1notani　一ノ谷

1notani’s path as a ceramic artist is somewhat unconventional. He began working with clay in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Less than a year later, he was already receiving commissions from figures in the fashion industry. Typically, ceramic artists establish their practice by presenting work through craft fairs, pop-up exhibitions, and, more recently, social media, gradually expanding their network of stockists while developing a distinctive style and identity. In contrast, 1notani’s artistic voice was formed through collaborations with clients from the very beginning. Rather than creating work independently and seeking an audience afterward, he developed his practice through responding to commissions and creative briefs. When asked why, he explains, “I’ve been fortunate to work with people who have the power to create.” Through dialogue and collaboration with such individuals, ideas and expressions emerge that he could never have arrived at alone. By refining concepts together, projects often evolve into something entirely unexpected. 1notani readily admits that he has never been the type of maker who thrives in complete solitude. Instead, he finds that creating alongside others is what best suits his way of working.

Originally drawn to fashion, 1notani attended a fashion vocational school after graduating from university and once aspired to become a stylist. However, wanting to engage more directly with the creative process, he enrolled in coconogacco, the experimental design school founded by Yoshikazu Yamagata. Following Yamagata’s recommendation, he joined the Material & Matter course, where students explore craft and material-based practices. Although he loved fashion, he was never particularly attached to textiles themselves. Encountering a wide range of materials and traditional techniques led him, almost unexpectedly, to ceramics. No one around him was making pottery, nor was it something formally taught at the school, yet he found himself drawn to it. Looking back, he traces that attraction to childhood memories of playing with clay alongside his father. His two years at coconogacco were less about acquiring technical skills and more about developing a way of thinking: learning to observe his inner world and translate it into creative expression. In many ways, that experience connected his childhood fascination with clay to the ceramic practice he pursues today. “Fashion and ceramics are surprisingly similar,” he says. Through ceramics, he remains connected to the fashion world, sharing common values, aesthetics, and sensibilities with many of the people he works with. In the end, fashion continues to form an important part of his identity.

One of 1notani’s signature bodies of work is the Stone Series. At first glance, the pieces are nearly indistinguishable from actual river stones. Their varied colors and textures are achieved by combining different types of clay, while stone-like marbling emerges through the careful blending of contrasting clay bodies. Among these works, his stacked-stone sculptures originated from a commission by the jewelry brand HIDAKA. Inspired by a cave in Takachiho, Miyazaki—where the sun goddess Amaterasu is said to have hidden herself—these pieces reference the countless stones stacked by visitors around the sacred site. 1notani reimagined this landscape in ceramic form. To replicate the appearance of real stone, he experiments with numerous clay bodies and repeatedly polishes each piece after firing. Following the advice of his mentor—“your hands are your best tools”—he works with remarkably few instruments, relying primarily on touch and intuition. Beyond stones, 1notani has recreated everyday objects such as stacked coins and baseball caps with extraordinary precision. Why make these objects in clay? Faced with that question, viewers are often struck by both the unexpectedness of the medium and the immense labor required to realize each piece. The familiar suddenly appears unfamiliar, creating a subtle sense of disorientation. That shift in perception lies at the heart of 1notani’s work. For him, ceramics are not simply a means of making functional vessels, but a medium through which to create sculptural forms that provoke surprise, curiosity, and reflection.