KAWAI Kanjirō (河井寬次郎, 1890―1966), a well-known modern Japanese ceramic artist, wrote essays about his hometown and childhood and published them from 1946 until his death in 1966. Kawai learned western ceramic engineering techniques in Tokyo and then began a career as a ceramic artist in Kyoto under the influence of Chinese ceramics. These two authoritative methods, western technology and Chinese ceramics, are oppositely positioned with his hometown of Shimane prefecture, a rural area of Japan.
In many of his essays, such as Rokujūnen Mae no Ima (六十年前の今, Now, Sixty Years Ago, 1962―1966), the growth of ‘children' represents the modernization of Japan. His literary expression was clearly influenced by two factors. First, interest in Darwin's biological studies and the way in which these views on animal behavior were being applied to human society. Second, auspicious motifs found in ceramics are sometimes included metaphorically in his writings; these scenes then create a dual meaning in the writings.
Kawai's stories are not only real-life experiences of his childhood, but they transcend time and space as an idea of a ‘common expression of living matter'. In other words, this expression of ‘hometown' can be interpreted as a literary expression against the background of his thoughts on creative activities. The aim of this paper is to re-examine the meaning of these essays as a part of his artistic activities.
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