Fukushima’s Suetoku Pottery Moves Beyond 3/11 Toward the Future

Sue Masanori is the tenth generation of the Suetoku family, a line of potters going back centuries.

The new workshop, where amateurs can also try their hand at making a pot on the wheel.

A gallery and shop are located upstairs from the workshop.

The gallery displays all kinds of Sōma ware, including plates, tea cups, and flower vases.

The hashiri-koma motif is always facing to the left, considered a good omen in Japan.

Rubbing sumi ink into the naturally crazed surface of a pot to emphasize the effect

Cups and plates with a modern feeling brought about by the crazed effect in the white matt glaze.

A double-layered tea cup and a cross-section of it. The heart-shaped holes are called nami-chidori, or zigzagging plovers, and can represent a couple forging through heavy waves together. They are a symbol of conjugal harmony and the achievement of shared goals.

Chopstick rests and paperweights in the shape of Fukushima Prefecture.

The Sue family, left to right: Chieko, Tomiji, Masanori, and Kaori.

Scenes showing directly after the earthquake. Nearly all the pots were smashed to pieces by the quake.

Suetoku Pottery in Namie, as taken in January 2018. Tomiji and Chieko still visit each month to spray weed killer and do other maintenance on the grounds. They patiently await the day when they can return home. (© Yamaguchi Noriko)

Masanori is totally absorbed as he works on the wheel.

Masanori and Kaori enjoy a meal together. All the pottery in use is Sōma ware, a perfect match for their peaceful way of life.

A piece of Sōma pottery commemorates the birth of a child, with the date of birth engraved alongside imprints of the hands and feet). The model is Masanori’s baby son, Haruki.

A tea set made as a trial item together with the Nanbu cast-iron workshop. The pottery lid and the teacups employ the double-layer method.