As a young potter and a woman, Tsuchiya certainly puts a new spin on Karatsu tradition. But her goal is the same as it has always been here. To simply create a piece of pottery is, ultimately, half the story, for a vessel becomes complete only when it is used to serve food. As her mentor Nakazato says, “In Japan, pottery becomes part of people’s lives.”
The Details
Staying There
Ryokan Yoyokaku (011-0955-72-7181; www.yoyokaku.com; from $141), in Karatsu, makes a great base for exploring the area. From the first cry of “Greetings!” to the hunt for “super-sizu” slippers to fit my American-size feet, I enjoyed outstanding service at this classic Japanese inn, built in 1893. Yoyokaku features a traditional garden with 300-year-old sculpted pines, a nine-course kaiseki dinner served on Takashi Nakazato’s tableware, and a gallery of Nakazato’s work. The owners speak English and will make arrangements for visits to local potters and restaurants.
Drive through the hot-springs resort town of Ureshino and follow a mountain road past neatly pruned rows of tea bushes to reach Siiba Sanso (011-0954-42-3600; www.shiibasanso.com—in Japanese but with good photos; from $178). This comfortable, modern lodge is set in a cedar forest and has a superb stone rotenburo, or “outdoor bath,” that overlooks a rushing stream. It’s the perfect place to unwind after a day of pottery hunting (you can also soak without staying over).
Eating There
Both Kawashima Tofu (0955-72-2423), in Karatsu, and Hisago (0955-46-3135), in nearby Arita (famous for porcelain), require reservations. The tiny Tukuda restaurant (0955-74-6665), near the Karatsu fish market, has only seven seats and serves the freshest sushi in town on both Takashi Nakazato’s and Yukiko Tsuchiya’s pottery. To get a taste of the area’s southern flavor, pull up a stool at Kanto Ken (0955-72-0045; no reservations) for a local specialty called tonkotsu ramen, a big bowl of hearty pork-stock soup loaded with handmade noodles.
To experience the connection between Japanese food and pottery closer to home, dine at New York City’s dazzling Matsuri (369 West 16th Street; 212-243-6400), where chef Tadashi Ono, who is also a potter, worked closely with Japanese and American artists to design tableware for his contemporary Japanese cuisine. At Manhattan’s Donguri (309 East 83rd Street; 212-737-5656), a 24-seat gem specializing in Kansai kappo ryori (regional cooking), chef Hitohi Kagawa serves a seasonal menu on cheerful, folk art-style pottery. In San Francisco, Ozumo (161 Steuart Street; 415-882-1333) commissioned a Japanese potter living in the Bay Area to create plates for chef Katsuo Nagasawa’s California-influenced cuisine.
Being There
Although I crashed my first rental car after exactly five minutes, I recommend you brave left-side driving to fully appreciate the Karatsu area (I did much better with the second car). It would be difficult to visit all these potters any other way. Jinenbo Nakagawa (0955-52-2566), Takashi Nakazato (0955-74-3503), and Yukiko Tsuchiya (0955-56-8701) all welcome visitors to their studios. Another terrific Karatsu potter is Robert Okasaki (0955-75-3901), who was born in Lodi, California, and has been making pottery in Japan for more than three decades. Two excellent online resources are “Kyushu: A Paradise for Pottery”from the Japan National Tourist Organization (japantravelinfo.com/traveltrade/itinerary_pdf/pottery.pdf), with a downloadable itinerary, and e-Yakimono.net, the best English-language website I’ve found on Japanese ceramics, produced by pottery authority and gallery owner Robert Yellin, an American who lives in Japan.
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