Toru Hatta is a powerhouse ceramicist based near Osaka, Japan.

His work is instantly recognisable - clean lines and resplendent surfaces manifest in an understated aesthetic that speaks directly to his background in design and engineering, while his variety of glazing techniques reveal a discerning contemplation of cross-cultural ceramic traditions.

Inspired by Korean techniques that permeated the Momoyama period and ancient Jomon earthenware of Japan, and choosing to fire his work in a Anagama kiln, Toru’s works stand as a contemporary fusion of Japanese, Korean and Chinese ceramic history, expert craftsmanship and a focus on the spiritual character of clay.

Pursuing the endless possibilities of his material, he produces mainly white, black, and Mishima-te ceramics. Firing at the pace of once a month in a wood-fired kiln, his passion for pottery emanates from these works, which he fires many times until he is satisfied with them.

With a strong focus on Buncheongsa-ware, Hatta utilises white slip over an iron rich body to give structural integrity and depth to his works. In his Mishima works, bamboo or iron tools are used to carve intricate patterns which are then inlayed with slip and wiped back. It is a cumulative process that requires immense skill and patience, one where the hand of the maker is ever present and never replicable.

His Kohiki range emanates from within, luminous surfaces that shift in the light are not only beautiful but speak to the importance of artistic and scientific ingenuity. Fired multiple times in both wood and gas kilns, this silica-saturated glaze is necessary to protect the iron-rich body from disintegrating at high temperatures.

Born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1977, Toru Hatta graduated from the Department of Environmental Design, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Sangyo University. In 2003 Hatta became solely focussed on ceramics and it's been his passion ever since. 
He is now based in a town near Osaka, that still retains the look of a 450-year-old Edo-era settlement, and four years ago he built a house and studio there. It is close to the sea, and Kongo, the highest peak in Osaka, can be seen from the front window. His wood-fired kiln is in the same location where kiln technology was first introduced to Japan from the continent 1500 years ago.  

Photos of Toru and his kiln by Yusuke Nishibe.