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九谷焼 真生窯
宮本 雅夫 Masao Miyamoto
宮本 忠夫 Tadao Miyamoto
真生窯のあゆみ
The History of Shinsei Kiln
日本でも数少ない磁器の材料となる良質な陶石が採れる石川県小松市は、再興九谷が始まった江戸時代から続く九谷焼の産地です。
九谷焼の発祥である古九谷は、江戸時代初期に石川県加賀市山中町の九谷村で作られますが、約50年ほどで閉窯します。しかし、その後も九谷焼に魅了された多くの人々が、九谷焼の再興に尽力しました。江戸時代後期から再興九谷が始まり、同時期に小松市で良質な陶石が発見され、築窯が相次ぎ名産地へと成長します。
Komatsu City, one of the few places in Japan where high-quality porcelain stones are found, has been a renowned production area for Kutani ware since the Edo period when the revival of Kutani began.
The origin of Kutani ware, known as “Ko-Kutani,” traces back to the early Edo period, when it was produced in the village of Kutani in Yamanaka Town, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture. However, the kiln was closed after approximately 50 years of operation. Despite this, many people who were captivated by Kutani ware dedicated themselves to its revival. The revival of Kutani began in the late Edo period, and around the same time, high-quality porcelain stones were discovered in Komatsu City. This led to the construction of multiple kilns, establishing the region as a prominent production area for Kutani ware.
真生窯初代の宮本忠夫は、1928年に京都市上京区に生まれます。
生家のあった西陣は織物の町であり、幼少期より身近にあった着物の図案帳を時間を見つけては夢中で模写していました。
そんな中、太平洋戦争が起こり、疎開で石川県小松市へ移住することになります。
絵心があった忠夫は、奥深い古九谷に魅せられ、九谷焼の名窯であり再興に尽力した、松雲堂の二代松本佐吉（※1）に師事します。
The first generation of Masaki Kiln, Tadao Miyamoto, was born in 1928 in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City.
Nishijin, where he was born, was a district known for its textile industry. From a young age, Tadao would find time to passionately copy the design books of kimonos that were close at hand.
During this time, the Pacific War broke out, and he relocated to Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture due to evacuation. With a natural talent for drawing, Tadao became captivated by the profound beauty of Ko-Kutani ware. He studied under Sakichi Matsumoto II （※1）of Shoundo Kiln, a master potter who played a crucial role in the revival of Kutani ware.
※1：二代松本佐吉
明治38～昭和63（1905～1988）能美郡寺井町に生まれる。旧姓岩田、本名吉二。上絵師梅田梅光に庄三風を、初代佐吉から古九谷・吉田屋風を学び、その養子となり、松雲堂４代を継ぐ。板谷波山に師事し、陶彫や象嵌など陶技の幅を広げ、昭和13年新文展初入選、戦後は日展、31年から日本伝統工芸展に出品。51年石川県指定無形文化財九谷焼技術保存会会員。
※1：Sakichi Matsumoto II
Born in 1905 in Terai Town, Nomi District (now Nomi City), Sakichi Matsumoto II lived until 1988. His original surname was Iwata, and his given name was Kichiji. He studied the Shoza style of painting under Baiko Umeda, a master overglaze painter, and learned the Ko-Kutani and Yoshidaya styles from Sakichi Matsumoto I, eventually becoming his adopted son and succeeding as the fourth generation of Shoundo Kiln. Under the tutelage of Hazan Itaya, he expanded his expertise in ceramics, including ceramic sculpture and inlay techniques. In 1938, he was first accepted into the Shin-Bunten Exhibition, and after World War II, he exhibited his works at the Nitten and the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition from 1956 onwards. In 1976, he was recognized as a member of the Ishikawa Prefecture’s Designated Intangible Cultural Asset Kutani Ware Technical Preservation Society.
松雲堂での修行は過酷でした。
忠夫は工房仕事の休憩時間を割き、松雲堂に伝わる下図の運筆を忠実に学び、更に夜中に起きてはカストリ雑誌の余白に線描の練習を重ねました。
日々必死の研鑽を続けることで絵付の腕が上がり、今に繋がる「生きた線描を描く」ということが作品作りの背骨になっていきます。
修行時から書き溜めた図案は膨大な量であり、現在も窯の貴重な資料として大切に保管されています。
Training at Shoundo Kiln was extremely rigorous.
Tadao dedicated his break times from workshop duties to faithfully learning the brushwork techniques passed down at Shoundo Kiln. He would also wake up in the middle of the night to practice line drawing in the margins of “kasutori” magazines.
Through relentless daily practice, Tadao honed his painting skills, and the concept of creating “living line drawings” became the backbone of his work, a principle that continues to influence his creations today.
The designs he accumulated during his training are vast in number and are still carefully preserved as valuable materials at the kiln.
修行を積んだ忠夫は42歳で独立し、石川県小松市平面町に窯を構えます。
当時の作風は古九谷・吉田屋の写しが中心でありましたが、
次第に絵付が緻密さを増していきます。
After completing his training, Tadao became independent at the age of 42 and established his kiln in Heimen-cho, Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
At that time, his work primarily consisted of reproductions of Ko-Kutani and Yoshidaya styles. However, over time, his painting techniques became increasingly intricate and detailed.
