Our documentary tells the story of one of Japan’s most respected studio potters, Ken Matsuzaki. Set against the backdrop of his picturesque Mashiko studio in Japan, it gives a revealing insight into his creative journey and his philosophy on art and working practice. Born into an artistic family, Matsuzaki talks of his apprenticeship with National Living Treasure, Tatsuzo Shimaoka and the subsequent difficulties in finding his own voice. We hear how his pottery town was decimated by the terrible earthquake of 2011 and the international efforts to rebuild it. We see him at work in his studio and we are taken to his exhibitions in Japan and England and hear of his desire now to encourage younger Mashiko potters to be true to themselves as artists and promote them on a world stage.
Masterclass | Ken Matsuzaki | Throwing Chawan
While photographing the Japanese potter Ken Matsuzaki for the Goldmark Gallery 2007 monograph, Jay Goldmark was invited to film Matsuzaki in his studio at his kick wheel throwing Chawan (Teabowls) ‘off the hump’ (from a large, single mound of clay). This is rare footage of one of Japan’s internationally respected potters at work.
