The works created by Eiko Tanaka, a woodturner and lacquer artist, have beautiful curves and a hidden warmth that makes you want to touch them. It all begins with the selection of wood, the skillful turning of the wood, and the exquisite layering of lacquer that Tanaka uses to create products that only Tanaka can create. Where does this sense of beauty come from?

Written by Eiko Tanaka

“Why do I make it?”
This is a common theme that I ask myself at random times. Each time, the answer is overwritten, but recently the content has expanded to include questions about one's own identity and way of life.

It is the elements of ``outside'' that always give hints to such vague questions. Closer to me, it's my husband and Kaga, and far away, it's my friends and culture from other countries. As the connections spread out in concentric circles with me at the center, I encountered many realizations from the many differences. For example, the traditional craft techniques that I acquired after leaving my parents' home were ``the depth of pursuing techniques,'' and from my first exhibition in New York City, I was told ``the value of my own form,'' and from Colombia, where I visited as part of a technical exchange. Germany and the Netherlands learned about ``Japanese sensibilities and the place of technology in the world.'' Nowadays, interacting with the outside world has become an indispensable means for us to examine ourselves.

Apparently I'm also a rare person.
When I think about it now, it seems that the choices I made at the crossroads along the road I picked up things I liked were not the ones most people made. While my friends around me had clear dreams and longed for a career, I didn't have anything that suited me, so I didn't even look for a job. He moved from Aichi to Ishikawa out of curiosity and in search of skills, but although he was looking for skills, he did not become a craftsman, instead using expression as a means of expression as an artist.

In the lacquer art industry, while most people are looking for maki-e and painting techniques, there are only a few that are looking for fusion with the grain of the wood, and lacquer art is based on a division of labor. It is rare to find someone who has both the skills of working with raw wood and painting with lacquer. Also worth mentioning is the background of Japanese wood turning technology called woodturning. The technique of wood turning itself is not uncommon worldwide, but most of it is Western-style, and the Japanese style is very different from that. Both machines and cutlery have developed in their own way, making them very unique.

Although its history dates back to the 9th century, it was passed down only to a limited number of families, and although it expanded with modern industrialization, it was still a male-dominated society, which meant that women's sensibilities were not included in the past. As I realized this, I began to wonder, why am I in the position I am in light of these things? That's what I started thinking. And the answer was that if it's rare, we want to make it darker and stronger.

From there, I began to spend more time facing my “individuality”. I began to realize that I could use my skills, not just in making pottery, to create things that I thought were beautiful or comfortable, rather than traditional shapes. While searching for how I want to be.

Although I prefer instantaneous sensations, I tend to be the type of person whose thoughts catch up later, and in that sense, the elements of woodturning and lacquerware complement that well. The process of sawing wood using a potter's wheel is truly speedy and accurately captures the feeling of a moment in time, while working with lacquer gives us time to reconsider the work through the repetition of small daily tasks. The slow and fast pace is really suitable for me. When I look at the shapes that I have created without unnecessary thought, find something in them, and give them a color or a name, I realize how the existence of "Japan" that has been passed down from generation to generation flows unconsciously and naturally into me. I feel it again.

Techniques, experiences, emotions, sensations...I will continue to create because I want to see the most personal thing that can be created by stripping down and making the best of what I have gained throughout my life. . I also hope that this life of learning about myself will eventually lead to developing elements that are uniquely Japanese. This is the least I can do to repay Japan for raising me.

(Titles omitted)

→4. The charm of Japanese sensibilities and pottery brought to you by production area coordinator Mari Hikasa