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The Entrancing Blues of Hand-Made Porcelain
Saga-Kyushu
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Area
The Finest Teas and The Finest Porcelain
Soekyu Seitosho's atelier can be found in the small town of Ureshino in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. Located near the great, historical city-port of Nagasaki, Ureshino is nestled among the lush tea plantations set into the surrounding hills. These hills produce some of the most renowned and sought-after teas in Japan, while the town's excellent hot springs draw visitors from across the country and beyond.
Though perhaps less well known than the town of Arita to the north, Ureshino has also for many centuries been a hub for the production of the most exquisite Hizen Ware porcelain. These local ceramics gained fame across Europe and Asia in the 18th century and continue to enjoy a reputation for the finest, purest porcelain in Japan.
History
A Mission to Convey the Beauty of Hizen Ceramics
Hirohisa Soejima is the third generation of his family to produce ceramics from their traditional red brick-built atelier in Ureshino. He began his journey as a craftsman when he was 23 years old, studying ceramics at Nagoya University before returning home to hone his skills and knowledge at the family kiln.
At the age of 37, Hirohisa took charge of the atelier and remains as passionate about ceramics as he ever was. Indeed, Hirohisa says that he is still 'captivated by the beauty of porcelain every time he opens the kiln'. This is a sentiment he is keen to pass on to those who use his pieces; he says it is his mission to instill a fascination with the beauty of porcelain in items that can be used in daily life.
The Soejima family have always been ardent proponents of the quality of Ureshino pottery and the Soekyu Seitosho collection is surely the finest representative of this quality.
Characteristic
Traditional Materials, Unique Pieces
Hizen-Yoshida Ware does not, in fact, have a traditional patterning or style to which its craftsmen must adhere. Instead, the emphasis has always been on creating sincere pieces that are born directly out of the needs of everyday life.
With this freedom, Soekyu Seitosho has pioneered techniques to create a stunning collection of tableware using a traditional blue pigment called gosu. This pigment has been used for centuries in making indelible blue patterning on Japanese porcelain. Soekyu paint the gosu on to the porcelain using a bush technique called dami. Another approach, created by Seokyu, paints small flower-like shapes in gosu on to the porcelain; the reaction with the heat in the kiln then causes the flower to 'bloom' into the beautiful pattern on the finished piece.
No matter which technique is used, the shades and hues on each final piece are unique due to the fact that all wares are hand painted and the remarkable properties of the gosu itself: the paint reacts differently depending on the climate, humidity and the season. It takes enormous skill and patience to employ these techniques at the highest level, and the results are evidently stunning.
For Customers
Captivating Beauty, Everyday
Soekyu's ceramics are rooted in the local tradition of creating pieces for the needs of everyday life. This is tableware that will bring a captivating aesthetic to any table: vivid, vibrant blues that have subtle gradations of color and patterning as result of the properties of the natural dyes. Hirohisa believes that using such pieces daily will reveal the depth of the beauty of the porcelain and its inimitable colors to those who use them. Moreover, in an age when so much is mass produced at huge speed, the Soekyu collection represents something truly artisanal, crafted by hand to a slower, more traditional rhythm.
