This spring I had, maybe, the best firing of my career. It was very smooth, having no trouble reaching and maintaining temperature. The 'hiki-dashi' (pulled from the kiln during the firing) pieces were both bountiful and beautiful.

The 'yohen' (pieces fired around the firebox) work, while not bountiful was satisfying, especially with the new vase forms I've been working on. Through out the kiln I had many strong pieces. I was very happy with some new forms I've been developing. All hand-built, vases, baskets, teabowls, and 'mizusashi' (cookie jars in english) are starting to become quite successful. Please take a look through my homepage. The new work is marked 'Spring 2005'.

In April, I had my 3rd annual exhibition at The Shunn Gallery in Hiroo Tokyo. Shunn is a wonderful space for showing pottery. Yoshiaki Yuki the owner, and his staff have combined traditional antique furniture with a very modern sense to create an atmosphere that is ideal for showing pots. Yuki San recently opened Gallery Gen in the Tribeca area of New York City. He bought my largest tsubo　(big pot) which he

plans to show at Gen.

This spring also had a sad element as my assistant Owen Kozlowski returned to the states after spending the better part of a year working with me. Owen has a rare combination of razor sharp intellect, a very strong work ethic, a kind and thoughtful disposition, and brute force.
No job was too dirty or demeaning for him. He freed me up and helped me address problems both aesthetically and technical, that I don't know if I could have done without him. He will be sorely missed.