Ryusei Takahashi is a young potter in Tobe, Ehime Prefecture, who pursues his own style. He takes part in a design contest for potters. Though Ryusei wins the contest, he is not familiar with the winning design. It turns out his daughter Moe applied for the design contest secretly using her father's name. Ryusei agonizes over the winning design, because he needs his father's help to create. His father is veteran potter Tatsumi Takahashi. Since his mother died, Ryusei and Tatsumi have been estranged.
Cinematography
Kiln fires shot like sacred rituals; clay becomes living skin.
Acting
Isao Hashizume's silent glances contain whole decades of regret.
Director
Ken'ichi Ōmori
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tobe ware, the tradition depicted, dates to the Edo period and nearly died out in the 1970s before craft revival movements saved it.
Director Ōmori insisted on a real 72-hour kiln firing for authenticity; actors slept in shifts beside it.
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