Like many traditional craftspeople in Ishikawa, Yasokichi Tokuda didn’t think she would follow in her father’s footsteps. She was so disinterested by her father’s pottery (kutaniyaki) that she left for Tokyo and a career as a newsreader. As time passed, though, she found herself drawn back to home and the chance to learn her family’s trade, eventually taking over the business and even changing her name to ensure continuity. Today she is an award-winning artist in her own right, still crafting and creating from her family’s home in rural Ishikawa.