We travelled a little bit off the beaten track to visit Isamu Houshido, my favorite potter, who we had first met at the Kobo-taishi market in Kyoto a dozen years ago. We’ve amassed a small collection of his wares; and so it was about time to pay him a visit at his country home and studio ( houshido.exblog.jp/ ).
He showed us around his property, telling us how he came to own this land some 30 years ago. The strangely shaped lot had been a rice farm carved out long and narrow in a valley between two hills. To support the post war building boom, the adjacent hills were planted with trees for lumber, eventually shading out the fields and forcing the farmers to move on.
I was trying to picture Isamu in his late 20’s coming upon this land and taking up residence in a simple shed without gas or power — for six years. Seems that he had to upgrade his living quarters once he got married (a condition set by Okusan, aka The Wife). Although he’s still considered an outsider, he’s now a respected part of the local community. But back then, he told us, the villagers were warned to stay away from the strange hippie caveman camping out in the woods. “Imagine that,” he smiled, and laughed as if it was the funniest thought ever.
We were forewarned: “Please come and join us for a simple lunch. We have NOTHING. But we would be so pleased if you can stay for lunch.” Â We were so overwhelmed and impressed by the “Nothing” Lunch that we bought the rectangular serving plate (you can see it here with the delicious yakitori.)
