The day before traveling to Kitzbühel, I visited the studio of ceramicist Gudrun Paysen in Berg. I had been introduced to her by a board member of the German-Japanese Society of Bavaria.
About fifty years ago, Gudrun and her husband came to Japan for work. During their stay, she became fascinated by Japanese art and culture, particularly ceramics, and began studying pottery from the fundamentals. Although she returned to Germany at intervals, she spent a total of around twelve years in Japan studying ceramics and creating her own work. She continues to work as a ceramicist in Berg today.
Her husband, Lüder Paysen, was involved in the management of BMW Japan from its early years and served as its president and a member of the board. He is now Honorary President of the German-Japanese Society of Bavaria.
The Paysens showed me many of Gudrun’s works and her studio, as well as their beautiful Japanese garden. To my surprise, there was even an authentic Japanese tea room in the garden. They told me that it is not used very often these days, but kindly said, “Next time, please use this tea room.”
Since I had such a wonderful opportunity, I purchased several tea bowls with grapevine ash and rice-straw ash glazes. Gudrun told me that much of the clay she uses comes from a quarry in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
Using one of the tea bowls I had just purchased, together with the matcha and sweets I had brought with me, I immediately prepared a bowl of tea for Gudrun and Lüder.
I later used these tea bowls at the tea gatherings in Kitzbühel and Herrsching as well. There is a special pleasure in using, at a tea gathering during a journey, the work of a ceramic artist encountered along the way.
I am deeply grateful for such a wonderful encounter, and for the way one connection continues to lead to another. Next time, I hope to have the opportunity to prepare a bowl of tea in the Paysens’ tea room.
