Osamu Inayoshi has spent a life playing in nature and making things by hand. Catching insects, making models, and going fishing was the bedrock of his childhood. Leaving childhood, he entered into a depressed state of uncertainty, working day jobs with little focus. When his grandfather died, Inayoshi looked at the dull-looking mass produced ceramic urn they were putting his cremated grandfather into and decided he would never again let his loved ones be put into a kotsutusbo that he didn’t make. Inoyoshi then decided to go to Seto city, famous for producing ceramics, and enrolled in the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Art School.
After graduating, he moved to Mino and eventually discovered a type of ancient pottery, Atsumiyaki, that was produced in his home town starting in the 12th century. Inoyoshi’s work now “fuses the Middle Ages with the modern times while harmonizing with nature” By incorporating the technique and solemnity of the Middle Ages with the usability and beauty of modernity, Inayoshi aims to express the warmth and harshness of nature. In this work, he struggles against the idea that only new is good and that local culture can and should be abandoned. His work can be seen globally in many public and private collections as well as in the many exhibitions his work continues to be in.