The connoisseur Masatake Fukumori has come to Ginza

Igamaruhashira in Mie Prefecture is on the border between Omi and Iga, a remote area where nature remains unchanged throughout the four seasons.Long ago, it was the bottom of Lake Biwa, and the alluvial layers of the earth gave it fire-resistant soil, so it has been a pottery village since the Nara period.

Fukumori Masatake, the seventh generation of the Doraku Kiln, which has been in business in this area since the Edo period, has a piercing gaze that seems to have the power to grasp the essence of things in an instant. This is probably because he grew up listening to cultural figures such as Yanagi Muneyoshi who visited his home as a boy.
Having lost his father at the age of 16, he must have had many hardships in taking over the family business of Iga pottery.
He didn't have a teacher, but simply worked on clay, and must have put in incredible effort to become an expert who could turn a potter's wheel even with his eyes closed.
He also practiced zazen at a Zen temple in Kyoto and learned the philosophy and thoughts of Great Ajari Mitsunaga Sumido, who led the Sennichi Kaihogyo.

People call him "Doraku-san."
Doraku was a genius at hospitality, arranging wild flowers and cooking seasonal cuisine, and delighting the eyes and palates of many cultural figures, including the Shirazu Jiro and Masako couple, and the Kurodas, Tatsuaki and Inuiyoshi.
I wonder what they talked about as they shared drinks late into the night.
What will you encounter now? Who will you meet now? What is beautiful now? Is it delicious? Is it fun?
Doraku has lived his life to the fullest, together with people and things.

A few years ago, he handed over the Toraku kiln to his daughter Michiho and returned to Fukumori Masatake.
With the burden off his shoulders, even the familiar sight of the round pillars must look different to him.
Going for a walk early in the morning has become a daily routine.
Now that he has his freedom, for the past six or seven years he has been spending two months a year in the suburbs of London making pottery using local clay.
That's really interesting.

This time, Ippodo will have pottery made from Iga clay and British clay on display together.
Remembering Shirozu Jiro, with whom he drank Scotch whisky, Masatake Fukumori has now come to Ginza with his pottery, calligraphy and paintings.

Keiko Aono