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THE STORY 24 SPRING SUMMER

Fragments

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  • Fragments

‘Have you ever gone searching for fragments of pottery?’

It was fall, five years ago, I found myself in Saga prefecture.
A sudden opportunity to meet a favorite artist came up, I rushed to buy a ticket, flew to Saga, and was introduced to a kiln they were building in the mountains.By scraping the slopes of the mountain and cutting trees, the base had just been built. The sun was setting, and the fluorescent orange sunset illuminated the lush moss and greenery of the forest. The ground, clay-like, was clinging to my feet before I knew it. They said they were going to use this to build the kiln. I asked who was going to build the kiln, and they answered ‘us’. I was so surprised.

On the way back, I was taken to the ruins of Tenjinmori kiln, one of the oldest kiln in Arita, to look at fragments of pottery. These fragments are pottery that artists of old threw away after their failures. Looking down at my feet, I saw fragments of pottery laying in the dirt and under the grass as memories from 400 years ago. As if it was a treasure hunt, I searched for fragments. Various fragments of grey, from blueish grey, to reddish grey. Some fragments were painted with gosu (zaffer), but differed from the pottery I had imagined, instead designs of faded blue seeping into white with simple patterns. I wondered what this drawing was, what kind of scenery people saw 400 years ago.

Suddenly, as the sun had set, in the gloomy mountains I saw the ruins of the kiln. The kiln was made from local clay, and I realized this is what the people were trying to recreate.

  • Fragments
  • Fragments

After, I repeatedly visited Saga whenever I found time. Scaffolds were built on the mountainside where there had been nothing, with a large lump of clay placed on top. Listening to the stories of building this kiln, realizing it was truly created by the hands of these people, I was moved.
The climbing kiln, called Waridake-style kiln (Split bamboo style), is filled with wood from the mountain, fired to create, having a gentle expression like a silkworm. ※Structure of the climbing kiln which utilizes the mountain’s slope

As I wandered through the city and the mountains, I came across various fragments of memories. There is great admiration for the various craftsmen researching the history of the area, finding lost items left behind, in order to unravel the past. As these craftsmen continued their journey, I set out on my journey to create clothes by following them each step of the way.

The dawn of Japanese porcelain in the early 17th century.
This season's collection is born from fragments of memories, listening to dialogues between past and present potters on creation of ceramics.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Maiko Kurogouchi

  • Fragments
  • Fragments