On Tuesday, October 21st, the university held the 73rd kiln opening at its Kakiemon-style kiln *, and approximately 500 pieces were taken out of the kiln, including works by students from the Department of Living Environment Design Faculty of Art and Design. This time, the works also included those of local residents who participated in the "First Pottery Experience Class" open lecture held at the university on Wednesday, September 10th.
Under the guidance of Professor Takamori Seiji of the Department Department of Living Environment Design Faculty of Art and Design, students took turns burning firewood overnight from Wednesday, October 15th to Thursday, October 16th, with the kiln reaching a maximum temperature of 1.20°C. Five days later, while the residual heat was still lingering, the works removed from the kiln included many unique pieces, such as large plates and teacups as well as objects modeled after cats and fish. The satisfied expressions of the students as they inspected the finished works were very impressive. Some of the works produced this time will also be on sale at the university festival (Kashii Festival), which will be held from Saturday, November 1st.
Local residents who had participated in the class came to watch the opening of the kiln, saying, "It was my first pottery class and I had a lot of fun. I was quite moved when the work I had made with my own hands was taken out of the kiln," and "I was able to participate in a long-awaited pottery experience, and both the teacher and the students were kind, so I had a really good time." On the day, local residents were seen asking the students enthusiastic questions about the workings of the kiln and the works they made.
The persimmons planted next to the Kakiemon-style kiln in Arita were beginning to turn color, and the opening of the kiln gave the local residents a pleasant autumnal feel, along with a pleasant breeze.
*The Kakiemon-style kiln on our campus was built in October 2000 by the late Sakaida Kakiemon XIV, a professor at our university's Graduate Graduate School of Fine Arts, with the hope that "young people with aspirations to become artists would be able to experience firsthand the profound depth of traditional craftsmanship." Designed in accordance with the secret Kakiemon-style kiln, it combines the functions of both a climbing kiln and a single kiln, and is the only Kakiemon kiln of its kind owned by our university apart from the other Kakiemon kilns in Arita Town, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture.
[Department of Living Environment Design, Industry-Academia Co-innovation and Research Promotion Headquarters]
