少し早起きをして、10年来のお施主さまと唐津まで。お世話になっている洋々閣の会長ご夫妻とのお食事の前に、隆太窯へ立ち寄る。陶芸家／中里太亀さんご夫婦と工房で話し込んでいると、中里隆さんがいらっしゃった。いつもなら海外を飛び回っているはずだが、この1年は長い期間、唐津にいるそう。『いままでは忙しく飛び回っていたため、限られた時間の中で、集中してものづくりに向き合ってきた。この1年、時間は例年以上にある。だからといって、創作に向かい合えるかというとそうでもなく、リズムが狂ってしまったよ。』と、隆さん。『日本の食事の風景には器の数が多く、また、日本のように器に口をつける風習・文化があったからこそ、いかにして口当たりをつくるか、考え続けることができた。それはとても幸せなことだったのではないか。』という言葉は、自らが生まれ育った地域への愛に溢れる、創作の根元に迫るものだった。

　I woke up a little early and went to Karatsu with my client of 10 years. We stopped by Ryutagama before having dinner with the chairman and his wife of Yoyokaku, who have been very kind to us. While I was chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Taki Nakazato, a potter, in their studio, Mr. Takashi Nakazato arrived.

　He told me that he has been in Karatsu for a long time this year, although he usually travels overseas.　And he usually has been able to concentrate on making things in a limited amount of time because of his busy schedule.“This year, I’ve had more time than usual, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been able to focus on creating, and I’ve lost my rhythm. I’ve lost my rhythm,” said Mr. Takashi.

“There are a lot of bowls in the Japanese dining scene, and because of the Japanese custom and culture of putting one’s mouth on a bowl, I was able to keep thinking about how to make the palatable. It must have been a very happy thing for me.” These words, full of love for the region where he was born and raised, got to the root of his creativity.