Middle-aged woman pursuing new career as porcelain artist

Middle-aged woman pursuing new career as porcelain artist

KANAZAWA, Japan - Photo taken Feb. 26, 2013, shows the painting process for "Kutani-yaki" porcelain by Ruri Takeuchi at a Kutani-yaki craft center in Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture. Takeuchi has begun pursuing a new career as a Kutani-yaki porcelain artist at a kiln she recently opened in Komatsu in the prefecture, after training for around nine years. (Photo by Makoto Hori)

Middle-aged woman pursuing new career as porcelain artist

Middle-aged woman pursuing new career as porcelain artist

KANAZAWA, Japan - Ruri Takeuchi paints a plate on Feb. 26, 2013, at a "Kutani-yaki" craft center in Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture. Takeuchi has begun pursuing a new career as a Kutani-yaki porcelain artist at a kiln she recently opened in Komatsu in the prefecture, after training for around nine years. (Photo by Makoto Hori)

Traditional dishes of Japan's Ishikawa Pref. shown at Milan expo

Traditional dishes of Japan's Ishikawa Pref. shown at Milan expo

Visitors to the Japan Pavilion at the food-themed world exposition in Milan sample sake served in Kutani-style porcelain from Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast on Oct. 17, 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japanese craftsmanship finds new market via musical instruments

Japanese craftsmanship finds new market via musical instruments

Photo taken on Aug. 6, 2015, shows two trumpets featuring bells made with "Kutani-yaki" ceramics under the sponsorship of the Nomi city office in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Emperor, empress visit "Kutani-yaki" pottery training center

Emperor, empress visit "Kutani-yaki" pottery training center

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visit the Ishikawa Prefectural Institute for Kutani Pottery in Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, on May 17, 2015, after attending a national tree-planting ceremony in neighboring Komatsu. The institute is a venue for young artists to learn the local traditional pottery technique. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo