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Artist Introduction

Thoughts entrusted to TOSAIGA

Kusaba Kazuhisa’s theme as an artist has always been “life”. And TOSAIGA is the expression tool to “rejoice in life”.

When he decided to devote his life to art creation, Kusaba first started to travel around the world as a backpacker for experiences that could give him profundity and wisdom to vivify his art.
In the first country India, he was strongly impressed by the dynamism of “life”. He says he was completely pleased and fascinated by the most simple and ordinary fact: everything is living. It was such a sharp and clear feeling as if to be expressed as being struck by thunder, and it made him realize that this strong impression is the very origin of any kind of poem and art creation. Besides, India was an interesting and vital place where opposite things chaotically coexisted, such as rich and poor, and beautiful aspects and ugly aspects. It seemed much the same as our mind. Kusaba learned it was our own perspectives and minds that make the world either beautiful or ugly.

For him, “life” to be rejoiced in is not only living humans or animals.
Water flowing through a river from a mountain to the ocean to fall again on a mountain by turning to the cloud, the blessings of the earth that grow in abundance thanks to water, animals that eat them, other animals that eat them, newborn life, lives entrusted from parents to children and from children to grandchildren…
This world itself, in which all things exist vertically and horizontally connected and circulating, is “life,” and each of us can be either a part or the whole of that “life” depending on our own consciousness and perspective.
This is the life Kusaba desires to cherish through his TOSAIGA. And TOSAIGA with delicate colors and sparkles originated to express the incomparable brilliance and indescribable diverse hue of “life”.

TOSAIGA is full of communion with nature in its entire process of creation. A porcelain panel is made from soil, the Mother Earth. The glaze comes to shine through the artist’s conversation with minerals and thanks to the power of fire. And TOSAIGA finally appears by putting the piece into the kiln as if to release what he persists in and to entrust it to the natural providence. TOSAIGA creation is the challenge of harmonizing with nature, and the whole procedure itself is the expression of life.

The more we are obsessed with petty egos, the more we suffer with reality against the vision. Rather, you can get relief and peace by not sticking to egos but facing “life” with an open mind. That is also a lesson of “life” that Kusaba learned from the process of baking the TOSAIGA piece, which he expresses as “to entrust.” Once the piece is put into the kiln, it is no use to worry about it as the piece enters a world beyond human expectation no matter how much effort is made during other processes. Sometimes the completed work is disappointing, and sometimes unexpectedly marvelous. Masterpieces that far surpass the artist’s original vision can be achieved only by relinquishing the humane expectations. Putting the piece into the kiln seems to have a symbolic meaning of releasing what we persist in and entrusting ourselves to natural providence.

Kusaba frequently chooses episodes or characters from diverse myths and Buddhism for his art pieces. However, what he really tries is not to represent “god itself” or to adhere to the orthodox doctrine of the religion. Rather, Kusaba has always tried to express and evoke the sense of holiness, reverence, and peaceful mind that we would have when we face a divine existence. He has also kept drawing Ryu (Chinese dragon) and Hoh-oh (Chinese phoenix), the symbol of living at will, because he wants to share admiration for their strength and beauty. And the pieces with the motifs of flowers, Mt.Fuji, and other nature are not only to show their beauty but also to tell you that you have the same vital and vivid beauty.
We, the adult people, should not be too skeptical and fearful for the world and future, or children will lose hope for their future as well. Each of us must set an example for the next generation of what we want them to be like. Life is not something just to “consume”. Even in hardship and sadness, may we positively rejoice in life seeking true happiness. This is the sincere prayer through TOSAIGA creation.