九谷の伝統を守りながら、鴛鴦(※2)や鶴、松竹梅などの吉祥文をメインに描き、背景を唐草や青海波などの小紋でびっしりと描き埋めるという唯一無二な作風に昇華していきました。
一つ一つの作品が全て手描きで絵付され、多いものは上絵窯で10回以上焼成されます。
忠夫が生み出す作品は年間で十数点ほどで希少かつ貴重である事から、細密画の極致「幻の九谷」と言われています。
※2：鴛鴦(えんおう) オシドリのつがい。「鴛」は雄の、「鴦」は雌のオシドリ。
While preserving the traditions of Kutani, Tadao focused on painting auspicious motifs such as mandarin ducks (known as “en’ou” - the male is “en” and the female is “ou”), cranes, and the classic symbols of pine, bamboo, and plum.
He meticulously filled the backgrounds with dense patterns of arabesque and Seigaiha (wave) designs, elevating his work into a unique and unparalleled style. Each piece is hand-painted, with some requiring more than ten firings in the overglaze kiln.
Due to the limited number of works Tadao produces each year—usually only a few dozen—his pieces are considered rare and valuable, often referred to as “phantom Kutani” for their exquisite detail and refinement.
1971年には忠夫の長男 雅夫が生まれ、’96年東京藝術大学卒業後に真生窯に入り、同年の第43回日本伝統工芸展に出品し初入選します。
窯に入った当初は産地でモノを作るという事を意識的に排除し、自作を九谷焼と謂わずに色絵磁器と称していました。しかし、亡き母の「今のうちにしっかりと父の技を習った方が良い」という言葉を契機とし、産地にこだわることはとても自然であると思うようになります。
雅夫は肩の力が抜けると同時に、足元を見渡すと初代である父 忠夫が確立した色絵細描技法が他に類がない自窯の大きな強みであるという事に気づきます。
In 1971, Tadao’s eldest son, Masao, was born. After graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1996, he joined Masaki Kiln and in the same year made his first successful entry into the 43rd Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition.
When he first joined the kiln, Masao consciously avoided creating works specifically as Kutani ware, referring to his creations instead as polychrome porcelain. However, his late mother’s advice—“You should thoroughly learn your father’s techniques while you still can”—prompted him to realize that embracing the heritage of the region was a natural and meaningful choice.
As Masao relaxed into his craft, he recognized that the intricate polychrome techniques established by his father, Tadao, were a significant strength unique to their kiln, giving him a renewed appreciation for their legacy.
真生窯の色
Colors of Shinsei Kiln
九谷焼は、伝統的に九谷五彩といわれる「紫」「黄」「緑」「紺」「赤」の5色で表現されます。
九谷の和絵具は焼成時の剥離や泡が吹いたり、窯の中のゴミが釉面に付くなどトラブルが多く、焼く前と焼いた後が全く変わるので扱いが難しいと言われています。
Kutani ware is traditionally expressed using the five colors known as Kutani Gosai: purple, yellow, green, navy, and red. The traditional Japanese pigments used in Kutani ware are known for being challenging to work with due to issues such as peeling, bubbling, and debris from the kiln adhering to the glazed surface during firing. Additionally, the colors often change dramatically from before to after firing, making them particularly difficult to manage.
宝石のように煌くガラス質に変化する真生窯の上絵具は、長年に渡り試行錯誤を重ねて独自開発されました。剥離がしにくく透明度も高い事が特徴で、九谷産地の中で最も高い900度で焼き上がります。
「塗っては焼き」を十数回繰り返すことで完成する作品は、色彩に鮮やかさと深みがあり、立体感と質感のある独特の表情を見せます。
The overglaze pigments used at Shinseigama are developed through years of trial and error, transforming into a glass-like, jewel-like brilliance after firing. These unique pigments are known for their resistance to peeling and their high transparency, and they are fired at 900 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature used in the Kutani region.
The process of “painting and firing” is repeated more than ten times to complete each piece, resulting in works that display vivid and deep colors, with a unique texture and a sense of three-dimensionality.
真生窯の絵付
Colors of Shinsei Kiln
一本の生きた線が模様となり、その集合体が絵となる。
A single, living line forms a pattern, and the collective patterns create a painting.
小紋だけでなく、具象のモノとを構成して表現する緻密な絵付けの技術は、写生だけではなく先人の作品を筆づかいなど含めて忠実に模写する修練によって培い得た技術です。
写実ではなく、工芸的な線描に落とし込む事が真生窯の伝統であり、具象のモチーフだけではなく、幾何学模様であっても「一本の生きた線」にとことんこだわり絵付をしています。
The intricate technique of overglaze painting at Shinseigama, which involves not only patterns but also figurative elements, is a skill cultivated through rigorous practice. This includes not just sketching from life, but also faithfully copying the works of predecessors, including their brushstrokes.
At Shinseigama, the tradition is not to focus on realism but to distill motifs into a craft-like linear style. Whether the motif is figurative or geometric, every effort is made to ensure each line is “alive,” maintaining a dedication to this distinctive approach to overglaze painting.
真生窯 公式オンラインショップ
料理を彩るためのうつわ 『もてなしの九谷』
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