Dialogue with Lucie Rie

I’m working on making lacquerware. When someone asked me “who is the most favorite artist in the world?” I always answered “Lucie Rie.”

I met her pottery when I was a junior high school student. It was when I saw several generations of Shigaraki ware on display at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park Museum. At that time, I just had the impression that I saw a very beautiful pottery.

More than 20 years later, the Lucie Rie exhibition was held in Japan. At that time, I noticed that the author of the work that remained in my mind then was a very famous artist.

After that, I started working as a Kintsugi artist. And I have been thinking that one day I wanted to have the opportunity to repair Lucie Rie’s pottery. Then finally that dream came true.

It was a very small jug.

I don’t know how many her works exist in the world right now. But I am grateful for the miracle that I was able to take care of her artwork.