exit of Okubo Station on the Sobu Line; open 12 p.m.-7 p.m. (closed Sunday, Monday and Thursday). For information, call (03) 5386-5056, or see the gallery's Japanese-language Web site at www.g-goro.com
From Robert Yellin E-YakiMono.net
For More Works: Vessels.jp
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