A cat and a sea otter chopstick holder.猫箸置きとラッコ箸置き

Continuously I tried to make chopstick holder which shape of a cat and a sea otter.
It depends on the color,looks different.
You can use it as a spoon holder.

"Putting a cat on the edge of dishes"what I made the other day is also able to use as for it.
There are a lot of small animals on the table.

ふち猫に引き続き猫箸置きとラッコ箸置きを作ってみました。
色によって全然違って見えます。
お箸だけでなく、スプーン置きとしても使えます。
先日作った、ふち猫も横に寝かせたら箸置きにもなりました。
テーブルの上が小さな動物たちでいっぱいです。

A pleasure to make pottery.陶芸の楽しみ。

When all as said that a pleasure of potteries is you can use potteries what you made freely in your daily life.
If you have an idea to use dish or something,you can make it soon.
And it completely dry.
It is baked about 800 degree in a kiln.
You put graze on it.
Finally these are baked about 1250 degree.

Several days later,you need to waite cool down the temperature,you open the kiln.
It is most exiting moment to see the baked potteries.
Sometimes you could get beautiful color of these works what you unexpected.
Fire could be made irregular color.

The last picture is card stand of hand shape.This is my favorite.

何と言っても陶芸の楽しみは、粘土で自由に形を作ったものを日々の生活の中で使えることだと思います。
まず、こんな器、または物を作りたいと思ったら粘土ですぐに形にできます。
次に、それを完全に乾かします。
８００度で素焼きをして、釉薬をかけます。
最後に１２５０度くらいで焼成します。
数日後に（窯の温度が下がるのをまちます。）窯のふたをあけます。
この瞬間が最もワクワクするときではないでしょうか。
時には思ってもいない綺麗な色が出でいたりします。
陶芸制作の最後は火が作ってくれるとも言えるような気がします。
最後の写真は手の形をしたカードスタンドです。なかなか便利ですよ。

I will not do it,because I can not do it. 出来ないからやらない。

This is a conversation with students.
Me:Try to do that assignment.
Students:I won't do that,because I can't do it.
Me:Why don't you try to draw it?
Students:No,I won't. I can't draw it.

I often hear that they will not do it because they can not do it.
I know everyone doesn't like to have embarrassing time.
I understand the feeling. Specifically at the moment when you are laughed by your friends is must be embarrassed memory.

However as far as I'm concerned it back to front.
You don't know wether you can do it or not unless you try things.
Imagine,example,anyone who is interested in playing baseball wants to improve the skill. So he/she says"I won't practice because I can't do it."
Isn't odd?No one can do everything at first.
Inability is not shameful thing.

Young people have much possibility in the future.
Please try to do anything.
Although they might say to me"Mind your own business."

I borrowed the picture from internet.I don't know who has it.If you mind please let me know.I will do deletion.

私がよくする高校生との会話です。
私：「これを描いてね。」
生徒：「できないから、やらなーい。」
私：「こういうのを描いてみるのはどう？」
生徒：「いや、描けないからやらない。」
毎日のようにこのやり取りをしています。誰でも恥ずかしい思いはしたくないけれど、やってみなければ出来るか出来ないかは分からないですよね。
例えば、野球をやりたい人がいるとして
「下手だから練習しない。」と言ってるのと同じで、これって変ですよね。
私が思うにこれは全く逆で、「できないからやる。」ということのような気がします。
ともかくトライしてみて欲しいなと思います。 そんなこと言っていると、「余計なお世話だ。」と言われそうですが。

Fallen leaves in this autumn.今年の落ち葉

I feel like that fallen leaves are brightly colored this year.
It might be just my imagination,but I feel more clear than usual.

Although I don't live in countryside,there are so many insects in my yard.
I can see a lot of bugs,scarabs,millipede,centipede,cicadas and bees during the summer.
I can not come into my house at night during the height of the season,because a lots of bugs cicadas come together to entrance light.
Needless to say I don't like it except spiders.I don't know why I don't fear spiders.I can touch it.
For the reason lizards live in my house.They want eat it.I like them.It's an adorable.

