Young pottery with a solid shape that makes you want to touch it and a primitive earthenware feel
"I feel like there are an increasing number of young people who can create things from scratch with fresh ideas while making the most of the natural texture of the material, known as 'tsuchiaji,'" says Akiko Yuza of Licht, a pottery and handicraft store in Sapporo. In her twenties, she aspired to be a tableware maker and became involved in the world of tea ceremony ceramics and antiques, before also working in a gallery of lifestyle crafts. She is a reliable presence who can approach tableware from a variety of perspectives.
The shop, which opened in 2019, stocks works by local artists with whom he has had a relationship. These include the ceramic lacquerware of Noto Chikae, who is active in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, and the white porcelain of Ito Yoshiyuki. Other works include Goeihi from Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, and Kaji Manabu from Date City, Hokkaido. Many of the pieces are "simple pieces that you will never tire of even if you use them every day, and that you will want to pick up," but each piece possesses a beauty that could be described as practical art, drawing both the eye and the hand.
Carbonized ware by Ishikawa Hironobu, born in Sapporo in 1981. The unglazed base is fired inside rice husks. Carbon is baked into the ware to create a natural pattern. On the right is a 25cm diameter round plate for 11,000 yen, and on the left is an oval plate for 7,700 yen. 
On this day, there was a solo exhibition by Katsuji Kamata, who makes dry lacquerware in Noto.
"What I'm focusing on is the beautiful charcoal-fired pottery made by Ishikawa Hironobu of Toki City, Gifu Prefecture, which is like an abstract painting. The clay before firing is painstakingly polished with the back of a spoon to create a smooth texture." The shop's name, Licht, means light in German. The shop carefully interprets the work of the creators and continues to shine a light on them with respect.
