The Road Through Miyama

by Leila Philip

A memoir of the author's apprenticeship to a master potter in Japan provides a guide to an exacting craft, a personal portrait of the village, and a perceptive look at the cultural roots of modern Japan

Genres: Japan, Travel, Nonfiction, Biography, Biography Memoir, Memoir, Art

264 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 1989

About the author

Leila Philip, creative nonfiction, is the author of A Family Place (SUNY, 2009) and The Road Through Miyama (Random House, 1989), which won the PEN 1990 Martha Albrand Citation for Nonfiction. She has received awards for her writing from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Guggenheim Foundation. She is Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.

(from https://www.ashland.edu/cas/faculty-s...)

Reviews

[Bukittyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, but mostly because it reflected a lot of my thoughts and feelings from when I lived in Japan in the early 2000s, particularly when dealing with rural area attitudes. The interweaving of her life through pottery was well written and the style reminded me more of what I'd read in japanese literature class than American literature, though I admit I don't read memoirs much. The only difficulty I had was in visualizing some of the pottery terms and the fact that the memoir isn't strictly linear. Overall, if you have interest in what life in Japan is like as well as Japanese pottery, it's a great read.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a loving, appreciative, warts and all account of a young American woman living and apprenticing to a master potter in a small, traditional Japanese village in the 1980s. Philip's writing is clear yet descriptive and appreciative yet frank. It's not easy being the only foreigner for miles around, and to be a blonde woman to boot in a country where women, in general, are still very marginalized and blondes are fetishized (hair touching, name calling, etc.). Even after becoming fluent in Japanese and the local dialect, she stands out. Yet as her cultural prowess increases, she becomes a member of the community and a praised ceramicist in her own right.

This book also takes you on a historical journey of Japanese pottery in Miyama, which originates in Korea and with Korean potters who came to Japan decades ago.

Philips is open to it all while in Miyama -- endless cups of tea with neighbors and visitors, rice cultivation, research, writing, learning languages, pottery apprenticeship (which entails giving up your individuality in Japan, all the while trying to understand the subtle hints of your mentor), and making deep friendships in a very different, culturally complex country.

[Barbara Figlewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book 15 years ago and started to read it, but it couldn't hold me. At that time, I was doing some Raku pottery, and I was always so fascinated by Japan, I thought I would love the book. Now I picked up the book again and it's a better read this time. Still a little slow, the details give a very interesting look at Japan outside the big cities. I don't know if the same view of women or foreigners is still held there today, but at the time this book was penned, those groups were held apart from the men and "locals" who generally set the rules for the society. In this book, we go on a journey with the author through her apprenticeship in a pottery studio in Miyama. We feel her toil, smart with her as she suffers her mistakes and failures, and delight at her forays into "regular" life with her host family and the locals (as when she eats her daily meals and helps a villager plant and harvest her rice crop).
The thread through this book is her work in the pottery studio, and the reason I only gave it three stars is because I don't think that people who are not into clay and Japan like I am will be as interested in the book.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very well-written account of the author's time living in a small potter's village in Japan. I fell in love with the village of Miyama while reading this book- the simple life, the varied characters who live there, the natural beauty. As much as I love art and pottery I honestly don't know the terminology so I felt lost at points when the author goes into details, it was a little too much for me. Someone who knows more about pottery though would definitely love this book!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a well-written memoir! Pottery aspect of the story became a bit detailed at times, slowing down the overall story a bit, but that's a minor quibble. Author does a terrific job in showing details of small town Japanese society; although events took place a generation ago, the book didn't feel particularly dated at all.

Highly recommended

[Duncan Mchale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely account of a young American woman in the 1980s spending two years in Japan as a potter's apprentice. Beautifully written. Intelligent and heartfelt insights into a foreign culture. Masterful and loving description of the work of a potter.

[Rhode PVD · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I were deeply interested in the topic, it would have gotten 5 stars. In this case, the fault lies in me, not the author.

Perfect gift for the potter in your life.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. Not my favorite look at Japan, but one person's experience in a small town. Fascinating stories if you are interested in ceramics and pottery.