I began living on the slope of another mountain. Honestly, the exact location didn\u2019t matter to me, so I decided on the first place I was shown. There was a small house on about 500 tsubo of land (roughly 1,650 square meters), and I felt it had potential. With such a large plot, I could grow vegetables and support my family. The house itself, however, was in terrible condition. There was a large hole in the roof \u2014 you could see the sky through it \u2014 so I repaired it little by little while living there.<\/p>\n"}]},{"interview_heading":"Was it difficult when you first started living there?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":"
Yes. The land was teeming with mountain leeches, and everyone \u2014 including the children \u2014 ended up completely covered in blood. Sometimes, when we went into the city, I felt a deep sense of being home and quietly thought, \u201cAh, we\u2019re back\u2026\u201d As I wrote in my book \u5c71\u662f\u5c71\u6c34\u662f\u6c34 (\u2018Yama Kore Yama, Mizu Kore Mizu\u2019, translated as \u201cMountain is Mountain, Water is Water\u201d), I took everything \u2014 including the hardships \u2014 as my own responsibility and somehow managed to get through it.
\nFor the children, I think simply living in the mountains was more than enough to be enjoyable. Not just for children \u2014 anyone will naturally adapt to their environment. And now, they\u2019ve also adapted to city life. My eldest son, once skilled at slaughtering and butchering chickens, has recently said, \u201cI might not be able to do it anymore, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n"}]}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_headings","headings_list":[{"acf_fc_layout":"heading_large","large":"Regarding creative activities"}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_images","images_list":[{"acf_fc_layout":"one_column","image":{"ID":34482,"id":34482,"title":"image","filename":"image-1.jpeg","filesize":559681,"url":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/editorial\/kenichitakanaka25_interview\/image-87\/","alt":"","author":"5","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-87","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":34480,"date":"2025-09-19 10:27:51","modified":"2025-09-19 10:27:51","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1784,"height":1189,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1-300x200.jpeg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1-768x512.jpeg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1-1024x682.jpeg","large-width":1024,"large-height":682,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1-1536x1024.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1784,"2048x2048-height":1189}},"comment":""}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_interview","repeater_interview":[{"interview_heading":"How did you get started with pottery?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":"
I originally started doing day labor to support my family\u2014things like mowing the grass at golf courses or repairing landslide damage. Working at those sites, I handled soil a lot, and gradually I thought, \u201cMaybe I could do pottery with this same feeling of working with the earth.\u201d That\u2019s more or less how I started\u2014just kind of casually, without any particular plan.<\/p>\n"}]},{"interview_heading":"Did you learn everything on your own?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":"
I\u2019ve always had a fondness for antiques\u2014collecting various things and watching films about them\u2014so perhaps I already had a certain grounding. I was also fortunate to have opportunities where people taught me different things. But once you live up in the mountains, inevitably it becomes self-study. Most of the work was the kind you only understood by actually trying. I began when I was 29, so this year makes 30 years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At one point, the president of the company where I used to work said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you take on some work for us?\u201d and gave me a job distributing flyers. I would deliver a week\u2019s worth to Tokyo, get paid, and save up. With that money, I bought a large amount of scrap materials and began building a kiln.<\/p>\n"}]},{"interview_heading":"At that time, there was no internet and very little information available. How did you go about building a kiln?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":"
I often used to go to the Shoji Hamada Memorial Mashiko Reference Collection and studied the kilns there as carefully as I could. But no matter how closely I looked, once I actually started building one myself, I realized I didn\u2019t understand at all. Somehow I managed to give it shape, but the first kiln collapsed after only six firings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Through trial and error, the kiln I use now can fire in a relatively short time, so I\u2019ve been able to keep going. But if I had stuck with the old kiln, I don\u2019t think my body could have endured it. Honestly, once I\u2019ve burned through the firewood I have now, I intend to stop making pottery. I\u2019ve already reached sixty, and firing a kiln through the night really is grueling work.<\/p>\n"}]}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_images","images_list":[{"acf_fc_layout":"two_column","one":{"first_image":{"ID":34483,"id":34483,"title":"image","filename":"image-2.jpeg","filesize":451186,"url":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-2.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/editorial\/kenichitakanaka25_interview\/image-88\/","alt":"","author":"5","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-88","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":34480,"date":"2025-09-19 10:32:29","modified":"2025-09-19 10:32:29","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1707,"height":2560,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-2-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-2-200x300.jpeg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-2-768x1152.jpeg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":1152,"large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-2-683x1024.jpeg","large-width":683,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-2-1024x1536.