みなとまちセラミカ工房
Atelier Minatomachi Ceramika
1. What is “Atelier Minatomachi Ceramika”?
Atelier Minatomachi Ceramika is an atelier where women in Onagawa in Miyagi prefecture make Spanish tiles using Spanish glazes and technique and sell them.
The women first started a ceramic club in 1999. They enjoyed ceramics as their hobby and they also held some workshops for other people in the town.
However, the Great East Japan Earthquake happened in 2011, so they lost their houses by tsunami and they had to stop their club activity. Half a year later when they tried to resume their club activity, they had a chance to go to Galicia in Spain to interact with the locals there. They saw the Spanish tiles there and they were deeply impressed by the beautiful and bright colored tiles. After returning to Japan, they studied painting in Tokyo and went to Spain again to join a workshop. Then they opened their atelier at the temporary shopping street “Kibo-no-Kane shopping street (The bell of Hope shopping street)” in Onagawa in 2012. In 2015, they moved to another shopping area “Siparupia Onagawa” in front of Onagawa station and opened their new atelier.
2. Why did they start making Spanish tiles?
Firstly, they saw the Spanish tiles and they were really impressed with the beauty of them. Moreover, most of the colors were yellow and blue, so they thought yellow reminded people of happiness and blue reminded them of the sea in Onagawa.
At the same time, they also associated making the tiles with the recovery of Onagawa. The unpainted tile is brown, but the tile becomes so colorful by painting it. Onagawa after the 2011 disaster was also brown because everything had been washed away by tsunami, but they hope Onagawa changes from brown to a colorful place, just like the beautiful tiles.
That’s why they started making Spanish tiles.
3. Who designs the tiles and what are the motifs?
They ask pro designers and their acquaintances who are good at drawing to make designs. After a motif is completed, the women think what colors are suitable for the tiles based on the designs and then make tiles.
With the exception of special order tiles, the motif of almost all of their tiles is Onagawa. They hope for the recovery of Onagawa by making tiles whose design and motif is Onagawa.
4. What gives them pleasure?
They feel happy when they send ordered tiles to clients. They call this time “Yomeiri (which in Japanese means a daughter marries and is taken into her husband’s family)”, because they make each tile carefully and heartily. They also feel happy when people come to their atelier from afar.
5. How would they like to develop their atelier in the future?
There are nine artisans at the atelier. They have two targets and one goal. The first target is for each to have her own atelier. The second is not only to making tiles whose subject is Onagawa but making their own works of ceramic art. Finally they hope that Onagawa becomes known to many people all over the world and many people come to Onagawa in the future. That is their goal.
《How to make tiles》
We experienced painting tiles and you can experience it, too, at the atelier. (It costs some money to do that.).
We’ll show you the steps we took to paint our tiles.
1. Choose a design you like ２. Trace a rough sketch on a tile
with a pencil
3. Choose which color you put ４. Put colored glazes on the tile
on which part of the design according to the design
5. Have your tile baked at the atelier ６. Wait for the atelier to send your
completed tile to you.
↑a tile before baking
It’s more difficult to paint the tiles than expected, but it’s interesting.
If you experience painting a tile, you must be surprised and happy when you see your finished work! If you visit the atelier, please try to do that.
食事処三秀
Sansyu
1. What’s “Sanshu” ?
“Sanshu" is a popular restaurant in Onagawa, Miyagi prefecture, which started about 40 years ago.
There is a shopping street in Onagawa. The name is “Kibo-no-Kane shopping street (The Bell of Hope shopping street)”. All of the stores in the street are provisional. The town was damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Miraculously, a bell was found among the rubble. People named it “The Bell of Hope” and it became a symbol of the recovery of the town. This is the origin of the shopping street name.
When the earthquake occurred, Sanshu suffer damage, and the owners lost their restaurant by the accompanying tsunami. At first, the restaurant manager and his wife were not planning to reopen. The restaurant was popular, so many people hoped that it would reopen, so their son returned to his hometown to succeed the restaurant. After that, they reopened in “The Bell of Hope shopping street”. At the beginning, they were anxious whether people would visit the shop. Despite their anxiety, many people visited and made a long queue.
The restaurant will reopen near Onagawa station in August, 2016.
2. What was the happiest event about reopening “Sanshu (三秀)”?
They feel happy when many people visit the restaurant and say, “Delicious!” Immediately after the earthquake, people were pleased to meet one another again in the restaurant. They felt happy when see the sight.
The Bell of Hope ↓
3. What’s the most popular dish on the menu?
There are many items like curry rice and Ramen in the restaurant. “Gomoku Yakisoba” and “Yakiniku Meshi” are the most popular! The helping is enormous. The manager recommends “Half Menu” for women and children, because it is cheap and the suitable amount of food for them.
4. What’s “Onagawa Curry”?
“Onagawa Curry” is a spiced Curry and it is friendly to the body.
Volunteers provided it to the people who were victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The curry was commercialized to help with the reconstruction in Onagawa. Many restaurants offer the curry in addition to their regular dishes. We can also eat it at “Sanshu”.
5. What’s special about “Onagawa Curry” at “Sanshu”?
“Onagawa Curry” is spicy because it uses many spices to warm the body. However the curry of “Sanshu” is sweet compared with the prototype “Onagawa Curry”. The manager blended both curries, the normal “Onagawa Curry” and his own. The curry at the restaurant has a nice smell and it warms the body. It is one of the most popular dish at the restaurant.