From Saturday, September 28th to Sunday, October 20th, we will be holding "Listening to the Voice of the Soil from Seto" at "Open MUJI," an event space open to the local community by MUJI Nagoya Meitetsu Department Store, located just a short walk from Meitetsu Nagoya Station.
We, Minami Shintaro and Minami Mirai from the souvenir shop "Hitotsuchi" in Seto City, Aichi Prefecture, and Sawada Takehide from the design firm " studio point ", have fully committed to the project and are currently in the midst of preparations!
"Hitotsuchi" is a term used to describe Seto, known as "the city of fire and the city of earth," and people live on the soil of the pottery-producing region. The charm of Seto is an extension of this historical background, and the foundation of our activities is to create enjoyment in traveling to the pottery-producing region. This time, we have narrowed our focus to "earth," the other half of fire and earth, and are delving deeper into the subject of earth, with the generous cooperation of Seto ware makers and clay manufacturers.
What is "Listening to the Voice of the Soil from Seto"?
Pottery and porcelain tableware are a part of our everyday lives. Their raw material is "earth." Just as good food cannot be made without good ingredients, good pottery cannot be made without good earth.
Seto City in Aichi Prefecture has been producing pottery for over a thousand years. This is because it has the world's best quality clay, which is made specifically for pottery. In particular, the existence of a type of clay called "frog-eye clay" has allowed it to adapt to the changing times and produce a wide variety of products, not just tableware.
This frog-eye clay is an extremely valuable natural resource that was created over millions of years in the course of the Earth's activities, when granite was broken down into clay and various conditions were miraculously met. However, it may soon be depleted. I heard this story while talking with people who live in the production areas and are involved in manufacturing.
Like oil and gas, soil is a natural resource, so once it's all mined, it will be gone. This prompted us to reach out to people who work with soil every day, wanting to learn more about it. How does raw clay from the mountains turn into clay and then into pottery? Through their voices, we listen to the "voice of the soil."
How are the tableware you see in the store made and displayed? We hope that this will give you an opportunity to think and reflect on your daily life and craftsmanship.
A clay exhibit that shows how clay becomes pottery
We are grateful to the Seto Tsukuri-te artists, including Sakusuke Kiln , Seto Hongyo Kiln , Miyama Pottery Studio , Shin Kama , Sojuen , and Toy Workshop (Seto Togei Co.), who have provided as much raw material, clay condition, raw dough, and bisque firing as possible for the exhibit. We are also preparing the clay in vacuum packs so that it can be touched.
You can see the process of turning clay into pottery. We also create clay recipes that focus on raw materials, so we think both those who are unfamiliar with pottery and those who are already potters will enjoy it!
Additionally, with the cooperation of the Aichi Prefecture Ceramics Industry Cooperative, Kasen Mine, Jinya Marusen Ceramic Raw Materials , and Maruishi Ceramic Raw Materials , we will be exhibiting the raw clay for frogeye clay, glass silica sand extracted from the same mine, and blended clays.
This exhibition is truly made possible thanks to the cooperation of many people.
This exhibition was created after extensive research over the summer, and I have endeavored to present it as it is. I think it is a rare opportunity to have such a large collection of "soil" in one exhibition.
We hope that many people will come to the event, so thank you very much!
"Listening to the Voice of the Soil from Seto"
Dates: September 28th (Sat) - October 20th (Sun)
Hours: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Venue: MUJI Nagoya Meitetsu Department Store Open MUJI
Address: 1-2-4 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture 450-0002 Meitetsu Department Store Men's Building 6F Meitetsu Department Store Main Store
[Hitotsuchi POP UP STORE] (days of presence)
September 28th (Sat), September 29th (Sun), October 6th (Sun), October 13th (Sun), October 19th (Sat), October 20th (Sun)
Hours: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