私の気のせいかもしれませんが、今年の落ち葉はいつもより鮮やかな気がします。
田舎に住んでいるというわけでもないのですが、暖かい季節にうちの庭には沢山の虫が現れます。
蚊やハエはもちろん、黄金虫、セミ、ヤスデやムカデ、などなどです。夏の夜に帰宅すると門灯に沢山集まっているので中に入りにくいほどです。
いうまでもなくあまり虫は好きではないのですが、なぜか蜘蛛だけは怖くありません。触れても気にならないんですね。
うちにはそういった虫たちを食べてくれるヤモリも住んでいます。かわいいのですね。

The picture is digger wasp nest. It might be wrong what is called.What should I say that?

I will need not to meet tons of insects until coming spring next year.

この写真は土蜂の巣だと思うのですが、あちこちに出来ています。

今からしばらく来年の春に暖かくなるなるまであまり好きではない虫には会わなくてすみます。

Hand polishing

I polish a stone by hand. I'm not good at using machine.
There are few people not to use machine to carve a stone.
I am a kind of slow tempo person.So if I carve precipitously it by machine,my feeling would be left behind it.
I carve it slowly slowly....,trying find out the good shape of it take a long time in my case.
Although I feel like it's not match in this society,it is not a bad things.

The picture is my indispensable tool,grind stone and chisel looks like a dragonfly.
I use that at the last half of making my sculptures.Thinking and making it is my happy time.

私は石を彫る時に、機械を使いません。そんな人は少ないと思いますが、、。
ある意味自分はのろまなので、機械の早さに置いていかれてしまうんです。
今の時代にそぐわないですが、ゆっくりゆっくり作っています。
ゆっくりって　そんなに悪いことじゃないですよね。
この写真は私にとって制作に欠かせないもの、手磨き用の砥石と刃トンボという道具です。
考えて削って作って...と、幸せなひとときです。

Coming back a cat sculpture.帰って来た猫の彫刻

This is my sculpture which has been setting one Gallery several years.
The gallery was called "hands on gallery"where everyone can touch all of these art works.
However,it will quit and change the contents. So I went to take back it.

It has been several years to see it.The surface got smooth than before because many people had touched it.

I have made some cat sculptures. A cat has really nice shape of their body.
There are many masterpieces of cat sculpture in the world.
I think the number of it are more than a dog one. The reason why a cat is more attractive to make than a dog for creator.
It depends on a person who likes a dog or a cat might be different.
Which do you like and make ?

この猫の彫刻は数年間「ハンズオンギャラリー」という　誰でも作品を触ることができるギャラリーに置いて頂いていたもので、
今回、そのギャラリーが無くなることになり、うちに帰ってきました。
久しぶりに見た作品ですが、皆さんに触ってもらったおかげで、表面がスベスベです。

私はいくつか猫を作っていますが、猫はほんとに良い形をしていて、作りたくなります。
私としては犬より形が魅力的に思えますが、人によりますよね。犬好き、猫好き　色々です。

Chock full of food. てんこ盛りの料理

As I wrote here before,thinking food what I make is fun.
After cooking dinner, sometimes I take a photo of the dishes.
However,these picture are something slightly different with one which people take it.

A way of putting food on the plate is not beautiful. These are poorly visible.
That is to say I put foods on the plate too much. It is chock full of foods on it. I do so in spite of myself.

Sometimes I was told my friends"it's not much to look at dishes you made."
Although of course I know...
I cook every day and washing dishes and putting left into the fridge.
It is a daily routine,so I put foods on the plate too much again. Sorry.

以前、ここでどんな食べ物を作ろうかと考えるのは楽しい　と書きました。
時々、自分で作った器に自分で作った料理をのせて写真をとったりします。 と、よく見てみると、、よく見かける料理の写真とは何かちょっと違います。
お料理が美しくないんです。見た目が悪いというか...
つまり、これは料理を載せ過ぎなんですね。つい私がやってしまう料理がてんこ盛り、、。
よく陶芸教室の生徒さんや、友達に言われます。「お料理載せ過ぎで見栄えがわるいわねえ。」
はい、分かってはいるのですが、毎日ご飯作るし、お皿洗って、残り物を冷蔵庫に入れて、、、を繰り返してるとですね つい...。
駄目ですね、ごめんなさい。

Baskets with fur. ファー付きのカゴ

Winter will be coming soon. So I tried to make baskets with fur.
Of course it's not real fur. Some shop have many sort of cloth.
You can use anything what your favorite material.
And it is really comfortable to touch the surface,like animals.

