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PART I

"Seisho Kuniyoshi" is the first installation in the memoir of potter Clayton Amemiya, describing his introduction to Japanese ceramics. Forty years ago, while working at the U.S. Consulate General in Naha, Okinawa, Amemiya began a new career path after a chance meeting with the controversial Okinawan potter, Seisho Kuniyoshi, who died tragically in 2000. Kuniyoshi's works were featured in a retrospective exhibit at Waseda University in Tokyo in 2005.

A month after my arrival in Okinawa, the secretary of the office where I worked invited me to accompany her to visit a certain garden in Yomitan Village. A student of ikebana, she visited various nurseries on the island to purchase plant materials for her hobby. I shared with her my interest in plants and as I had not yet ventured outside Naha City, she offered to take me to the garden owned by a Mr. Kuniyoshi.

That Sunday in November, 1972, was spectacularly beautiful, the sky a baby blue, the air cool and comfortable. As we pulled up to the garden, I noticed plants similar to those in Hawaii like hibiscus and ti. But unlike Hawaii, large butterflies of various shapes and colors were everywhere, flying in and out of the blossoms. The scene was familiar, and yet strange. Content to walk the periphery of the garden while the secretary went inside to purchase her supplies, I noticed a red-tiled hut near the center of the property. Surrounded by tall hibiscus plants, here, especially, were many swallowtail , black butterflies drinking nectar from the lacy, red flowers.

Seisho's studio

Tea Bowl Seisho Kuniyoshi

The structure turned out to be the studio of Mr. Kuniyoshi’s son, Seisho, a 29 year old ceramic artist who at that time produced Japanese tableware heavily influenced by traditional Okinawan style. His honest, superb, and relaxed craftsmanship attracted me to clay, and by the end of my one year tenure on the island, just by hanging out with him, I learned a great deal about pottery. We visited museums, antique shops, and exhibitions, spending hours discussing ceramics. Sometimes we handled pots by Hamada, Kawai, or Leach, not to mention masterpieces created by the ‘unknown craftsmen’ in 16th century Korea, China and Japan. What a rush it was to hold such great works of art! It was a wonderful time for me.

Seisho was my friend as well as teacher. Just three years my senior, we somehow managed to communicate despite my poor Japanese language skills at the outset of my stay on the island. Like most other Japanese potters, he had an extensive library of ceramic books that I devoured whenever possible. Looking at splendid photographs of work by famous potters, I realized the Japanese ceramic world was very diverse. Styles ranged from solidly thrown Mingei (folk art) stoneware to fine porcelains to sophisticated tea ware. The pedigrees of certain potters in different parts of the country dated back many generations, and what they all shared was a total command of their craft and devotion to their respective styles. Especially fascinating were the naturally glazed, wood fired jars in places like Bizen, Tamba and Shigaraki where there remain a few potters today creating excellent work in the traditional manner. The pots, warped and cracked due to hundreds of hours of direct exposure to the relentless flame, were transformed into objects that were alive and full of character. No wonder some of the best historical examples were given special names and were so treasured that their values remain astronomical.

Seisho walking on a country road north of Nago city

I sometimes accompanied Seisho to gather clay or glaze materials and one such outing was especially memorable. It was Saturday morning and I arrived at the workshop at the designated time but I was surprised to see him waiting for me. This was unusual since I normally had to wait for him to start the work day. We skipped the usual cup of tea and small talk, climbed into his truck and drove towards the northern end of the island. It was already warm, the start of another very hot Okinawan summer’s day. After an hour as we approached the city of Nago, he turned off the road and we were soon in the midst of tiny plots of pineapple so unlike the vast Dole and Del Monte fields I grew up with in Wahiawa. I wondered who tended these little gardens. Parking on the side of the tiny, yellowed dirt road, we grabbed burlap bags and climbed a trail leading up to a small plateau. This place was a deposit of fine, pinkish white clay that Seisho and a handful of his friends frequented. Perhaps he had been acting so peculiar that morning because he was unsure whether or not to show me the spot. I was surprised to see a number of crudely written cardboard placards saying "No Digging". One sign, however, looked official and I was unable to read it except for the company name and logo. A large Japanese corporation had recently acquired the land to build a resort so we were obviously trespassing!

As we filled the burlap bags with the beautiful, rock hard clay, we were startled by two very elderly, toothless women pulling an equally ancient horse laden with pineapples. We had been totally unaware of their approach on a trail at the opposite end of the plateau. Their brown faces were lined with deep wrinkles and they were barefooted, wearing dark kimonos soiled and full of holes. They both stopped, squatted on their haunches and began speaking in a dialect that I could not understand. After rolling Bull Durham type cigarettes and taking deep drags, I noticed faint, bluish tattoos between their knuckles. Seisho stopped digging and remained silent for what seemed an eternity. He then reached into his pocket, pulled out a 500 yen note (about two dollars at the time) and handed it to one of the women who soon rose and led the horse down the trail, disappearing like phantoms of a time long past. We grabbed our half-filled sacks, climbed back down the path and drove back in silence. We never went back to that spot even though the clay was extremely fine.

four small vessels Seisho Kuniyoshi

Learn more about Hawaii artist Clayton Amemiya and his works in the idspace section of HI Art, or in our on-line store.