The Amazing People of Kumagawa-juku: Master potter Nao Tobinaga

Nao Tobinaga's pottery is nestled in the heart of the post town Kumagawa-juku, where she spends her days crafting a wide variety of works for purchase. Sometimes you can see her teaching the children from the local elementary school or even the rare traveler how to make a dish, mug, or something else entirely.

Originally from Kyoto, she often came to visit the ocean through the Wakasa bay and she said that she always had an affinity for the countryside way of life. She eventually made her way up north to work at a pottery in Oi Town, which is about 40 minutes from Kumagawa-juku. Having spent 18 years at that company, she decided on becoming independent and made the move to Kumagawa-juku after finding an akiya (abandoned home) 6 years ago in 2018. The home she moved into was once a merchant shop that specialized in rice and miso and had been an akiya since 1998.

Nao's pottery

Nao's biggest influence in her life is her father, who is a pottery maker and still makes pottery to this day. Her father went to a pottery school in Kyoto and became an independent potter after a short stint at a pottery in the big city. He particularly enjoys painting images onto finished works and is especially fond of painting flowers. Spending her entire childhood surrounded by pottery, Nao thought she'd never touch pottery. However, by the time she graduated high school, the feeling of wanting to create was at the forefront of her mind and so she started by learning textiles. Nao spent a few years working at a textile company in Kyoto, but she soon found that clay gave her more freedom and was easier to work with than yarn. She then went to the same pottery school in Kyoto that her father attended and soon after came to the pottery in Oi Town, Fukui prefecture.

Early in her career, she would often make full use of her imagination to create amazing yet unusable works of art. As time passed, and since coming to Kumagawa-juku, she has switched to making items that people use in their daily lives. Plates, bowls, and cups are just some of the items that she makes. The clay used at her pottery is flat, without many bumps, perfect for creating dishware. I spent an hour using a manual pottery wheel to create a plate that I hope to use for dinner at home. As someone who hasn't done pottery since middle school, she was very understanding and helpful to me in her method of teaching.

Nao with her earlier works.

Right across from her pottery is the kiln she uses for finishing the items that she and her customers make. The building where her kiln is located is in another store that also produces pottery, but only for personal use. The one she uses now is new and electrically-powered, while the other one is older and uses gas as its source of power. However, once a year in October, Nao uses an ascending kiln or noborigama which gives the finished product a more natural color, but takes 3 days compared with 12 hours using her new stove.

An example of an ascending kiln

Currently, all of her products are made within Kumagawa-juku and she believes that the Kumagawa-juku ideas of simplicity and usefulness are heavily influences in her pottery today. Nao Tobinaga is looking for people to break out their imagination and put all their energy and focus into a piece that not only represents themselves, but also something that you can use for many years to come.

Some of her recent works.

Nao has two brothers, one who deals in antiques and another who is a massage therapist. Nao's father is still creating pottery in his home in northern Kyoto. Her hobbies are playing the guitar and growing vegetables in her garden.

For those interested in taking part in Nao's pottery class or just interested in meeting her, feel free to contact Yao-Kumagawa at the email below.

*She uses her kiln in batches, so it can take upwards of a month or two to receive your finished product.

* It is possible to send it overseas, but be aware of the possibility of it breaking during transit.

Yao-Kumagawa hotel

walker@dekita-tokyo.com

30-6-1 Kumagawa, Wakasa, Mikatakaminaka District, Fukui 919-1532

I can't wait to receive my final product!