Madoka Kashiwagi was born in the traditional pottery production area of Iga, in Mie Prefecture, as the third daughter of Doraku-gama, a kiln in business for almost two centuries since the premodern Edo period. Around the age of 21, Kashiwagi came to help her family business. The creative atmosphere of the ceramic art studio had been a familiar sight since childhood, and immersing herself in it kindled a desire to make her own style of pottery. She continued to hone her technique at Doraku-gama for 10 years, and then left Iga and set up an independent practice in Mashiko.
Mashiko is the greatest pottery production center in the Kanto region and the home of many rival potters. After a period of experimenting with the unfamiliar local clay, Kashiwagi decided to try porcelain clay.
“The pottery I want to make is well-crafted and yet comforting. Porcelain clay is completely different from Iga clay, but it is suitable for my style.”
When working at the potter’s wheel, Kashiwagi says she always feels calm and composed. She likes to use her favorite pinewood scraper—one of the many tools she brought from Doraku-gama.
“Normally, you wouldn’t scrape porcelain clay while it’s so soft. But I like to, because it’s what I did at Doraku.”
In search of her ideal creative environment, Kashiwagi has returned to Iga. She continues to make the pottery she loves in the neighborhood of her family kiln.
