About me

I was born and grew up in Tokyo, and have lived in Rochester, N.Y. since 1989, when I started potting. I worked as a market researcher and was involved with many products; foods, soft drinks, magazine, camera and so on. I learned the importance of making good products.

Why pottery? A potter, it sounds good, doesn’t it?

I dreamed of being one for a long time. I was once told not to touch clay because it attracts people mysteriously, later days of Picasso, for instance. When I married and moved here, my dream was realized with my wife’s warmest support. I have had no formal pottery training except a pottery club during my university days, when I became possessed by the clay.

I love making pottery, especially functional; I call it “Zakki (a bunch of pots)”. My pots are designed to be simple, easy to handle, and go with any kind of foods at a reasonable price for you to use everyday. Japanese use many different kinds of dishes, colors and shapes, to decorate a meal and a table. Next time you cook or serve a meal, please imagine which dish sets off (cheers up) your meal.

My pottery is stoneware, which is wheel-thrown or slab-built, and fired to cone 10 (approximately 2350 degrees) in reduction atmosphere. Glazed with tenmoku black, or turquoise, inspired by mountains and a sky with a hint of Japanese flavor. Indeed, I am named Hodaka after the third highest mountain in Japan where I enjoyed camping, climbing and hot springs many times. Vast clouds and sky in the US are incredible.

You can use my pottery with dishwasher, microwave, oven and food with proper care. Please keep in mind that pottery, in general, should not be heated unevenly. It is recommended that a whole surface of dish is filled with food, place pottery with food in it in a cold oven. Then turn oven to desired baking temperature. (Never broil in it or place piece on a burner!!!.)

I hope you enjoy my pottery for many years to come.

Hodaka Hasebe

Exhibitions
“A Bouquet of Vases” at Eureka Crafts in Syracuse, NY in 1992
“Art That Functions” at the Schenectady Museum, Schenectady, NY in 1992
A Silent Auction of Contemporary American Crafts” at Eureka Crafts in Syracuse, NY in 1996
“Zakki” (Sole exhibition) at Mostly Clay in Pittsford, NY in 1999
The 15th Annual Teapot Show at the Chiaroscuro Galleries in Chicago, IL in 2004
The 12th Strictly Functional Pottery National in Lancaster, PA in 2004
The Super Bowls 2005 at Vessel Gallery in Huntingdon Valley, PA in 2005
First Annual Florida Teapot Show at Fort Myers, FL in 2005
The 16th Annual Teapot Show at the Chiaroscuro Galleries in Chicago, IL in 2005
Biennial Exhibition of North American (Functional) Clay, Guilford Art Center, CT in 2007 (5/4-6/17)

Publications

500 Teapots Lark Books
500 Bowls Lark Books
Image Transfer on Clay Lark Books
Article in American Craft Magazine April/May 2011
Best of 500 ceramics   Lark Books