Trip to Mashiko

Today's destination was Mashiko, a pottery village, with our friends Shinji Masuda and Steph (here on a business visit from the US). We went to the Higeta Indigo Dye Works, where Higeta Tadashi-san carries on the family business (200+ years) of hand making indigo dye and creating traditional indigo dyed and stenciled textile. To our surprise, Shinji knew Hegeta san and before we knew it, we were sitting down and having tea while Higeta-san described his work and inspiration. Please see the photo (Higeta-san on the left, Shinji is holding one of the 100 year old hand cut stencils). Later we visited many pottery shops and the home and workshop of Hamada Shoji, the master of Mashiko-style folk pottery and bearer of the title "national living treasure" before his death in 1978. Alvin