Hiroyuki Arao (Yunotsu-yaki Tsubaki Kiln) - Works born from dialogue and imagination of the user, and new relationships
editor's note
The tableware found at HÏSOM is the work of Hiroyuki Arao of Yunotsu-yaki Tsubaki Kiln. We asked Mr. Arao about how to build a direct relationship between the craftsman and the user.
Continuing the practice of direct sales to customers since the previous generation, and creating products by meeting face-to-face as much as possible to align with what is requested, is work done within a relationship where faces are visible like no other. Even if the number of items that can be made is limited, by putting heart and soul into each piece, the relationship with the customer itself becomes valuable. Only then does it lead to higher added value for the product.
What I value most is selling directly while talking with the customer. I have considered online sales, but I want to make pottery for that specific customer, and I am not good at creating things based solely on online interactions. I do not communicate with customers via email or similar methods; I prefer to hear their voices directly over the phone, and if possible, meet and talk in person. I create my works while picturing the customer's face and imagining them using the pieces.
Rather than asking specifically about the pottery the customer wants, I want to get to know the person through our conversation. I learn what kind of person they are by chatting about trivial things, including private matters, and I let my imagination expand to shape the work. At first, I make a sample and show it to the customer, but it is rarely satisfactory from the start. I suggest things like, 'Shall we do it this way?' or 'I can also do this,' and by conversing with the customer, we bring it closer to the final form.
Working in such a way, facing the customer thoroughly, takes time and effort, but it is very important to me. When my father was alive, we had four hands to work with, but now I only have two.
Also, I do not disrupt my waking or sleeping hours. That is the one thing my father told me never to break. When fatigue accumulates, concentration lapses and mistakes increase. To prevent that, eating, sleeping, and resting are the best things to do. This is very important; if you push yourself too hard, it will definitely show in your work. So, I apologize to my customers, but I ask them to give me time, and I complete each job one by one. My conclusion is that I cannot work on three or four jobs at the same time.
Hiroyuki Arao (Representative of Tsubaki Kiln)
Born in Shimane Prefecture in 1976. After studying under his father, Koichi Arao, he founded Hiro x Roan in 2005. In 2007, he held his first solo exhibition at Kyoto Design House. He is currently the representative of Tsubaki Kiln, which was opened in Yunotsu in 1969.
Chapter 5: Regional Activity Heat and Involved Population - Observations
Regional Activity Heat The presence of leaders and communities within a region that initiate proactive activities to enhance the region's appeal
Involved Population A mutually beneficial relationship between visitors who actively travel to the region and the local residents
Chapter 5: Regional Activity Heat and Involved Population - Interviews
Creating creative production areas by discovering, refining, and adding value to regional resources
Naohiro Niiyama (Representative of TSUGI / RENEW Director)
The administration acts as a behind-the-scenes supporter, producing and promoting 'Sabae, the City of Glasses'
Noriaki Takasaki (Sabae City Hall)
Envisioning a world where the future of production areas becomes a 'sustainable regional industry'
Yasuhiko Taniguchi (RENEW Executive Committee Chair / CEO of Taniguchi Optical)
A new generation of artisans who not only create things but also take on the responsibility of promoting and selling them
Yuji Totani (Takefu Knife Village / Traditional Craftsman)
The value that increasing touchpoints with customers brings to production areas
Toru Uchida (President of Shitsurindo / Traditional Craftsman)
Medium-to-long-term stays to experience the quality of life
Masako Omi (HÏSOM / WATOWA Owner)
We want people to be here who will protect the local culture even after we are gone
Izumi Usui / Fumi Usui (Residing in Hiso, Yunotsu-cho, Oda City, Shimane Prefecture)
The role of the administration in supporting local people so they can shine
Kazunori Matsumura (Oda City Hall)
Works born from imagining the user and dialogue, and new relationships
Hiroyuki Arao (Yunotsu-yaki Tsubaki Kiln)
Connecting Satoyama revitalization with successor development
Shinya Kobayashi (Coelacanth Shokudo / MUJUN / Representative of Satoyama Installation)
Creating an environment where locals can have confidence through external perspectives and voices channeled via 'design'
Shiho Kitamura (Saga Prefectural Official)
Continuous organizational management and the accumulation of relationships generate economic circulation
Junya Yamade (Representative Director of BEPPU PROJECT / Artist)
Communities resonating through shared values increase their heat
Shuichiro Sakaguchi (Representative of BAGN Inc. / Representative Director of Riverbank)
Agency for Cultural Affairs Website "Cultural Tourism: Increasing the Added Value of Cultural Resources"
https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunka_gyosei/bunkakanko/93694501.html
Report "FY2021 Cultural Tourism High Value-Added Research: On the Relationship Between Culture, Tourism, and Community Development"
https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunka_gyosei/bunkakanko/pdf/93705701_01.pdf(Direct link to PDF)
This report presents considerations on the ideal state of "increasing added value" aimed at by future cultural tourism policies, deriving five perspectives to be cherished, and includes interviews with 37 individuals who served as the basis for those perspectives.