These are what looks some animals's fur.
Is it mink,cheetah,polar bear or something else? Although I made some more.
How about is it?
What kind of fur do you like?

もうすぐ冬がやってきます。ということでカゴにファーを付けて作ってみました。
もちろん本物の毛皮ではありません。この頃は色んな所で、とても素敵な布を売っています。
表面をさわると本当にスベスベしていて気持ちがいい触り心地です。 何かの動物みたいです。ミンクやチーター、シロクマとか...。
もう少し種類はありますが、今回はこのくらいにします。
皆さんはどんな柄がお好きですか？

A cat made of pottery. ふち猫

I tried to made a cat who put on the edge of a cup.
It is a pottery. That is one of the items which is getting popular in Japan.
It's known Hutineko,as same as Ms,Hutikoふち子さん is a women who put on the edge of a cup.
That is a toy in Japan. I would say a cup is hang with a cat rather than putting it on.

Basically you can not buy it a shop.
Do you know "Gatya pon"ガチャポン？I need to explain about that.

"Gatya pon" is a vending machine to get a toy for little kids in Japan.The small toy is in plastic ball.
The name is the sound when the ball would be moving out of the machine.
There are so many sort of toys in it.Ms,Hutiko and Hutineko are some of these toys what are popular.
Of course these are not made of pottery.

So how use it?
It is no use. It would be just for playing.
You can hang it any cup and enjoy to see it. It's a cute.

今回はちょっと陶器で「ふち猫」を 作ってみました。
日本ではよく知られているガチャポンという機械で手に入れることが出来る「ふち子さん」というおもちゃをご存知ですか？
コップなどの縁にひっかけて遊ぶ、それだけのおもちゃで、それの猫バージョンです。
ちまたで見る物はほとんどがプラスチックで、あまり陶器の物は見かけないなと思い作ってみました。
何に使えるわけでもないのですが、テーブルの上に置いてあるとなんとなく楽しいですね。

Hearing and listening. 話し聞いてる？

Sometimes I miss listening someone's talking. Although I suppose to hear it.
If I would take some notice,I miss hearing.

Which is to say,for example,when I talk to friends,if I notice her nice cloths,I would focus it.
It comes to my mind "Oh,her shirts is really nice."
So I miss listening to talk what she said.
At that time I may look spaced out.....

When I was junior high school student,I often miss hearing teacher's talking. That's too bad me...

If I concentrate to make something too much,I could not pay attention anything but making things.

Sorry friends, if I would not answer you when you talk to me,I may take something notice.

This picture is a sleeping seal who has round body. It is which I made several years ago.
You may not realize what it is.

私は人の話を聞き逃すことがあります。聞いているつもりなのですが、何か他のことに気をとられると聞こえていないようなのです。
つまり、友達と話をしていてその人が素敵な服を着ていたとします。それに気を取られて"素敵なシャツだなあ"などと思っているとその間の話の内容が抜け落ちてしまう
というわけです。そういうときはただぼーっとしているように見えるかもしれません。中学や高校のときも何かに気を取られて先生の話を聞き逃すことはしょっちゅうでした。 これじゃ勉強できないわけです....

作品制作中などはとくに何も他のことに注意を払えなくなります。
皆様、もし私に話しかけても反応が無かったら、なにかに気を取られていると思ってお許し下さいませ。

この作品は数年前に作った、おなかの丸いアザラシが寝ているところです。写真だとなんだかよくわかりませんね。

It is fun to make things.

I am a sculptor.
I also make potteries because I have pottery class.And I make baskets too.
The other hand I work at high school as a part time art teacher.

On every count it is fun to make what I want to make.
I feel like that it is similar with a child who make hard something which is rubbish for adult.
It does not matter wether it would be able to sell or not.
I enjoy that it must be fun to do it.

