Chef's Table vol.8
Episode 3
【 模倣 】ー 理想と現実の狭間で、背中を追い続ける ー
宝石（唐物）を夢見ながらも、現実には隣国・瀬戸の背中を追う日々が続きます。
唐物になれぬなら、せめて日本一の瀬戸の技を。
植物の灰が偶然作り出す「灰釉」は、憧れに追いつこうと足掻いた修行時代の証です。
先行く背中を夢見ながら、まだ何者にもなれずに揺れる淡い色は、完璧を知ったがゆえに味わう、未完成の清らかな苦悩そのものです。
【 Imitation 】ー Chasing the shadow, caught between ideal and reality ー
Dreaming of exquisite continental treasures (Karamono), days were spent chasing the shadow of the neighboring rival, Seto.
If one could not become a masterpiece, then at least master the techniques of Seto, the finest in Japan.
The Kai-yu (Ash Glaze), accidentally birthed by plant ash, stands as a testament to those apprentice days of struggling to catch up to an aspiration.
Gazing at the back of the leader, the faint, trembling color of a craftsman who has yet to find his identity reflects the pure, unfulfilled agony—a sorrow tasted only by those who truly understand perfection.
灰釉平鉢
言葉にできないほどの深い静寂を湛えた、瑞々しくもどこか儚い佇まいの灰釉平鉢です。
植物の灰と炎の気まぐれが偶然描き出す「灰釉」の濃淡は、うつろう自然の景色そのものを写し取ったかのよう。
なだらかな坂を描いて立ち上がるリムのラインは、盛られた料理を中央へと美しく引き締め、空間に心地よい余白を生み出します。
見込みには深く透明感のあるグリーンが静かに溜まり、まるで深い森の奥にある神秘的な湖のような、吸い込まれそうな美しさを見せてくれます。
底面には土のたくましさを残した丁寧な削り出しが施され、窯の炎がかすかに残した赤みが、手仕事のぬくもりを静かに伝えています。
手のひらをそっと広げたとき、驚くほど自然に収まる浅く広い佇まいは、前菜の瑞々しさからメインディッシュの品格まで、料理人が描く世界をどこまでも寛容に受け止めます。
テーブルに運ばれてきたその一瞬、視線が器に落ちるたび、胸の奥がじんわりと満たされるような静かな感動をもたらしてくれる一皿です。
サイズ：φ205 × H50 (mm)
重量：470(g)
※ハンドメイドのためサイズ、重量に差があります。
材質：陶器
Ash Glaze Flat Bowl
This ash-glazed flat bowl exudes a profound, unspeakable stillness—at once vibrantly alive and beautifully ephemeral.
The organic gradations of the traditional ash glaze, shaped by the volatile whims of plant ash and flame, appear as if the uonutous poetry of a shifting natural landscape has been captured onto the clay.
The rim rises with a gentle, flowing slope, naturally drawing the eye toward the center to frame the food while creating a generous, comforting sense of negative space.
Peering into the center basin reveals a deep, translucent pool of green—a mesmerizing visage reminiscent of a hidden, sacred lake nestled deep within a silent forest.
On the reverse, the base features meticulous clay-shaving that preserves the raw, honest strength of the earth, while a subtle, warm flush left behind by the kiln's embers whispers the warmth of human hands.
Evoking the welcoming expanse of an open palm, its wide yet shallow profile offers a remarkably intuitive canvas, effortlessly embracing everything from the crisp vitality of an appetizer to the structured dignity of a main course. The very moment it is set upon the table, each glance downward orchestrates a dialogue of quiet sophistication, filling the heart with a gentle, lingering emotion.
size：φ205 × H50 (mm)
Weight：470(g)
Note: Due to the handmade nature of this product, slight variations in size and weight may occur.
material：pottery
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工藤 工
Takumi Kudo
1400年の歴史を持つ美濃の地で、時代に流されることなく「手仕事」の境界線を広げ続ける職人・陶芸家、工藤工さん。
画家を目指した先代が築いた絵付けの意匠を受け継ぎながらも、大量生産の仕組みをすべて削ぎ落とし、自らの手でろくろを回し、釉薬を調合する実直な作陶スタイルを確立しました。
彼が最も大切にしているのは、機械には決して真似できない「手仕事の痕跡」です。
ろくろを挽いたときに残るかすかな指の跡、炎と灰の気まぐれが偶然描き出す釉薬の濃淡。
それらはすべて、器が生きてきた証としてうつわの表面に静かに刻まれています。
工藤さんの手から生まれる器は、織部や志野のような華々しい時代の後に生まれた、美濃の伝統「御深井」や「灰釉」をベースにしています。
決して華美ではなく、言葉にできないほどの深い静寂を湛えた佇まい。
しかしだからこそ、その浅く広い包容力は、料理人がうつわの上に描く瑞々しい世界をどこまでも寛容に、美しく受け止めるのです。
「30年以上続けていても、この仕事に飽きることがない」と語り、休むことなく土と向き合い、今なお理想の表現を追い求めるその手から、今日も一期一会のうつわが静かに削り出されています。
In the historic land of Mino, with its 1,400-year pottery legacy, artisan and ceramic artist Takumi Kudo continues to expand the boundaries of handcraft, remaining entirely unaffected by transient trends.
While inheriting the artistic brushwork designed by the kiln’s founder—his father, who originally aspired to be a painter—Kudo made the conscious choice to strip away all mass-production frameworks.
Instead, he established a grounded, deeply authentic practice: throwing each piece on the wheel with his own hands and blending his own original glazes.
At the heart of his philosophy is an unyielding reverence for the "traces of human hands," something a machine can never replicate.
The subtle ridges left by a finger on the spinning wheel, or the erratic, beautiful gradations painted by the whims of plant ash and shifting flames—these are all quietly etched upon the clay as timeless testaments to the vessel’s journey.
Kudo's creations find their roots in traditional Mino styles like "Ofuke" and "Kai-Yu"(ash glazes), historical techniques born after the flamboyant eras of Shino and Oribe.
They do not clamor for attention; rather, they exude a profound, unspoken stillness.
Yet, it is precisely this quiet, expansive presence that allows his work to act as a generous canvas, gracefully and effortlessly embracing the vibrant culinary expressions that chefs paint upon them.
"I have been doing this for over thirty years, yet I never tire of this work," he says.
Spending his days untiringly facing the earth and chasing his ideals, his hands continue to shape vessels that offer a serene, once-in-a-lifetime dialogue.
