Scarlet Week 14 “A New Wind is Blowing”

After Hachiro won the gold award at a ceramics exhibition in January 1969, solo shows and commissions steadily came in, and Kimiko devoted herself to supporting him. However, Hachiro was feeling creatively stuck while Kimiko was freely creating her own pieces. During this time, after Hachiro dismissed his young apprentices, a young woman named Mitsu from Tokyo applied to become his apprentice. She suggested incorporating new materials to help Hachiro overcome his creative block. Moved by her enthusiasm, Kimiko persuaded the reluctant Hachiro to accept Mitsu as an apprentice. She moved into the Kawahara home and grew close to Kimiko’s mother, Matsu, and sister, Yuriko. Kimiko sympathized with Mitsu and wanted to incorporate her ideas. However, this created tension with Hachiro, who was fixated on Shigaraki clay. Meanwhile, Hachiro began to find a certain peace in his conversations with Mitsu.