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There is an old story around here about Nakazato Muan (12th Generation Nakazato Tarouemon, Living National Treasure) finding a really great white clay seam in the Azambaru area of Taku. \u3000Here it is in Japanese for those of you who can read it:<\/p>\n
\u4e2d\u91cc\u7aaf\u306f\u662d\u548c\u4e8c\u5341\u4e00\u5e74\u306b\u77f3\u70ad\u4f7f\u7528\u306e\u89d2\u7aaf\u3092\u85aa\u7528\u306b\u6539\u9020\u3057\u3066\u4e8c\u5341\u4e94\u5e74\u307e\u3067\u713c\u3044\u305f\u3002
\n\u571f\u306f\u4e3b\u306b\u591a\u4e45\u9ad8\u9e97\u53e4\u7aaf\u5740\u8fd1\u304f\u306e\u591a\u4e45\u5e02\u5317\u591a\u4e45\u306e\u8355(\u3042\u3056\u3093)\u539f(\u3070\u308b)\u767d\u571f\u3092\u80ce\u571f\u3068\u3057\u305f\u3002
\n\u3053\u306e\u571f\u3092\u898b\u3064\u3051\u305f\u6642\u306e\u30a8\u30d4\u30bd\u30fc\u30c9\u304c\u6b8b\u3063\u3066\u3044\u308b\u3002
\n\u6398\u308a\u51fa\u3057\u305f\u571f\u3092\u53fa(\u304b\u307e\u3059)\u306b\u8a70\u3081\u3066\u8377\u8eca\u3067\u91cd\u5229\u304c\u68b6\u3092\u3068\u308a\u3001\u591a\u4e45\u99c5\u307e\u3067\u904b\u3076\u9014\u4e2d\u4e0b\u308a\u5742\u306b\u5dee\u3057\u639b\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3002
\n\u5f8c\u62bc\u3057\u3057\u3066\u3044\u305f\u7121\u5eb5\u306f\u3001\u4e0b\u308a\u5742\u3067\u3082\u62bc\u3057\u307e\u304f\u3063\u305f\u3002\u306f\u305a\u307f\u306e\u3064\u3044\u305f\u8eca\u306b\u91cd\u5229\u306f\u3042\u308f\u3066\u3066\u68b6\u68d2\u304b\u3089\u98db\u3073\u306e\u3044\u305f\u3002
\n\u8eca\u306f\u305d\u306e\u307e\u307e\u9053\u8107\u306e\u7530\u5703\u306b\u7a81\u3063\u8fbc\u307f\u3001\u8377\u8eca\u306f\u58ca\u308c\u3066\u3057\u307e\u3063\u305f\u3002
\n\u91cd\u5229\u304c\u9a5a\u3044\u3066\u6012\u9cf4\u308b\u3068\u7121\u5eb5\u306f,
\n\u300c\u3053\u306e\u571f\u3067\u4f55\u3092\u4f5c\u308d\u3046\u304b\u3068\u8003\u3048\u3066\u3044\u305f\u306e\u3067\u4e0b\u308a\u5742\u306b\u6c17\u4ed8\u304b\u306a\u304b\u3063\u305f\u300d\u3068\u91cd\u5229\u306b\u8b1d\u3063\u305f\u3002
\n\u300c\u89aa\u7236\u304c\u4ffa\u306b\u8b1d\u3063\u305f\u306e\u306f\u3042\u306e\u6642\u304c\u306f\u3058\u3081\u3066\u3060\u3063\u305f\u300d\u3068\u91cd\u5229\u306f\u3044\u3046\u3002<\/p>\n
For those of you whose Japanese is a bit rusty, it goes like this:<\/p>\n
In the year Showa 21 (1946), the Nakazato kiln was converted from a coal burning kiln to a wood burning kiln, and it was fired until Showa 25 (1950). During this time, Muan mostly used a white clay from the Azanbaru area of Taku.\u00a0 There is a story, told by his son Shigetoshi, from the day they discovered this clay seam (Nakazato Shigetoshi passed away in 2015, at the age of 85, so he was probably around 16 years old at the time of this story).
\nSo they have all this clay loaded onto a cart, which Shigetoshi is pulling and his father Muan is pushing, to Taku train station.
\nOn the way, they reach a downward slope, and without noticing, Muan keeps pushing\u00a0 down the slope, and they almost run into a car speeding down the road. Shigetoshi ends up diving to avoid the car, the car ends up in a rice field, and their cart ends up broken.\u00a0 When Shigetoshi gets angry and starts yelling, Muan says “I was so busy thinking about what I was going to make with this clay, I didn’t notice the slope.”,\u00a0 apologizing to Shigetoshi.
\n“That was the first time my father ever apologized to me.”, Shigetoshi commented.<\/p>\n
So why, you say, are you telling me all of this? Well, the fabled white clay seam has been looked for now by other potters for decades with no luck, but due to a fortuitous event a few months ago (and several years of looking), I believe I have found it again. Here are some pictures from our excursion out to dig some sample material for testing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>