The Kiln, the Clay and the Form
Makoto Hatori, a ceramic artist who trained as a Japanese traditional potter but expresses his own philosophy into new, contemporary creations.
Makoto Hatori was born in Japan in 1947. Hatori apprenticed under a master of traditional Japanese ceramics in 1968 and 1974. Following the completion of his bachelor’s degree in sculpture at Nihon University College of Art in 1972, Hatori went on to research clay and glazes at the Gifu Prefectural Institute of Ceramics, 1972~1974. In 1975, Hatori established his own ceramics studio in Tamatukuri, Ibaraki prefecture, with a traditional firing kiln that he designed. While running this studio between 1975 and 2006, Hatori produced traditional ceramics and exhibited them nationally. In 2007, he relocated his studio to Moriya, Ibaraki prefecture where he has been ever since. Since 1978, he has been selected for numerous international exhibition and won awards across the globe including in Italy, Great Britain, New Zealand, Egypt, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, U.S.A., Croatia, South Africa, Australia, Taiwan, Estonia, Korea, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, France, Romania, Turkey, and Latvia. In 1992, Hatori taught ceramics at the Manchester Polytechnic (Manchester Metropolitan University) in the Department of Art and Design. Between 1994 and 1996, Hatori was a member of the Contemporary Applied Arts in England. He has been invited to participate in a number of international symposia and conferences including the International Ceramic Symposium by Lithuania Panevezys City Council in 1996 and 1998; Earth and Fire by the Craft Potters Association of Great Britain in 1997; International Woodfiring Symposium at the International Ceramics Studio, Hungary in 2006; and the 2nd ICMEA (International Ceramic Magazine Editors Association) Conference at Fuping Pottery Art Village, Fuping, Shaanxi, China in 2007.