The power of Art.

There are various sorts of arts in this society.
I roughly classify them as: music, stories, pictures(2 dimensional) and sculpture(3 dimensional).
Music can give the biggest impact of all. It has mass appeal.
Next, I think is stories, novels.
Movies have music and stories combined. That's why it has massive appeal.
What about drawing and sculpture? In the modern world, the power of these is less than before.
However, I like stone sculpture, although it's a little bit old fashioned, I love the feeling of stone which doesn't change.
When I see a mossy stone sculpture, sometimes these are at temples or shrines, I can feel the history and value of timelessness.

Secrets Protection Bill

What the government is trying to do is
Hiding inconvenient truths and emphasizing self serving information.
Arresting people who wanted to know the truth and detected it.
They also threaten whistle=blowers, even journalists.
It doesn't say commonwealth, developed country.
Everyone can understand that.

The Japanese government is trying to take away our right to know. This is a crucial moment.

On the other hand, there are many people who are not concerned about it. People who voted the government in in the last election are also such ordinary people.
Some live hand to mouth, the others are interested in how to get money, not reading the newspaper.
They are unconcerned about politics.
They don't think it is their problem.
I wonder if democracy of Japan hasn't become mature yet, because Japanese have a sense that you can't fight city hall since early times.
They don't have a habit of thinking about something by themselves.
They have still believed the government as " They must be doing good things for us."

If I was forced to teach students patriotism, I might quit teaching at high school.

Making sculpture

Making things balances my mind. When I feel that I have an unstable mind, I can calm down my heart by making things.
I bang down a hammer on a chisel.
I can hear the clang of it.
So I'm calmed down bit by bit, and the stone is going to change shape.
I receive no benefit, no offering from anyone.
I just make it because I want to make it.
I think artists are a kind of selfish living creature.

Ridiculous mode.

Japanese high school students usually wear the uniform of each school. Girl students wear skirts.
The length is unbelievably short. Even if winter comes, they wear them.
I ask them "Don't you feel cold?"
They answer "Yes, of course I feel chilly! But I don't wear a long skirt, because nobody wears it."
They are not able to act individually because they don't want to stand out from their friends.
Besides that I guess they make a situation in which they are in danger of being molested.
I hope the ridiculous mode will vanish someday.

The easiest a way to make a dish.

Put some of the clay on the table.
Put the clay with your palm to pat it moderately flat.

Put two thin wooden boards of the same thickness on both sides of the clay.
And put rolling pin on that.

Roll the stick on the clay until the clay becomes the same thickness with the wooden boards.

This is the plaster mold.
Put the clay on the mold.
Make the shape along it.
Leave it there for several minutes to dry it moderately.

Several minutes later, turn it over.
Take the mold off the clay.
You can adjust the shape that you want to make.
It's all done. Shall we make it ?

Handmade bags made of leather.

If you buy leather bag at the shop, you would spend much money.
However, if you make it, you can get it what you like at a low price.
I bought the materials of leather at wholesale in Asakusa（浅草　あさくさ）. There are many wholesale of it in there. Asakusa is familiar as sight seeing place in Japan, many foreigners visit there.
And I made these hand stitch. It's a pleasure to think about what I design,
And then I do hand stitch the process bit by bit.
After finished it, there are times it's clumsy to use it, but I enjoy it.

My shop to show handmade goods.

A child of seal.

Shelves full potteries like a storeroom.

no houseroom of baskets.
I want to have a shop to show my sculptures, potteries and baskets even if it's a small. As I mention that before, I work at high school as a par time art teacher, because it is hard to make living to sell my works and others. So if I quit the teaching , I wouldn't make living. However, I have many sculptures, potteries and baskets. There are times to sell it to a person who wants these works. I'm thinking that how to get a space to show my works somehow.