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-2-1366x2048.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1366,"2048x2048-height":2048}},"first_comment":""},"two":{"second_image":{"ID":34484,"id":34484,"title":"image","filename":"image-3.jpeg","filesize":328354,"url":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-3.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/editorial\/kenichitakanaka25_interview\/image-89\/","alt":"","author":"5","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-89","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":34480,"date":"2025-09-19 10:32:40","modified":"2025-09-19 10:32:40","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1707,"height":2560,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-3-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-3-200x300.jpeg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-3-768x1152.jpeg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":1152,"large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-3-683x1024.jpeg","large-width":683,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-3-1024x1536.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-3-1366x2048.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1366,"2048x2048-height":2048}},"second_comment":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"one_column","image":{"ID":34485,"id":34485,"title":"image","filename":"image-4.jpeg","filesize":482105,"url":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-4.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/editorial\/kenichitakanaka25_interview\/image-90\/","alt":"","author":"5","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-90","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":34480,"date":"2025-09-19 10:33:09","modified":"2025-09-19 10:33:09","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1784,"height":1189,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-4-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-4-300x200.jpeg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-4-768x512.jpeg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-4-1024x682.jpeg","large-width":1024,"large-height":682,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-4-1536x1024.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-4.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1784,"2048x2048-height":1189}},"comment":""}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_interview","repeater_interview":[{"interview_heading":"I\u2019d like to ask about your painting as well. You had already been working on painting before you started living in the mountains, right? Does it feel different from pottery?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":"
Yes, I even held solo exhibitions. Painting is more difficult, you know. Because you have to create everything entirely from zero. With pottery, there\u2019s the texture of the clay itself, the assistance of the wheel, and in the end the fire completes the work. But painting isn\u2019t something just anyone can do.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The biggest difference between pottery and painting is the part of the brain you\u2019re using. Of course, you also use your heart. With pottery too, you use both brain and heart, but because there are repetitive tasks, you can produce a certain volume. Painting isn\u2019t like that. The kind of physical fatigue it brings is completely different as well.<\/p>\n"}]},{"interview_heading":"At first, your series focused on everyday life. After that, it shifted toward \u2018Space Defense Force.\u2019 Around this point, one can sense a change in your style. How do you perceive that yourself?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":"
Even in the early works depicting everyday life, there were major challenges and changes before I arrived at that point. By \u201ceveryday,\u201d I don\u2019t mean only the present moment\u2014time from my childhood is also an important part of my everyday. That\u2019s why the kaiju and space I was obsessed with at the time naturally poured out from within me. I suddenly realized, \u201cAh! This is what I truly like.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I actually tried turning that into a work, it was fun. So it wasn\u2019t a sudden change; the appearance of space and kaiju was simply an extension of valuing everyday life. You could say it\u2019s something honest, raw, and emerging directly from my own core.<\/p>\n"}]},{"interview_heading":"Your paintings seem to combine the innocence of a child with the perspective of an adult. I feel that expression is remarkable. You\u2019ve said before that achieving that is difficult.","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":" It\u2019s very difficult. If I try to paint purely like a child, it ends up feeling forced. Inevitably, the \u201cadult\u201d elements I\u2019ve acquired through the process of growing up appear in the work. But I don\u2019t intend to deny that. On the contrary, I try to paint while bringing them along, accepting everything as it is. Right now, I really enjoy engaging with this style.<\/p>\n"}]}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_headings","headings_list":[{"acf_fc_layout":"heading_large","large":"Everyday Life and Zen, and What Lies Ahead"}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_images","images_list":[{"acf_fc_layout":"one_column","image":{"ID":34486,"id":34486,"title":"image","filename":"image-5.jpeg","filesize":716013,"url":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-5.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/editorial\/kenichitakanaka25_interview\/image-91\/","alt":"","author":"5","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-91","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":34480,"date":"2025-09-19 10:36:17","modified":"2025-09-19 10:36:17","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1784,"height":1189,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-5-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-5-300x200.jpeg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-5-768x512.jpeg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-5-1024x682.jpeg","large-width":1024,"large-height":682,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-5-1536x1024.