Tarōsaka: returning to the tranquility of my home

Often I am asked why I have chosen Japan as my second home country. In my answers, I always refer to the significant and long tradition of Japanese ceramic art, concluding that this is what has attracted me to Japan and still, after 35 years, is holding me in spell.

Gerd Knäpper

In September 1969 I decided, in spite of warnings from many people, to continue my studies of Mashiko (益子) ceramics under the roof of the workshop which I myself had erected. The dream of working as an equal among young, aspiring colleagues was thus fulfilled. It was in pursuance of this dream that I had returned to Mashiko. A number of friends and acquaintances as well as the generous recommendations of the great masters of Mashiko made it possible for me to get all the necessary materials. And there was the abundance of technical information to be had among many students and kiln owners of my age who were in process of developing themselves.

The original plan was to stay for two years in Mashiko and to decide on a further course after that. But the award which I received in June 1971 changed my plan. On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, the Mainichi News sponsored the first Japan Ceramics Art Competition. I was awarded the first prize, the Minister of Culture and Education Award, Traditional Ceramic Arts Section. For the opportunity, I decided to stay in Mashiko to meet the challenge. I started to construct a bigger workshop with two kilns and to organize shows of my works in Tokyo and other cities.

Gerd making pottery

The founding of my family and the prospect of growing children compelled me to look for a more spacious house and working place. Just prior to a planned four months exhibition trip to Germany with the whole family, I was told by a friend from Daigo about a big manor house which had been vacant for some years. Because of my special interest in wood architecture farmhouses, I asked this friend to show me the house.

Approaching the locality, I found it hard to believe its dilapidated structure, and overgrown ground to have been the former village chieftain's. The manor house was completely without life and gave a frighteningly desolate impression. At first I had a bad feeling when I entered the house. No human feeling had been there for five to ten years, and rainwater and humidity had eaten away the tatami mats. Mildew and fungi grew exuberantly everywhere. In one of the rooms at the back of the house I broke through the rotten flooring. I was shocked to see the sky through a big hole in the thatched roof. The rooms were strewn with broken and decaying wooden boxes where, once upon a time, valuable treasures like scrolls and swords might have been kept. Looking from the verandah towards the jungle-like garden, I thought that it might be possible to save this imposing beam structure and to create a fancy living space and a place for my work in this estate.

During our extensive trip in Germany we had opportunities to look at some vacant farm houses for sale, but the overwhelming impression of the manor house of Tarōsaka would not leave me.

After an extended negotiation, in October 1974 I finally became the happy owner of the dilapidated Tarōsaka estate. With an area of 4,300 square meters, the former belonging fields and forests had been already disposed of. I had now enough space for as many kilns as I liked to build, for growing vegetables, as well as for a big storage area for fuel wood.

After 29 years in Daigo, my wife and I feel as if we were raised at Tarōsaka. Coming back from long journeys abroad or within the country I always look forward to returning to the tranquility of my home.

1943	Born in Wuppertal, West Germany.
1965	Studied ceramics in New York City.
1968	Arrived in Japan.
1968	Practiced pottery at the Tsukamoto Pottery Works. Established the first independent kiln in Mashiko.
1971	Awarded First Prize: Minister of Culture and Education Award, Traditional Ceramics Art Section.
1975	Moved to Daigo Town and founded the Tarōsaka kiln.
2007	Opened own gallery in Tarōsaka.

Take a look at Gerd Knäpper's website at http://www.gerdknapper.com/.