1952-
male
shiraiwa pottery
Graduated from Iwate University Special Fine Arts Department. Made ceramics with the aim of reviving Shiraiwa-yaki, also known as Shiraiwa-Seto from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji era. Inheriting the tradition of Tohoku folk pottery, sea cucumber glaze is mainly used for scraping and other decorations.
In 1974, the late Shoji Hamada, who visited Akita to research Shiraiwa-yaki during the Edo period, said, “The sea squirt glaze that is characteristic of Shiraiwa-yaki is the best, although similar glazes are used in many places today,” and Sunao has continued his research for over 30 years to find the beautiful coloring of the sea squirt glaze. This bluish-white glaze color is not caused by pigments, but appears when the iron content of the clay and the ash of the glaze undergo scientific changes in the kiln. And it is a glaze color that can only appear with the raw materials of this area.