I'm happy in certain way to do such things till now.:)
That's why I can not sell my works... 私の本職は彫刻ですが、陶芸教室をやっているので陶器なども作るし、カゴバックなども作ります。
いずれにしても自分が　何か作りたい物を作るのは楽しく、その気持ちは小さな子どもが大人から見ると　ろくでもないものを一生懸命つくっているのと似ています。
それが売れるか売れないかなんて関係なく、こうやったら面白いかどうかなんてことだけで遊んでいる...
この年までこんなことをやっていられるのも、ある意味幸せだなあと思います。
だから作品が売れないんですけどね。

Pottery class. 陶芸教室

I was said to some friends "It's hard to read English." So I decided to write English and Japanese both.
These are lots of potteries what students made. Everyone enjoy to make it and looking forward to use it.
And it's a pleasure to think what dishes would you serve on it.
The real thrill of pottery is that you can expect what the color of it unexpected when you apply glaze.
I think that it's an important things not to make sculptures and potteries as you like too much.
数人の方から英語だと読みにくいと言われましたので、英語と日本語の両方で書いてみることにしました。
この沢山の陶器は　うちの陶芸教室の生徒さんの作品です。皆さん楽しんで作っていらっしゃいます。
また出来上がりにどんな料理をのせるか考えるのもたのしみですね。
陶芸の醍醐味は予想していなかった素敵な色に焼き上がること　もあることでしょうか。
彫刻も陶芸も自分の思い通りに作ろうと思いすぎない方がよいのかもしれないと考えたりしています。

The end of the summer.

I relief to end this summer. I could concentrate to make my works it's been a while.
It has been so tired summer heat. It simply wasn't possible to carve a stone.
I'm really not good at the summer. I wish summer season would be short.Or better yet,to get cold summer.
Or even better,I wish the summer would be gone.
Sorry if you like summer.

Basket bag

This is one of my side business, making basket bag.
It made of paper,applying Kakisibu柿渋（persimmon tannin). It's a comfortable for use and tough.
I sell it reasonable price.
I enjoy to make it.

A war will begin tomorrow.

I tried to translate in English Japanese popular poem of Setsuko Miyao.

"A war will begin tomorrow"
You became not to think a person as a person because you got used to be on the jam-packed train every day.

You became not to think mind as mind at board on the internet.

It frequent happened abuse death and suicide you became not to think life as a life.

You finished preparing it.

You don't think a war as a war.

Finally,the war will begin tomorrow.

written by Setsuko Miyao.

Unfortunately I thought it is expressed well Japanese young people's real feeling.
We need to have imagination what is real war.

Article 9 of the constitution.

I don't like conflict.

Many countries have military.
To do a war is that you will kill someone and will be killed by someone.
Although human race has made the advance of sciences, we are still fighting each other.

I think Article 9 of the constitution, renunciation of war is not fantasy.
Japanese leader is forcibly going to break out it.

I want to stick the ideal of it.
I wish whole world have a standard model.

One of the relax time.

Usually when I see something I grasp it tridimensional.
Sometimes I enjoy playing to draw watercolor.
It's interesting a different point of view.
The beautiful color makes me nutritious.

Weither Japan?

When I watched the speech of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, I thought that he looked like solicitor of doubtful cult.
He was going to appeal people's mind,as if he is a deceiver,making anxiety,doing brainwashing and forcing you to allow acting military power.
He drive young people to struggle to survive. So they accept to take part in a military.
These days there is that atmosphere in Japan.

A person who become surrounded by their advocates can not see a wide range of view because they say only good things to the person.
"You are fabulous!" "You are right, go ahead to do things."
We should rethink that is it right? Is it enough to consider all of the things?
Otherwise, we will go to the wrong direction.

Sculptures came back home.

I had a group show in the corridor of one shopping center 16 years ago.
After the exhibition, the company of shopping center allowed me to set my sculptures there. I was glad to put it there, because many people can see it.
However there is no responsibility of the company in the contract. It means that if someone broken it, the company doesn't matter to me.
They ask to set neither it nor buying. It has been setting for 16 years.
I sometimes went to see it. So it was a move over the corner of that room year by year.
I decided to take it away to my house. The sculptures had some flaw and buckled poles.
It seems that someone made it fall on the floor.
I felt sad a little. I guess sculptures relief to come back to my house.

