Clear as a Lake — Bringing the Luminous Beauty of Ash Glaze to the Table: The Warm-Hearted Potter Yoshihiro Morimoto of TANZAN-GAMA and His Vision of Tamba Ware

The Subtle Art of “Minor Changes” That Blend Seamlessly into Everyday Life

TANZAN-GAMA, led by Yoshihiro Morimoto, is home to one of the largest climbing kilns in Tachikui.

The potter’s signature is its ash-glazed forms, made using glaze derived from plant ash. Once fired, areas where the glaze pools shimmer with a deep, glassy green, like peering into the clear depths of a lake. Retaining the rustic warmth of the clay, these pieces gently embrace any dish placed upon them. It is a series that has been loved for many years.

Yet Morimoto does not simply continue making the same pieces unchanged.

Even long-selling designs are quietly adjusted over time. Sensing shifts in the lifestyles of those who use them, he makes subtle “minor changes” to form and color, so delicate they may go unnoticed at first glance. This flexibility, adding a fresh accent within a familiar classic, is what continues to draw devoted admirers.

“If I’m going to make something, I want it to be used every day by as many people as possible. So I pay attention to size, so it doesn’t overwhelm the table, and to how neatly it stacks in a cupboard.”

Inspiration comes from many sources: natural landscapes, magazines, or even something glimpsed casually in another work. He stores these impressions in what he calls his “drawer of ideas,” then filters them through the lens of contemporary living, reconstructing them into new forms.

A Path into Pottery Taken Naturally, Without Hesitation

Morimoto chose the path of pottery as a natural course of life. In his youth, it was common for peers in the area to inherit their family trades; succeeding the family potter was simply understood. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in an art university in Kyoto, where he first formally immersed himself in ceramics.

“My father’s methods and what I learned at school were completely different. But because I started from a blank slate, I was able to accept both without resistance. Looking back, that may have been a good thing.”

Shortly after graduating, his mother fell ill. Morimoto then spent two years training at a ceramic research institute he could commute to from Tachikui. Those busy days, managing the family potter while refining his skills, became the foundation of who he is today.

“The Pottery Class Is My Purpose in Life” — Connection Through Clay as Daily Comfort

For more than twenty years, Morimoto has continued to teach pottery classes, cherishing the exchanges that take place there. Seeing people enjoy ceramics purely for the pleasure of it brings him quiet inspiration.

“They come because they truly enjoy making pottery. Watching that makes me happy.”

The connections formed through forms expand outward—to visitors who come to the workshop and to encounters at events. Within the shared community of this production area, customers are welcomed and festivals are enlivened together.

“It’s because of this land and this community that my life and work exist as they do,” Morimoto says humbly.

The way he continues to treasure relationships, with childhood friends and those brought together by fate, reveals his warm and generous character.

“I’d love to see more places in Tachikui where visitors can make unexpected discoveries while strolling through town. Even small galleries and casual spaces people can drop into would make the area even more wonderful.”

Grateful for the blessings of clay and nature, and determined to keep alive the flame passed down from those before him, Morimoto continues today to create forms that gently illuminate everyday life, nourished above all by the smiles of those who use them.