Bizen pottery vessels displayed on wooden shelves in Masato Miura’s studio

Artist Visit - Masato Miura

On the second day of my trip to Okayama, I had the pleasure of visiting ceramic artist Masato Miura. His workshop lies about an hour from Okayama Station, surrounded by quiet mountains and rice fields. The calm landscape seems to echo the quiet character of his work.

Crafting Beauty in a Tranquil Setting

Miura-san’s workshop stands beside his home, blending naturally into the peaceful countryside. Goats and chickens wander nearby, giving the place the feeling of a small countryside sanctuary.

Currently, Miura-san creates both Sue ware and Bizen pottery. In Bizen ware, the iron in the clay reacts during firing, producing deep red tones that vary subtly with the movement of the flame within the kiln.

His rice bowls, with their delicate shapes and unique colors, are especially striking. Each one carries its own personality, shaped by fire, clay, and the quiet rhythm of the kiln.

Firewood stacked beside Masato Miura’s pottery studio used for firing Bizen ceramics

Miura-san is still exploring the techniques with Sue ware, and the results can sometimes be unexpected. Managing the kiln’s temperature and oxygen levels requires a delicate balance, and only about half of the pieces meet his exacting standards. Despite this, he finds the challenge exciting, learning from each firing and using those lessons to inspire his next creative endeavor. One particularly rare piece he showed me had a soft, greenish tint—a truly unique result.

Art and Precision

 
Looking ahead, Miura-san is eager to explore more artistic creations. One example is his incredibly lifelike vegetable-shaped chopstick rests, which are made by molding real vegetables and carefully carving out the finer details. His shiitake mushroom and lotus root rests, which we sold at the Japan Fair in Bellevue, WA, this past June, drew astonished reactions from many visitors. Miura-san’s talents extend beyond pottery; his knowledge of history and mathematics is impressive. He even created a piece inspired by a mathematical concept, which he enthusiastically explained to me. As he shared, his face lit up with joy, as if he had forgotten we were discussing his work.

Handmade ceramic chopstick rests displayed in trays at Masato Miura’s workshop

"Because it's interesting."

When I asked Miura-san if he ever had doubts about becoming a potter, he smiled gently and said, "Well, it would be a lie to say I had none, but I always thought things would work out somehow." And when I inquired what had kept him going for nearly 30 years, his answer was simple: "Because it's interesting."

Ceramic artist Masato Miura working inside his pottery studio in Okayama

The word "interesting" holds great depth. It can describe the pleasure of entertainment or the satisfaction of solving a complex math problem. For artisans like Miura-san, it’s certainly the latter. Kneading clay, shaping forms, monitoring the kiln’s temperature during firing, and then learning from the pieces that don’t make it while delighting in the ones that surprise him—this entire process makes his work "interesting." Even building his anagama kiln, which took months to complete, was part of that joy.

Explore Masato Miura's Pottery

Discover a selection of Masato Miura's ceramics available at WAZA Tokyo.

Masato Miura's Collection →

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