One artist, two brands of Bizen ware. Kiko Ando explains why he created the lines of Kiko and Narutaki and his view on the core value the stoneware offers.
Since we’ve met, you’ve always expressed your desire to preserve the Japanese traditional culture as a whole, not just Bizen ware. How does that reflect on your two lines, Narutaki and Kiko?
Being a Bizen ware artist has never been about expressing myself. I always felt that the history and culture of Japan needed to be passed on to the next generation. But to do that, it needs to be accepted by the modern world. I created the Narutaki line to be the entrance door to the world of Bizen ware for those who aren’t familiar with it. And the Kiko line to be a brand for core fans of Bizen ware.
Making Approachable Pieces
It’s rare to encounter an artist who thinks so much for the industry itself and ends up creating two different brands. What gave you the idea to do so?
It’s because I was always on the user’s side before entering this world. I wasn’t an artist who studied art in school, nor was it my family business. I was just into cooking and saw ceramics enriched the home experience. I simply knew what I liked to have in my space. I haven’t lost that perspective to this day. I wanted to provide a place where people could see ceramics as daily items instead of going to a gallery or a museum.This user-centric approach to your work. Does this apply to other aspects of your life?
Most likely! I always believed most things are aggregated into one true essence. That’s the core value of all. But I don’t think it’s what everyone should aim to achieve.
Take a guitarist as an example. The world’s best guitarist may be the most skilled and experienced, but that doesn’t mean the mass audience could appreciate the music, does it? There also need musicians who can break down the complexity of his music and make it more acceptable to the mass, like Pop music.
That’s what my role is in my industry. I’m that artist who makes it easier for more people to use and enjoy Bizen ware.
The essence of Bizen ware
So what is the core value of Bizen ware then?
That it’s high-fired and unglazed. That’s the ultimate value of Bizen ware. This could also apply to Japanese aesthetics as a whole, but Bizen ware finds beauty in distortion and asymmetry. And this distortion is not a product of coincidence; it’s actually intentional. Of course, some elements naturally happen in the kiln, and those are also interesting. But the big part of imperfection in Bizen ware is designed.
To intentionally make it look like it was unintentional. That’s the essence of Japanese art and craftsmanship. Compared to the perfect, uniformed art valued in other places, the Japanese went the opposite way. Since ancient times, the Japanese have always adored nature and respected what it offered. And instead of valuing man-made perfection, they always found beauty in nature, which is the opposite of perfect. That’s the core value.
These intentional imperfections. How does it apply to your two different lines?
I tend to respect distortion more in the Kiko line. With the Narutaki line, on the other hand, I try to keep it simple and less distorted. The difference in patterns and colors from firing is minimal, which may be too simple for the core Bizen ware fans. But I try to make them easy to use in daily life with the Narutaki line…so it doesn’t disturb the table experience so much. With the Kiko line, the individuality is all out, with distortion and everything.
How do you think Bizen ware makes a difference in one’s daily life?
Today’s world is filled with mass production and mass consumption. We are flooded with “stuff,” and that’s our standard. Inorganic elements fill your space, and tableware falls into the same category. And Bizen ware can bring organic elements to that space to bring back your senses.
Yes, glazed ware could provide you that as well, but Bizen ware is as natural as ceramics can get. It doesn’t use anything else but natural ingredients. Clay is from the rice field and the mountain, and the fire is created by pine trees. Nothing else. So I believe the primitive ware provides something energetic.
Is there a favorite word you keep in mind?
Simplicity. There’s so much thinking process inside my head before its outcome takes form. But my goal is to make the final form as straightforward as possible, which goes for both lines. I try to express the beauty in form and usefulness of ware in the most ordinary way possible.Since we’ve met, you’ve always expressed your desire to preserve the Japanese traditional culture as a whole, not just Bizen ware. How does that reflect on your two lines, Narutaki and Kiko?
Being a Bizen ware artist has never been about expressing myself. I always felt that the history and culture of Japan needed to be passed on to the next generation. But to do that, it needs to be accepted by the modern world.
I created the Narutaki line to be the entrance door to the world of Bizen ware for those who aren’t familiar with it. And the Kiko line to be a brand for core fans of Bizen ware.
Making Approachable Pieces
It’s rare to encounter an artist who thinks so much for the industry itself and ends up creating two different brands. What gave you the idea to do so?
It’s because I was always on the user’s side before entering this world. I wasn’t an artist who studied art in school, nor was it my family business. I was just into cooking and saw ceramics enriched the home experience. I simply knew what I liked to have in my space.
I haven’t lost that perspective to this day. I wanted to provide a place where people could see ceramics as daily items instead of going to a gallery or a museum.
This user-centric approach to your work. Does this apply to other aspects of your life?
Most likely! I always believed most things are aggregated into one true essence. That’s the core value of all. But I don’t think it’s what everyone should aim to achieve.
Take a guitarist as an example. The world’s best guitarist may be the most skilled and experienced, but that doesn’t mean the mass audience could appreciate the music, does it? There also need musicians who can break down the complexity of his music and make it more acceptable to the mass, like Pop music.
That’s what my role is in my industry. I’m that artist who makes it easier for more people to use and enjoy Bizen ware.
The essence of Bizen ware
So what is the core value of Bizen ware then?
That it’s high-fired and unglazed. That’s the ultimate value of Bizen ware. This could also apply to Japanese aesthetics as a whole, but Bizen ware finds beauty in distortion and asymmetry. And this distortion is not a product of coincidence; it’s actually intentional.
Of course, some elements naturally happen in the kiln, and those are also interesting. But the big part of imperfection in Bizen ware is designed.
These intentional imperfections. How does it apply to your two different lines?
I tend to respect distortion more in the Kiko line. With the Narutaki line, on the other hand, I try to keep it simple and less distorted. The difference in patterns and colors from firing is minimal, which may be too simple for the core Bizen ware fans. But I try to make them easy to use in daily life with the Narutaki line…so it doesn’t disturb the table experience so much. With the Kiko line, the individuality is all out, with distortion and everything.
How do you think Bizen ware makes a difference in one’s daily life?
Today’s world is filled with mass production and mass consumption. We are flooded with “stuff,” and that’s our standard. Inorganic elements fill your space, and tableware falls into the same category. And Bizen ware can bring organic elements to that space to bring back your senses.
Yes, glazed ware could provide you that as well, but Bizen ware is as natural as ceramics can get. It doesn’t use anything else but natural ingredients. Clay is from the rice field and the mountain, and the fire is created by pine trees. Nothing else. So I believe the primitive ware provides something energetic.
Is there a favorite word you keep in mind?
Simplicity. There’s so much thinking process inside my head before its outcome takes form. But my goal is to make the final form as straightforward as possible, which goes for both lines. I try to express the beauty in form and usefulness of ware in the most ordinary way possible.See Narutaki Collection
