Short Film on Kutani Choemon Ceramics

We do tend to bombard you all with pottery here, but for this I can’t apologise as I’m about to share some again, as we visit the studio of Kutani Choemon who have been operating in Japan since 1879 would you believe. I found it really incredible that the current owner Kentaro Kamide is the fourth generation of his family to direct the creation of traditional Kutani Pottery in Ishikawa, such heritage is really something to behold.

The knowledge that has been passed down over the years must be such an incredible resource, I’m sure many of the workers have been brought up to learn their craft like the back of their hand, which is certainly evident in the video just below. As well as the traditional collection that the Choemon studio creates there’s a more modern set of designs which we get to see put together here, these being a little more abstract in their outlook.

I think this is particularly true of the bowl we get to see being made which highlights the precision with a brush each of their craftsman has, I’d imagine it’s so easy to let the paint run and ruin the design. In summary this film is quite rugged and choppy at points but it goes a long way in showcasing the talent that Kutani Choemon has hiding within it’s studio walls. You can really appreciate what you’re purchasing and how much dedication has gone into each piece they create which is exactly what you want to see in a handmade product.

If you’re still a little curious and want to see more I’d recommend heading over to their website which is setup in both English and Japanese for those of us who aren’t bilingual.

www.choemon.com

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