His Father's Silhouette

Maeta's studio is in Kawahara, a town in Tottori City where he was born and raised. His kiln's name, "Yanase-gama," is derived from Mount Yanase, which rises behind the studio. It's easy to see how the natural beauty of this region, completely blanketed in snow each winter, inspires the hakuji that Maeta creates.

So, what was Maeta's childhood like in this town, nestled in a lush natural environment?

"I think I was in the third grade," Maeta recalls. "My father, an elementary school teacher, took up woodblock printing as a hobby. After dinner with the family, he'd retreat to his workspace, carving with his tools and making test prints all by himself. Watching him so absorbed in his work, even as a child I thought it looked like incredible fun."

"He should have been exhausted after a long day at work, but he just looked so happy. That image stuck with me. As a kid, I remember thinking I'd love to find something like that for myself. I believe that was my very first encounter with art."

It was a simple, everyday moment in an average family that struck a chord deep within Maeta. His inspiration wasn't rooted in the artistic merit or critical acclaim of a piece, but in the pure, simple desire to create.

A Childhood Connection with Art

Perhaps inspired by his father, arts and crafts became Maeta's favorite subject in elementary school. True to the saying, "passion fuels proficiency," his class projects started winning awards, and he began bringing home certificates and prize badges.

After entering junior high, Maeta joined a sports team, and art took a bit of a backseat for a while. But the creative seed planted in his childhood continued to grow, and upon entering high school, his passion for art finally began to blossom.

"In high school, I came to a fresh realization of just how much I loved art," he says. "I moved beyond the simple crafts of elementary school and began to seriously practice sketching and oil painting."

"I started visiting art museums, too. I'd go see not only Japanese paintings but also works by world-famous artists like Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Matisse."

Why I Decided to Aim for Art School

Maeta, who had been exploring art broadly based on his personal interests, reached a significant turning point thanks to a piece of advice from his high school art teacher.

"My teacher encouraged me to go to art school. But it's a huge challenge to get into an art school from a high school art club in a rural area. There are also practical exams, so I figured I wouldn't get in right away. I eventually came around to the idea that it would be fine if I could get in after studying for an extra year or two," he says.

High school is often when students start thinking about their future careers. While some are unsure about what lies ahead, others have a strong desire for a specific profession. Maeta leaned toward the latter, recalling that he vaguely hoped to be involved in the art world.

"I didn't have a specific 'this is it!' moment, but I knew I wanted to be involved with art, my passion, in some capacity. At that time, however, I wasn't consciously thinking about becoming a professional artist like I am today."

Still, a career was a distant thought. First, he had to overcome the hurdle of university entrance exams.

The Path to Majoring in Ceramics at Osaka University of Arts

Although Maeta was prepared to spend an extra year studying to get into art school, he was unexpectedly accepted right away.

"I loved design and crafts, so I applied to a few schools with those majors and received an acceptance letter from the Department of Crafts at Osaka University of Arts. Once I was accepted into even one school, the thought of spending another year studying became unappealing, so I decided to enroll immediately."

Looking back, Maeta admits he still wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do. His desire to be involved in art was strong, but with his university decided, he now had to choose a major.

"The Department of Crafts offered ceramics, dyeing and weaving, and metalwork, and we had to choose two. I picked ceramics and dyeing/weaving. In the end, I chose ceramics for the simple reason that I was interested and felt I had the physical stamina for it. I never dreamed that this single decision would shape the rest of my life."

Inspired by watching his father, Maeta's interest in art led him to dive headfirst into the world of ceramics. His childhood love for arts and crafts had seemingly guided him to this point. And it was from here that Maeta would have his fateful encounter with white porcelain, which would become his life's work.