Yasushi Kuno
Aichi, Japan

Having been born in Aichi Prefecture, Kuno Yasushi was exposed to a rich history of ceramics at an early age.  As a Boy Scout, he had the opportunity to try “tebineri (hand-building)” and “rokuro (throw-wheels)” and his schooling also supported the learning of ceramics.  His love for cinema took him on a path as an assistant for a movie director in Tokyo after he graduated high school, but after three years, he returned to Aichi and joined a ceramics school to improve his health and realized the quietude fed him.  He embarked on a journey of study for the next few years at Seto, Raku & Kutani Seiyou.  At Kutani Seiyou he studied traditional patterns and shapes. When he left to start his own kiln, one of the works he decided to make was “Oval Shaped Shinogi Plates.” “Shinogi” plates have been made, but he had never seen oval-shaped ones. He thought the oval shape would match today’s lifestyle.