Renowned Japanese Potter Gives Workshop at Rivers
Rivers students had a unique opportunity to observe Japanese potter Yoshinori Hagiwara at work during a three-hour workshop in the Black Box Theatre on Wednesday. Mr. Hagiwara, whose exhibit opens this weekend at the Pucker Gallery in Boston, took the students through the many steps involved in making his work, from preparing the clay to throwing, trimming, and glazing. Dozens of students sat spellbound as he turned out more than a dozen pieces, while answering their questions with the help of an interpreter.
Mr. Hagiwara began by wedging 100 pounds of clay, a seemingly enormous amount for a morning’s work, but proceeded at a rapid pace to turn out vases, bowls, pitchers (spouts and handles were prepared separately to illustrate his technique) and on request several large platters. He demonstrated glazing on a handful of pieces and added flourishes of a white glaze in his signature style.
Through his interpreter he answered questions about both his background and his technique, and the interpreter provided a running commentary between questions.
“When I asked Mr. Hagiwara if he signs his pieces or not, he replied by saying ‘no’ and gave a practical reason,” said Frank Ferrara ’17. “The reason was because sometimes he will fire the pieces more than once and the signature on the pot may not even show up. But what I got from his saying ‘no’ to my question was that it’s not really about the person who made the pot, it’s more about the pot itself.”
“One technique I am going to practice for myself is Mr. Hagiwara’s ability to be patient with the clay,” said Emily Smith ’18. “Sometimes when I throw pieces I get frustrated when they develop a wobble and I sometimes give up on them. But after watching him patiently work the clay into a closed bubble and centering the piece using the air trapped inside, I decided I will attempt to implement this technique into my everyday ceramics.”
A fifth generation potter, Mr. Hagiwara, who resides in Mashiko, Japan, emphasized to the students that, while he formally studied at the Tochigi Prefectural Ceramics Instructional Institute, much of his learning was done at the feet of the “masters,” and that he is still considered young at the age of 43.
“I have been taking ceramics classes at Rivers for two to three years and it seems like it has been a while,” Frank commented, “but compared to Japanese potters, that is only a third of the amount of time it takes to “perfect” throwing on the wheel. I feel like I have a long way to go.”
According to his artist statement for his current exhibit, Mr. Hagiwara is most well-known for using a persimmon glaze that is ground from local stone in Mashiko, but he has recently begun to use a wider palate of glazes. His work is featured in public collections in Japan, the United States, and Israel, and his exhibit at Pucker Gallery at 171 Newbury Street in Boston runs through May 28.
“It was incredible to have Mr. Hagiwara here on campus for this workshop,” said ceramics teacher Tim Clark. “What a gift for our students to witness such an experienced potter working with clay at every stage of the process. The students asked great questions and took away valuable lessons in addition to appreciating his facility with the material. A special thanks to Pucker Gallery for helping to make this workshop possible.”
Both Frank Ferrara and Emily Smith commented on Hagiwara’s demeanor throughout the morning.
“The big takeaway—and probably the most important—was that the entire three hours that he demonstrated, he was always smiling,” Frank noted. “I could tell that he was having fun and doing something that he truly loved.”
“I am extremely lucky to have been able to watch someone do something they love so much,” added Emily. “I could see Mr. Hagiwara’s passion for pottery in his facial expressions and his tone of voice while answering our questions and describing his techniques. The most important thing I learned from Mr. Hagiwara’s workshop is to love what you do, whether it is pottery or not.”
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