Mie Hazama works as a professional ceramics artist. Her studio is based in Ubuyama-mura, a small village in Aso, Japan.

Hazama, born in Kyoto, has participated in workshops in Japan, The United States and Canada, including Ghost Ranch ceramics workshop Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA).

Now her work is sold throughout Japan, as well as internationally.

Artist Statement

When I was a college student, I never imagined that I would become a ceramic artist. At age 24, I was in a traffic accident and suffered a broken leg. My rehabilitation forced me to stay in the hospital for four months.

As I healed, I found a pottery house near the hospital. I walked there on crutches and took my first pottery class. This was my first experience with pottery, but I soon knew that I wanted to commit myself to ceramics more seriously than just as a hobby.

I found an excellent master, Yoshitaka Hasu in Iga, Mie prefecture. I studied under Hasu sensei’s guidance for more than two years.

The experience of working in Hasu’s studio not only taught me technique, but also taught me about life as a working ceramic artist. I was inspired by his sculptural works as well as his fine dinnerware.

Hasu mainly works with Iga and Shigaraki pottery, using natural ash glaze and clay. I never learned much about glazes and firings, so I began to study other methods on my own. This period was when I began working with ‘zinc crystalline’ glazes.

At that time, I found an old house in Kumamoto for my future studio. Kumamoto has excellent material for porcelain called ‘Amakusa-Toseki.’ I could finally imagine my dinnerware finished with crystalline glaze. These would be new dishes for the Japanese ware.

I decided to pursue this glaze and I have been working with it for the past 12 years. Now I work almost exclusively with crystalline glazes for my dishes and ceramic art.