Originally from Yokohama, Sugita Takaaki (杉田貴亮) studied product design at university but wanted to work with his hands instead of at a computer. After developing a taste for simple folk pottery, he apprenticed at Shodai-yaki Fumoto Kiln in Kumamoto. After moving to Yame, Fukuoka, he established Kazami Kiln (風見窯) in 2017 in a response to a call for local artists to revive the Onoko-yaki (男ノ子焼) tradition of the region.
After first trying to replicate rustic Vietnamese celadon, Sugita-san soon learned that the refined beauty of Chinese celadon suited his personality better than more rustic folk styles. Ever since, he has been experimenting with local Yame clay and materials with the goal of reproducing the elegance Song-dynasty celadon wares, like the Longquan and Yaozhou celadons that once entered Japan through the port city of Yame (then called Hakata) some 800 years ago. He crafts his own clay and glazes, constantly trying new formulations and techniques after studying fragments of old wares.
