[English version in below]
當Natsu跟我聊到和菓子盤時，送了一包懷紙給我參考，並折了使用時的樣子給我看，懷紙折起來的樣子真漂亮。她接著告訴我，稽古時大家都會帶上自己的懷紙，但如果是初次體驗的客人通常不會準備，所以也想向我訂製幾件陶器和菓子盤給客人使用。聽到這個訂製品時，我馬上連想到一支紙陶土，並提議可以用它做這一系列的和菓子盤。
製作過程中，可以觀察到紙陶土中有絨狀的纖維（圖三），擁有全乾狀態下可直接沾水粘接的超能力（如圖四）。它能被桿得很薄，對折不斷裂，據說也可以直接上色燒製。就連在等待乾燥的時候也和紙張一樣，濕掉乾燥時會起皺，讓我有點困擾，做了二十幾個最後整批回收。後來想起ＮＨＫ電視台上看到製作手工和紙的職人，在紙乾燥時必須使用重物加壓，於是有樣學樣地用重物壓著土坯直到它們全乾，最後果然平整到不行，有點得意。
大概是因為土裡有紙纖維的緣故，雖然成品看似纖弱，結構卻似乎很堅韌。這在燒製完的打磨程序上能感受到，磨起來蠻費時的，光是用砂紙起不了什麼作用，得用上電動的機器才能把凸起的碎粒磨平到順手的程度。
僅四個角微微翹起、簡樸內斂的造型和釉色，好像沒將這種紙陶土的神奇特色發揮到一眼就能看透。這是我從Natsu身上所感受到內斂的茶道精神，一方面也是重視食器的實用性，在視覺上讓出空間搭配造型美麗多樣的和菓子，也方便客人從榻榻米上取用、又讓主人好疊放收納。
當初提供了幾種釉色讓Natsu選擇，最後她選的顏色很簡練溫柔，又充滿了細節。選擇使用刷子塗抹上釉相當輕便（笑），但同時也不是很好掌握，需要做詳細的筆記寫上要塗刷兩次、三次等等，但每一個都仍然長得不一樣。我特別喜歡透明釉的厚薄變化，在堆積處會有不一樣的景緻。
寫完覺得，之後似乎還可以用這支土開發出很多不同的器皿呢。
When Natsu told me about the Japanese wagashi serving plate, she gifted me a pack of Kaishi paper for reference and folded it to show me how it looks when used. The folded paper looks so beautiful. She went on to tell me that normally everyone would bring their own Kaishi paper to a tea ceremony, but if it was their first time, they would probably not bring one with them, so she wanted to order some pottery ones from me for the guests to use. When I heard about this item, I immediately thought of a kind of paper clay and suggested that I could use it to make these wagashi plates.
During the production process, it can be observed that there are long fibers in the paper clay, which has the super ability to be bonded with water even when it is completely dry. It can be made very thin, can be folded in half without much cracking, and it is said that it can also be directly colored and then fired. Even when it was waiting to dry, it was just like paper. It would wrinkle when it dried. This bothered me a little, I made more than a dozen and the whole batch went recycling. But then I had an idea, I thought of the Japanese paper craftsmen broadcast on NHK used super heavy objects to press the paper while drying, so I followed the similar procedure until they were completely dry. In the end, it turned out to be extremely flat. I was a little proud about it.
Probably because there are paper fibers in the clay, although the finished product looks fragile, the structure seems to be very strong. You can feel this from the polishing process which is quite time-consuming. Just using sandpaper will not do much. You have to use an electric tool to smooth the raised particles to a smooth level.
Only the four corners are slightly raised, the simple and restrained shape and glaze color do not seem to utilize the magical power of this paper clay to the extent that it can be seen through at a glance. This is the spirit of the tea ceremony that I feel from Natsu. On the one hand, there is an attention to the practicality of tableware, and visually allowing space to match the beautiful and diverse shapes of wagashi. And finally, it is convenient for users to hold from tatami and stack for storage.
As for the glaze color, there were several colors that I offered Natsu to choose from, and the color she finally chose was indeed simple and gentle. Applying with a brush is quite easy (laughs), but at the same time it is not very easy to master. I had to take detailed notes and write down whether to apply it twice, three times, etc., but each one still looks different. I particularly like the change in thickness of the transparent glaze, which creates different effects where it is accumulated.
After writing this, I feel that I can use this soil to develop many different utensils in the future.
⟨ 交迭 Interweaving: From Kiln to Cup ⟩
翁宜襄茶道具展 Yvonne Weng’s Tea Utensil Exhibition
茶の湯 SOKA’AN Tea Ceremony | By Reservation
展覽日期 | 2023.12.2–12.15
展出空間 | 宗夏庵 SOKA’AN