25118 Fukushima Zenzo Nakanotsuki white porcelain sake cup FUKUSHIMA Zenzou

Height: 6.3cm

Diameter 6.6cm

The texture of Fukushima Zenzo's Nakanotsuki white porcelain reminded me of the midnight sun of a Scandinavian sky that seems to be getting dark but never does. It is not an early night, but the color of the sky at midnight. When viewed in a slightly darker place, it also resembled the color of the cold winter clouds in a seaside town in Sweden. It seems bright but is not bright, seems dark but is not dark, seems cold but is soft and warm. It is a deep and mysterious color.

Nakano Tsukihakuji was born out of a desire for Fukushima celadon. The clay of Oishiwara contains iron and has coarse grains. If the clay used for porcelain such as Arita is like drawing paper, then the clay of Oishiwara is like cardboard. "Even if I apply a light-colored glaze, it doesn't come out nicely. It can't compete with white clay. That's why I try to apply iron to create a deep color."

In China, there is a glaze called Geppai, and I had seen fragments of it in Xi'an. At that time, I thought that Geppai glaze might work instead of celadon. Inspired by the fact that soybean ash was used in China, I thought, "Let's try using straw ash from Koishiwara." This resulted in "a straw white, where the black parts are softened and it becomes milky. That was the beginning of Geppai porcelain." Even though it is the same straw, rice husk ash produces a blue color. So, "I thought that if I used feldspar from Koishiwara, which contains iron, it would produce a blue color." From there, it was a process of trial and error. "It doesn't come out suddenly. There is something I'm aiming for, and it comes out as I try desperately."