Usuki ware "USUKIYAKI"
It once existed for only a dozen years.
Then, after a lapse of about 200 years,
it began to mark a new chapter in history again.
Usuki City, with the ruins of a castle overlooking the sea, beautiful countryside, and rich culinary culture, is a place with a lot to offer.
Mr. Hiroyuki Usami is pursuing a new form of Usuki ware "Usukiyaki" in Usuki City, trying to unravel the essence of mystical porcelain, which was born in the Edo period and disappeared after only a decade or so.
Like a picture frame that enhances a painting, tableware frames the cuisine. And yet, it retains a natural texture and gentle feel.
Its realization is left to the exquisite balance of human hands and nature, created by moderately distorting typical forms.
They transcend the boundaries of tableware as a mere tool and create a deeper and more diverse experience as art on the table.
In the past, Usuki ware was opened by Inaba, the lord of Usuki Castle, and was born through the co-creation of artisans called in from Shimabara, Koishiwara, and Komine.
Usuki ware does not have a completed recipe, but evolves gradually and delicately through an experimental process.
A new history is made not only through the production process, but also through the diversification of the occasions in which these items are used.
Living With Nature
"We want to create products that will be used and cherished for a long time."
Behind these words lies the pride of craftsmen who devote their lives to making things, as well as a sense of gratitude to the abundant nature that nurtured them.
Inspired by nature, the shapes they create become tableware through a number of handicraft processes.
Therefore, there is a part of the process where one does not know what it will look like until it is actually fired.
Manual production has a low yield rate, which adds to the time and effort required to complete the work and makes it valuable.
They use limited resources with care and spare no effort to create products that can be used for a long time.
Only when both "makers" and "users" take care of and nurture the pottery unique to this region, which was created by the richness of nature, can it become a sustainable product that is kind to both the environment and people.
