When it comes to Japan, many people may think of Japanese anime, Japanese technology products, Japanese skin care products and so on. That's right, as a standard tourist, these are our most concerned. However, my first impression of Japan was not the case. In fact, when it comes to Japan, the first word that reminds me is actually "stereotype."

"Stereotype" may be a derogatory term, but it is described in Japanese, but it represents their almost perverted attachment to "something". However, it is this extremely serious attitude towards life, and strict adherence to various rules, cultures, words and deeds that put Japan in the forefront of the world in many aspects. At the same time, some ancient techniques and cultures have been passed down.

▲Japan's strict garbage classification system

▲"Lonely Gourmet" Goro has harsh requirements for food and a very serious attitude to the details of life.

Japan is an island-type country. Studies in archeology and anthropology have found that its ancestors came from many places, most of them ancient Chinese, and a small number of Malays and Indo-Chinese. Over time, Japan has formed a multicultural fusion, with Chinese culture having the deepest influence. It is reflected in text, food, etiquette and many art fields.
But it is undeniable that it is the "stereotype" character of the Japanese that has allowed many ancient cultures to be well inherited and preserved in the course of thousands of years of history. Below, we are talking about Arita-fired porcelain in Japan, which is one of them.

With the convenience of traveling to Japan, people no longer fall in love with Tokyo's bloody fight, Hokkaido hot springs, Nara's sika deer, but began to look for a more meaningful trip to Japanese culture. Arita-cho, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, is a place famous for its porcelain. Here is like Jingdezhen in China, almost synonymous with Japanese ceramics. A day's swim here will definitely bring a lot of gains.

When you first arrive in Arita, you will find that almost everyone and everything is related to ceramics. It is said that 70% of the local residents are engaged in ceramics related work. In Japan, Arita-yaki porcelain has a history of more than 400 years. In this small town, Japan's top porcelain craftsmanship are gathered. Many porcelain kiln in the town are still the royal kiln of Japan.

The emergence of Arita-yaki has opened a new path for today's porcelain collection. In the continuous historical evolution, Arita-yaki has formed a unique creative style in traditional craftsmanship, and has opened up branches and leaves to show Japanese porcelain to the world. At present, Japan's Arita, China's Jingdezhen, and Germany's Mason are known as the world's three famous ceramic producing areas. In the mutual exchange, more fine ceramic art and practical utensils are constantly created. In particular, the appearance of the "2016 /" series of works, showing Arita's new face in the field of daily porcelain.

"2016 /" is named to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Arita Yaki. The Dutch design group Scholten & Baijings and Japanese designer Teruhiro Yanagihara serve as creative directors. In the first collection, 16 groups of contemporary designers from the United States, Japan, and Europe, and 10 ceramic factories from Arita were combined. All designers went to Arita, Japan to participate in the design, development and production process of the product. These designers with different backgrounds have broken away from the traditional shackles in porcelain crafts and appearance design, and made something more imaginative.

Ingegerd Raman was born in 1943 and is one of Sweden's most famous artists and designers. She firmly believes that design and practicality go hand in hand, and meeting people's needs is the original intention of design. Therefore, all her designs perfectly balance these two needs.

For example, in the work of Ingegerd Raman, the lid of a water bottle can also be used as a glass. The kettle without a lid turned into a vase. Not only that, many of her works can be combined and separated from each other to become multifunctional daily necessities.

In the "2016 /" series, Ingegerd Raman has collaborated with Vanilla to design a set of tea sets that can be combined and superimposed. This set of works is very functional and beautiful. If several utensils are stacked, they will have new functions: the temperature of the tea can be maintained, the dishes can be used for preservation, and it is easier to store.

The black glaze applied by Raman on the surface of the tea set was silky smooth and was carefully developed for this project. This black glaze is extremely durable and will stay true to color without fading or graying. White matte glaze is another color option for this collection. Raman described the tea set as a true collaboration between designer and artisan.

Raman has a wealth of experience in ceramic design, and complements the Pandan Society, which specializes in ceramics craftsmanship, to join forces to create this impeccable ceramic series.

Stefan Diez was born in a carpenter family in Germany in 1971. He started furniture design in 1991. In 2003, he set up his own studio in Munich, Germany to develop furniture, tableware and accessories. Is one of the most talented and talented young designers in the world.

The biggest feature of Stefan Diez's design is to break through the limitations of the product. He believes that the meaning of design lies in being more humane, making life simpler and abandoning the burden. Over the years, many of his works have won international design awards, including iF, the German Red Dot Best Award, and the Federal Republic of Germany Design Award.

In the "2016 /" series, Diez designed a set of tableware that takes into account the eating habits of the East and the West, which is both unique and convenient for daily use. He removed the common edge elements of traditional tableware, applied some typical handmade details in the design, and touched it closer to porcelain when using it, so as to appreciate the delicate detail and softness.

This set of works was fired from Qingshan Kiln, not only benefiting from the close local craftsman relationship, but also relying on advanced technology of industrial production. In the whole set, the surface of the grinder has small irregular protrusions, which is unique to Qingshan Kiln. The small holes in the tea strainer are derived from Hotarude's process, which is also a unique technique in Arita area-decorative ceramics with small holes and transparent glaze.

Kirstie van Noort is a Dutch ceramic designer born in 1986. She sees design as a way to convey the story behind a process or material. Therefore, when she starts a certain design, she will carry out deep excavations and experiments on the process and materials. The results of these studies will profoundly affect her design works.

In 2014, Kirstie van Noort was invited to participate in the "2016 / Aritayaki" project. She lived there for two years, researched the raw materials of Arita Yaki, and visited quarries and factories that collect and process clay. Van Noort found that kaolin in Arita and nearby areas was extremely pure, producing only a small fraction of ore waste.

And this small amount of ore waste has constituted a sufficient source of creation for van Noort and Setingao. They used kaolin and black Amakusa ore to develop unique colors and new types of clay.

This series emphasizes its unique color mix, so the basic models of the entire series are divided into two groups: the first group shows seven new colors, and the second group of gray series is made of new clay.

The "2016 /" project is an in-depth creation of daily ceramics with 16 designers. We will introduce each designer and their work in succession in subsequent articles. In a busy modern urban life, stress from many aspects is inevitably exhausting. The only comfort to the soul is to enjoy the comfortable atmosphere after returning home. A space with temperature, a set of exquisite living appliances, are like a soothing piece of music, taking you into peace.

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