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Folk-craft pottery from a young potter in Tottori's Inaba region
Tottori Inaba-yaki is a pottery kiln founded by emerging potter Kentaro Miki, working in the eastern region of Tottori Prefecture historically known as Inaba. Miki named the kiln so that it would be easily recognizable as a form of pottery specific to his home region. After gaining experience as a potter at kilns in both Tottori and Kyoto, he established Inaba-yaki to make work that reflects his interests in folk craft, materials, and experimentation.
Miki's path to pottery began at fourteen, when his grandfather took him to an exhibition of white porcelain by Manji Inoue, one of Japan's most esteemed masters. The exhibition had a lasting effect, and Miki decided to pursue a career in ceramics, though it was not easy to persuade his parents. He studied ceramics in Kyoto and trained at a kiln there after graduation. To support his goal of opening an independent kiln, he also worked for several years as a web and graphic designer.
Although Miki initially trained in porcelain, he came to be drawn to the freedom of expression in pottery. He returned to Tottori and began working as an independent potter in 2013, while continuing to develop his skills at Nakai Kiln — a leading Japanese folk craft kiln — under master potter Akira Sakamoto. He now produces at his own kiln and also teaches pottery.
In recent years, Miki has been working to perfect the texture of traditional ame glazes in combination with shinogi (linear-patterned) vessels, and has even reconstructed a lead-free version of galena glaze, a European glaze that is no longer made because of its lead content. His work centers on tableware, planters, and other practical items intended to fit into everyday life and last for years.
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