Artist Talk 1 | Exploring Pokémon in Japanese Craft

on Fire-type Pokémon. According to Masumoto, “It’s a simplistic reason, but that’s because fire is inseparable from pottery.” She then began exploring the option of firing in an anagama, a type of kiln that goes back to ancient times.

This was the first time Masumoto had attempted full-scale production of Shigaraki ware.* The look and form of the ceramics can easily change depending on how it is placed in the kiln and how the firewood is thrown in. The super-heavyweight Charizard was about three times as deformed as expected, but this was connected to the power of the anagama and “shows the unique charm of this type of kiln.”

* Shigaraki ware is a type of pottery made in Shiga Prefecture since the 12th century.

then fitting other pieces of wood into it. After learning traditional sashimono techniques in Kyoto, he began practicing inlaid woodwork in earnest around the age of 20. While this technique is generally used for two-dimensional compositions, Fukuda has developed it as a three-dimensional art form. In After Rain, the parts patterned with wings on the Pokémon called Beautifly are carved with slightly different curvatures according to the position where they are to be fitted, infusing the thin and delicate piece with a supple sense of vitality.