Don't fear failing

Almost all of students have low self-esteem at high school where I work.
So they always talk about "I will not do it, because I can not do it."
They give up something before they try to do it. They have ever had few successful experience.
They are afraid of failing. If they would not try anything, their life will become nothing.
At that time I take part of a listener before encouraging them.
I want to know what causes. I guess what he only lost willingness or she has a bigger problem than this class or they are just lazy....
My handling will change depend on that states.
At any rate, I want them to try anything and have many experiences.

Dangerous Leader of Japan.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe insist to do "Proactive pacifism." He puts it nicely.
Actually he want to use military power. I scare him, can't understand him.
Beyond that he say patriotism incite full auditory people," Japanese are great."I don't like it.
Worse than that almost all of young people are indifferent politics. They are brainwashed easily.
He can do it conveniently.Japanese people need to think about it seriously.
We should think, judge and decide about it by ourselves.
Now is a good time to do it. Although Japanese don't have a habit being independent, you have to change the behavior.

Studying English in Japan.

The Japanese government and CEO's some big companies are desperate to force studying English on young people.
They say we have to work globally, so it's inevitable to be able to make good use of English in any situations.
However it's ineffective. Why ?
Basically we absolutely don't need to use English in our daily life,except people who have jobs that need English.
In addition, the number of young people who study abroad is decreasing.
They don't want to go abroad. I hear from them often that they want to get mid-level job, being able to earn mid-level and having a mid-level marriage.
What is a mid-level marriage ?
Anyway they don't have any high hopes. They are called "Satori ageさとり世代” in Japan.
It means they have realized everything already.

The vase of strange shape.

This is a vase made of clay. These are put four ball on by on.
I wanted to make strange shape. Making things of clay is free.
You can make anything what you want.
How about to try one ?

A little item.

This is a Kappa かっぱ-shaped tooth pick holder made of pottery.
Kappa is fictional animal of Japan.
There is an old saying that Kappa eats cucumber and has plate on his/her head.
Kappa needs to wet the plate. And they have a bit mysterious atmosphere.
However, I have an adorable image of it.

Thinking Children Living in Fukushima.

I absolutely don't trust the Japanese government, especially these days.
They say that they can control the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
However, the actual state is too far from it.
A huge amount of water with radiation still has been spilling even now.
Nevertheless, they have a terrible plan to force-feed homegrown foods to children.
They decided to use local production for local consumption at Fukushima for school-provided lunches.
It's never safe to eat foods product around a nuclear plant.
They want to pretend that radiation doesn't exist in Fukushima.
Some mothers are against it, but they are looking coldly on others. There is strong group pressure.
The government treats the children as if they were guinea pigs.
How dare they do such things.
All of the people who have children and live in Fukushima should make claims about it. They don't need to accept it.
Why do the Japanese comply with the command of government obediently ?
It's complete nonsense to force suffering on the children.

I heard that no one lives in prohibited areas of Chernobyl.
Why doesn't the Japanese government prohibit living around the nuclear plant ?
They should provide or help find proper places of residence. The government has the liability and responsibility of the nuclear plant disaster.

A cat of still bank

This is a still bank made of pottery.
I put only 500 yen coin into it.
If it will be filled to the capacity, would I crash it ?
No, I don't want to break it.
So how can I take it out ?
I try to think about it until to be filled coins.

Doing virtue.

When I watch people who try to do virtue to help disasters on TV, I often think is it really useful for the victims ?
I have heard the saying from one of my friends who suffered such a disaster.
He said he received some kindness which was unnecessary for him from strangers.
However, he was not able to say that.
In my opinion, no one blames the people who are doing good things.
The worst thing is a person who believes that they are doing good things without doubt.
It is just gratification of the ego.
I think you always need to reflect about yourself all the time.
Doing good things is not always perfect.
You need to imagine what they want.
It's difficult doing good for others.