Mingei Pottery
Series celebrating Japanese crafts. The Hamadas are a famous family of potters, and we see Tomoo at work, shaping his pots and firing them in a wood-fuelled kiln.
The final episode features one of Japan's most famous family of potters - the Hamadas. Shoji Hamada was a major figure in the Mingei folk art movement of the 1920s and '30s. He helped turn the town of Mashiko into a major centre of ceramics, famous for its thick and rustic pottery. He also spent time in Britain, where he taught renowned St Ives potter Bernard Leach the art of Japanese pottery.
Today, his grandson Tomoo Hamada continues the family tradition. This film follows him at work as he painstakingly shapes his pots and fires them in an old-style wood-fuelled kiln. We also hear how Tomoo played a vital role in saving Mashiko as a pottery centre after many of its kilns were destroyed in the 2011 earthquake.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Next
You are at the last episode
Clips
-
Keeping the fires burning
Duration: 01:55
-
Throwing a pot - the traditional way
Duration: 01:01
-
Glazing a pot
Duration: 01:07
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Producer | Ben Harding |
| Series Producer | Matthew Springford |
| Executive Producer | Richard Bright |
Broadcasts
- Mon 26 Jun 2017 22:00
- Tue 27 Jun 2017 02:30
- Sun 2 Jul 2017 20:00
- Wed 27 Mar 2019 19:30
- Wed 15 Apr 2020 19:30
- Wed 7 Jul 2021 23:10
- Wed 26 Apr 2023 19:30
- Wed 20 Aug 2025 19:30
- Thu 21 Aug 2025 02:45
Featured in...
Japan Season
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Four explores the art, culture and history of Japan.
