Kazuhiko Uchida is a Wake-Town-based Bizen ware artist who’s been in the field for over 20 years. He started studying in his late 20s, became independent in 2005, and has been active in exhibitions within Japan since. In 2018, he participated in a project called “Anagama de Bizen 2018” in France as part of Japonisme 2018, certified by the Japan Foundation.
Originally an Agricultural Chemistry graduate, Uchida approaches his ceramic art from a unique angle that is exploratory and sometimes even abstractive. His black tableware series, for example, is not of traditional Bizen ware you typically come across. They are minimalistic, chic, and modern. Their defined, sharp lines are delicate yet masculine at the same time. “Thinking about the users first, simplicity is my goal for these pieces. In that, I still want to value individuality that’s the nature of Bizen ware.”
Next to the black series in his studio are geometric-shaped vases and sculptures—another highly rare interpretation of Bizen ware. These styles may seem somewhat random at a glance. But they are essential in his pursuit of art. “My work aligns with my mood like a pendulum going from practical pieces to something more abstract and experimental. I need balance in my different yearnings, and if I’m not having fun making it, it would be reflected in the piece. ”
You may be surprised by his flexibleness and chill vibe, coming from an artist of a traditional Japanese pottery culture. But it’s evident Uchida lives by this attitude, and he does so consciously. “My #1 motto is, if you can do it tomorrow, don’t do it today. Don’t keep adding to-dos to your list. Only do what you have to do today, and intentionally make time for what is off your list.” This is how he also became proficient at building his road bike and computer while making a stereo with his Bizen ware in his spare time.
“I think learning new things helps keep my senses sharp. ” Uchida says. In fact, this was actually how Uchida got into the world of Bizen ware. “As an engineer, I’d always been interested in the technical side of creation and its process. If I try to make something but can’t, I get highly motivated to understand why and how it works. Iterating and becoming better from point zero is what I enjoy the most. That’s what I ended up doing with Bizen ware for years.”
But his way of application was forced to shift when he visited France as part of a workshop. “My core value as an artist got shaken up when I went to Paris in 2018. As I tried to explain to people what I did for work, I realized no one cared that I was interested in the technical side of the process. My career to that point was just based on my own ego. But it needed to be less about technicality and more about what I felt and what I wanted to express as an artist. ”
Japonismes 2018
Japan and France collaborated to hold a large-scale, complex cultural art event that introduced “the charm of Japanese culture not yet known to the world”, held mainly in Paris, the arts capital in France. 2018 was the 160th anniversary of the friendship between Japan and France.
Seeing the bigger world also changed his perspective towards the Bizen ware industry. “Living in the small world of Bizen ware can easily make you feel like there’s a box you need to fit in, and that’s the only box set up in front of you: making plates and cups. But going abroad and seeing different artists and cultures assured me that wasn’t the case. I realized I could push the boundaries in this world and do something other than making tableware. Why do what everyone else does? And why must a ceramic artist only make ceramics and a sculptor only sculpture? I can express my own art where ceramics and sculpture art intersect. I think of that as my strength. ”
Achieving his authenticity wasn’t always easy. There were times he tried to make pieces he thought his clients liked instead of following his own intuition. “I learned it the hard way that these pieces don’t appeal to anyone. It took me almost 20 years before I finally became comfortable enough to abandon the idea of making what customers like. But until I did, I wasn’t true to myself or my Bizen ware.”
“My mentor recently told me that my work has finally become something worth looking at,” Uchida says with a shy smile. “He said it’s simplified and more focused. It has less noise. And he’s right because I’ve given up many desires to come to where I am and what I do today.”
“I think you become yourself by shutting out noises around you and what doesn’t work for you. It’s extremely difficult to let go of things you believe are part of you, though. I’m aware that being myself is a challenge, but in the end, I’ve always thrived only for what I love. That’s what creates good art, nothing else. ”
Next to the black series in his studio are geometric-shaped vases and sculptures—another highly rare interpretation of Bizen ware. These styles may seem somewhat random at a glance. But they are essential in his pursuit of art. “My work aligns with my mood like a pendulum going from practical pieces to something more abstract and experimental. I need balance in my different yearnings, and if I’m not having fun making it, it would be reflected in the piece. ”
You may be surprised by his flexibleness and chill vibe, coming from an artist of a traditional Japanese pottery culture. But it’s evident Uchida lives by this attitude, and he does so consciously. “My #1 motto is, if you can do it tomorrow, don’t do it today. Don’t keep adding to-dos to your list. Only do what you have to do today, and intentionally make time for what is off your list.” This is how he also became proficient at building his road bike and computer while making a stereo with his Bizen ware in his spare time.
“I think learning new things helps keep my senses sharp. ” Uchida says. In fact, this was actually how Uchida got into the world of Bizen ware. “As an engineer, I’d always been interested in the technical side of creation and its process. If I try to make something but can’t, I get highly motivated to understand why and how it works. Iterating and becoming better from point zero is what I enjoy the most. That’s what I ended up doing with Bizen ware for years.”
But his way of application was forced to shift when he visited France as part of a workshop. “My core value as an artist got shaken up when I went to Paris in 2018. As I tried to explain to people what I did for work, I realized no one cared that I was interested in the technical side of the process. My career to that point was just based on my own ego. But it needed to be less about technicality and more about what I felt and what I wanted to express as an artist. ”
Japan and France collaborated to hold a large-scale, complex cultural art event that introduced “the charm of Japanese culture not yet known to the world”, held mainly in Paris, the arts capital in France. 2018 was the 160th anniversary of the friendship between Japan and France.
Seeing the bigger world also changed his perspective towards the Bizen ware industry. “Living in the small world of Bizen ware can easily make you feel like there’s a box you need to fit in, and that’s the only box set up in front of you: making plates and cups. But going abroad and seeing different artists and cultures assured me that wasn’t the case. I realized I could push the boundaries in this world and do something other than making tableware. Why do what everyone else does? And why must a ceramic artist only make ceramics and a sculptor only sculpture? I can express my own art where ceramics and sculpture art intersect. I think of that as my strength. ”
Achieving his authenticity wasn’t always easy. There were times he tried to make pieces he thought his clients liked instead of following his own intuition. “I learned it the hard way that these pieces don’t appeal to anyone. It took me almost 20 years before I finally became comfortable enough to abandon the idea of making what customers like. But until I did, I wasn’t true to myself or my Bizen ware.”
“My mentor recently told me that my work has finally become something worth looking at,” Uchida says with a shy smile. “He said it’s simplified and more focused. It has less noise. And he’s right because I’ve given up many desires to come to where I am and what I do today.”
“I think you become yourself by shutting out noises around you and what doesn’t work for you. It’s extremely difficult to let go of things you believe are part of you, though. I’m aware that being myself is a challenge, but in the end, I’ve always thrived only for what I love. That’s what creates good art, nothing else. ”
See Uchida Collection
