For the past 10 weeks I was a Fall Resident at The Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado. Doug Casebeer, the Artistic Director of Ceramics, and Takashi Nakazato, Visiting Artist, were both strong influences during my time there and I am excited to see this video portraying their relationship, as well as Takashi’s connection to the Ranch. 10 weeks flew by and I had a chance to see Takashi work; throw, trim, glaze, and fire. One of the finest moments was the traditional Japanese Matcha Tea Ceremony he celebrated with us residents. We drank out of his tea bowls.
Here’s what I had a hand in making at Film Camp. I call it Film Camp, but it was actually a week-long workshop led by FCPX rock star Larry Jordan and hosted by the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado. The workshop was called Video Storytelling; the 10-person class broke into three teams and each team produced a short series of mini-documentaries.
The subject of this mini-documentary is Takashi Nakazato. Takashi speaks little English, so the story is told through the words of Doug Casebeer, one of the Artistic Directors at the ranch. Takashi is the fifth son of the late Muan Nakazato, a National Treasure. He is the thirteenth generation of an unbroken lineage of Karatsu potters. The Nakazato family was patronized as distinguished potters by the successive feudal lords of Karatsu, and therefore the custom of inheriting both the family and given name was observed. The Nakazato family is now the most eminent pottery family in Karatsu, a ceramics-producing district on Kyusyu island. The term “Karatsumono”, meaning the ware produced in Karatsu, has actually become a synonym for pottery in most of the western Japan. He has the reputation of being the most skilled ceramic thrower in Japan.