MIYANAGA Koutarou
- Specialization
- Fine Art
Shaping the future of ceramics in one of Japan's leading facilities
The Course in Ceramics exposes students to as many materials, techniques, and concepts as possibleand equips them with flexible thinking skills as they create a wide range of works, from utilitarian pieces to art sculptures.Students learn ceramic forming techniques like tebineri hand-building techniques and wheel throwing and experience glazing and firing techniques firsthand.Students learn in some of the best ceramics facilities in Japanand practice in an unparalleled environment that includes a noborigama climbing kiln and dedicated drying room, allowing them to immerse themselves in their work.All of our academic faculty are professional ceramicistswho provide careful guidance tailored to develop the strengths of each student, whose learning experiences are bolstered through direct contact with the instructors’ mastery of ceramic techniques and concepts.At Kyoto Seika, you will learn to express yourself through clay and fire and go on to reshape culture itself through ceramics.
Subject Highlights
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Firing large 80cm-tall pots in a noborigama climbing kiln
[Advanced Studio Art 3]
Large pots as tall as 80cm are made using a potter's wheel and fired in the noborigama climbing kiln at Kutsuki Seminar House, one of our off-campus facilities.Participants include students from other years and courses who work together to keep the fire burning for 24 hours.Students learn ancient firing methods and, through their experience, develop stronger bonds with one another. -
Creating pieces for ceramics exhibitions and organizing events
[Graduation Research Practicum 4]
Students create works to be exhibited at the “Inter-University Ceramic Art Exhibition” held at a gallery on campus.After visiting the venue, they set about creating site-specific work for the gallery.Students also get involved in the planning and organization of artist talks and other ceramics exhibition events.
What you will study
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1STYEAR
Laying a solid artistic and creative foundation
Students take cross-listed courses at the Faculty of Art to improve their observational, critical thinking, imagination, and other skills needed to build a firm artistic and creative foundation.They also learn the basics across all seven courses and start to explore which fields they would like to pursue.
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2NDYEAR
Acquiring basic techniques and knowledge
Students get a feel for handing clay, trying out ceramic forming techniques that include tebineri hand-building techniques and wheel throwing.They also learn about glazing techniques and develop their knowledge of ceramics as well as the histories of arts and crafts and dyeing and weaving.
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3RDYEAR
Improving technique
Students aim to translate their ideas into their work by using the techniques and knowledge they have developed.Each of their projects receives an evaluation, and students learn to view their work objectively.
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4THYEAR
Pursuing artistic skills
Students engage in their graduation work, making full use of the skills and expressive vocabulary they have developed over the past four years of study.While discovering their own originality and means of expression, students complete the final work of their student careers.
What You Will Learn
- The ability to give shape to your ideas
- Technical capabilities developed in the highest quality production facilities
- Critical thinking and work ethic learned through studying with professional artists
Facilities
The kiln area is equipped with gas and electric kilns where students can fire pieces that are even larger than they are.
PICK UP!
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Kyoto Seika also has a noborigama climbing kiln at the Kutsuki Seminar House in Shiga Prefecture,where students get hands-on experience during their third year.
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Our large wheel room houses 30 electric potter’s wheels, where students have plenty of space to focus on their work.
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Studios are divided by year level in the ceramics studio, which is always bustling with students who are hard at work on their latest project.
Photo Gallery
Careers
Career Opportunities
Ceramicist, craft artist, jewelry designer, painter, and many more.
Major Employers
Ceramics kilns, art studios, sundries manufacturers, furniture makers, educational institutions, and many more.
Voice
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KINOSHITA Moemi Current Student The allure of making everyday ceramic pieces.
I've always liked making things. I was a member of the ceramics club in high school,and I decided to study at Kyoto Seika University because of its excellent facilities and full-scale kiln, which I had access to even as a first-year student.But now, I think it is the campus environment that I like most. It’s an environment where I can pursue my interests and push the bounds of my creativity.For example, my professors are always supportive even if I attempt to create a more complex piece or use a production technique that might typically be considered "wrong."This support has allowed me to keep challenging myself without fear of failure.My current theme focuses on creating utilitarian pieces that can be used in people’s everyday lives.I usually use a potter's wheel to craft tableware and other items, but there are other students in the same ceramics course making sculptures, so we always find inspiration in each other's work.After graduation, I plan to do product development for a company that manufactures and sells ceramics.I believe that I can further deepen my current theme in a more practical wayby combining my unique perspective with the ceramic traditions and techniques perfected over centuries to create pieces that can enrich our lives ever so slightly. -
MIYANAGA Koutarou Academic Faculty Ceramics allows us to display our individuality within the limitations of the medium.
Through both my educational work and the growth of my students, I get to experience the joy of teaching on a daily basis while continuing to evolve as an artist myself.I am always trying to create conditions that will leave students wanting to talk about art with their families when they go home after school,and I remind myself that I don't want to merely teach technique, but I also want students to learn about art itself.In ceramic production, we are in an ongoing conversation with our materials. And these materials are always subject to any number of external factors such as gravity and friction.It is within these limitations—and because of them—that we are able to exercise our creativity and create new possibilities.That is what makes ceramics so appealing.Ceramics is also a time-intensive process, so by paying attention to how our materials change throughout this process, we can find value in the finished product.Kyoto Seika University is a place where you can challenge yourself and try different things.The four years you will spend here are much shorter than you think, so I hope that while you are here, you will reassess and reinterpret your values and approach your studies from a place of creativity rather than relying on technique alone.In doing so, you will learn to convey to others the joy of ceramics that can be found in our everyday lives.