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-5.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1784,"2048x2048-height":1189}},"comment":""}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_interview","repeater_interview":[{"interview_heading":"Could you tell us about a typical day?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":" I wake up at 4 a.m., start the fire, and boil water. After breakfast, I go to my study on the second floor, read classical Chinese poetry aloud, and begin work. Then, together with my wife, I go into the mountains with our dog, collecting firewood in a backpack before returning home. After that, I take care of the goats.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n From there, it\u2019s time for study in the arbor. Right now I\u2019m studying Japanese classics, so I read The Tale of Genji<\/em> aloud and practice zazen. Afterward, in the room where I keep the Buddha, I chant the Heart Sutra, then engage in creative work such as oil painting and pottery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After lunch and a nap, I do physical labor, like splitting firewood. In the evening, I take a bath, enjoy drinks while snacking on my cooking, and always watch one episode of an old tokusatsu show (live-action superhero tv show). Right now, I\u2019m watching Moonlight Mask<\/em>, which aired before I was born, and I find it educational as well. Then I get into bed and fall asleep while reading a book.<\/p>\n"}]},{"interview_heading":"To what extent has Zen influenced you at a fundamental level?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":" It\u2019s significant. But if someone asks, \u201cWhat exactly is the influence of Zen?\u201d<\/em> it\u2019s very difficult to answer.<\/p>\n"}]},{"interview_heading":"You\u2019ve mentioned wanting to eventually stop pottery, but will you continue creating in the future?","interview_answer":[{"name":"T","answer":" To live is to create. What I\u2019m conscious of is that I want to devote all the remaining energy of my life to making work. I\u2019m not trying to become some extraordinary artist, nor am I aiming for anything in particular. Everything is determined by heaven. Whether my work sells or doesn\u2019t sell, I want to keep creating just the same. I\u2019ve lived that way all my life.<\/p>\n"}]}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_images","images_list":[{"acf_fc_layout":"two_column","one":{"first_image":{"ID":34487,"id":34487,"title":"image","filename":"image-6.jpeg","filesize":776568,"url":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-6.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/editorial\/kenichitakanaka25_interview\/image-92\/","alt":"","author":"5","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-92","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":34480,"date":"2025-09-19 10:39:31","modified":"2025-09-19 10:39:31","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1707,"height":2560,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-6-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-6-200x300.jpeg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-6-768x1152.jpeg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":1152,"large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-6-683x1024.jpeg","large-width":683,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-6-1024x1536.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-6-1366x2048.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1366,"2048x2048-height":2048}},"first_comment":""},"two":{"second_image":{"ID":34488,"id":34488,"title":"image","filename":"image-7.jpeg","filesize":233795,"url":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-7.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/editorial\/kenichitakanaka25_interview\/image-93\/","alt":"","author":"5","description":"","caption":"","name":"image-93","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":34480,"date":"2025-09-19 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10:40:23","modified":"2025-09-19 10:40:23","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1671,"height":937,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-8-150x150.jpeg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-8-300x168.jpeg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":168,"medium_large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-8-768x431.jpeg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":431,"large":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-8-1024x574.jpeg","large-width":1024,"large-height":574,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-8-1536x861.jpeg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":861,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/arts-science.com\/en\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-8.jpeg","2048x2048-width":1671,"2048x2048-height":937}},"square":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_profile","profile_name":"","profile_detail":" Born in 1966 in Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Takanaka left Gakushuin University and began self-studying calligraphy and painting, drawing inspiration from Chinese classics, Buddhist scriptures, and Japanese literature. In 1993, he built his own wood-fired kiln in Otaki, Chiba Prefecture, and embarked on a serious career in ceramics. His works, created while living a semi-self-sufficient lifestyle, are noted for their unique sensibility and expression. He has held solo exhibitions at various galleries, showcasing his distinct artistic vision.<\/p>\n","profile_link":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"flexible_list","repeater_list":[{"list_title":"ARTIST","list_detail":" Kenichi Takanaka<\/p>\n"},{"list_title":"EVENTS","list_detail":"