Inside -Taiyaki- (fish shaped pancake)
This work aims to represent the meaning of “contents”.
I think that “contents” is one of the most important parts of everything.
When I was thinking about starting this work, I was only thinking about this concept vaguely, and there was not yet a basis for my opinion.
In Japanese we often use the phrases “The importance of a person lies not on external appearance but on the inside” or “Not much content (a story with very weak contents)”, but what are these “contents” we refer to?
With that, I looked up the meaning of the word “contents” in dictionaries and on the internet.
These were my results.
◆ The meaning of “the body” 身
1. Body, human body
2. A portion of meat such as fish
3. Oneself. To put oneself to work. To know the limits of oneself.
◆ The meaning of “contents” 中身
1. What is inside. What has been put inside. “…of a bag”.
2. The contents/substance of something. “a story with weak contents”.
3. Part of the blade of a sword. Sword blade.
Now I think I will explain the relationship between “contents” and ceramics.
◆What is pottery?
Pottery involves creating a hole.
It is said that pottery began in primitive times, when containers were needed to put things such as food inside.
In other words, these things were made because a hole was required. Therefore they are forms with both an exterior shape and an interior cavity.
So, I have to continue talking about “contents”, but what do Japanese people think when asked for an example of something with “nothing on the inside”?
◆Things that Japanese people think have “nothing on the inside”
・When people are all talk and no action – a quality of humans
・Something with no concrete properties – a quality of everything
・A lack of personality – a quality of humans
・A lack of knowledge – a quality of humans
・A lack of reason – a quality of everything
・Adding something as an afterthought – a quality of everything
I understood that people mainly think about “human characteristics and contents of things” when regarding things with nothing on the inside.
This led me to think that the notion was close to the concept of “truth” in philosophy.
I would like to define “truth” here as “something that remains constant and that humans are constantly pursuing”.
I have tried to express this concept of contents through a ceramics work with nothing on the inside.
The taiyaki I have made have no contents.
The part where red bean paste is normally stuffed inside is hollow.
Therefore, connecting it to my previous explanation of pottery, it is a form with an interior cavity.
So, what are the contents of these taiyaki?
I made these taiyaki so that the cavities can be used as “hanging vases”.
Therefore, the “contents” of the body of these taiyaki will be made by the customer placing flowers inside.
The contents of the taiyaki will be dependent on the customer, and each and every individual personality of the customers will appear.
I am certain that beautiful “contents” will bloom in the customers’ taiyaki.