Wrapped in flickering candlelight, koto master Tamiko Asai spoke to the audience in a hushed voice:
"We don't know the countless solitary hours of thought and work that went into these ceramic works. The hardships that were overcome to bring a spirited chawan into our hands were many. I envy these ceramic works for they will outlive me. I will play a song for you and when it is finished, it is gone. I hope it lingers in your hearts, though, such as these ceramic works we see here tonight." She then energetically plucked the strings and the music sent a shiver down my spine.
The same can be said for the ceramic works Asai spoke of, those of Goro Suzuki. Suzuki is one of those "once in 500 years" type of artists. He blends traditions, a carefree and abandoned skill, knowledge, decades of work, sincerity, humor, finesse and passion into the clay he spins, which evolves into shapes and designs that tug at the heartstrings -- something that few potters have ever done in all Japan's long ceramic history.