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Kurinuki Workshop in Amsterdam with Yamato Kyoshitsu Sasaki postponed until summer 2021
The Kurinuki workshop has been postponed until summer 2021.
During my trip to Japan in October 2018, I met a Master potter in his studio named Yamato Kyoshitsu Sasaki. He lives and work in near Kyoto, in the traditional city called Kameoka. He was very friendly and showed me his studio, kilns and work. His chawans are made in a special technique and fired in a Raku kiln, a very different way of firing Raku as we know in the west.
Yamato Kyoshitsu Sasaki and I kept in contact. After a very successful workshop in 2019, we are now organising a second workshop in Amsterdam. For the second time he is coming to The Netherlands to give a workshop here. He will learn you the skills of the technique of Kurinuki.
Kurinuki means emptying the inner-side of a pot. It is a very old Japanese traditional way of working with clay. You start off with a block of clay that you will work on with tools on the outside and then to empty the pot progressively, slowly making the Chawan (tea bowl) thinner and lighter. This approach is also seen as a Zen meditation kind of working process, as it means emptying your mind from any thought as you empty the teabowl.
During the two day workshop, Sasaki will be accompanied by Nessim Cohen, one of his students, who will help with the translation and tea ceremony during workshop.
About Mr. Yamato Kyoshitsu Sasaki
Mr. Sasaki is the fourth generation of a family of potters to practice the Kurinuki and Raku firing of Chawans. His family has been given the name “ShouRaku” by the Japanese authorities, the inclusion of the character “Raku” implying that the family’s work is recognized as very important for the traditions and evolutions of Japanese arts. To this day, only seven families have received the name “Raku” in Japan.
The artist name Kyoshitsu means “Empty Room” in Japanese. Just like the technique of the Kurinuki, it implies that Sasaki aims at emptying his mind. It is at the heart of the Zen practice of meditation. This name has been given to him by one of the high-priest of Daitokuji in Kyoto, one of the most important Zen temples of Japan.
Sasaki fires his Tea bowls with extreme care. No more than 5 at a time in a gasoven. Today, his works have been recognized in Japan by the highest tea masters of the main schools and by the artistic community as leading works to bridge the gap between tradition and modernity.
The two day workshop will take place just outside of Amsterdam during the week on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 of August 2020.
For more information, send me an email on info@martinadielen.nl
