I never thought my interest in Japanese pottery would lead me to Iowa.

That's exactly where I was last week, though, for the Different Stokes international wood-fired ceramics conference. Ceramists from around the world converged on the small college town of Iowa City for the four-day affair, which featured various speeches and breakout discussion groups as well as an invitational exhibition at the university's museum.

Wood-firing is usually done in a noborigama (chambered climbing kiln) or an anagama (single-tunnel kiln). So many Western potters now use an anagama that it has become part of their jargon.

Quite a lot of leading Western potters first learned of the anagama during their studies in Japan; these include John Neely, Randy Johnston, Fred Olsen, Malcolm Wright and Joy Brown. Through their teachings, the use of the anagama has spread to a younger generation, as was clear from the large turnout of potters in their 20s and early 30s. All in all over 400 people of all ages were in attendance.

The first day started off with a look at wood-firers in Australia, presented by Owen Rye. In the course of the conference 16 other countries had their turn to be introduced, Japan included.

I may be biased (though I don't think so), but Japan had the highest quality of work shown. That shouldn't surprise anyone. History and culture here support ceramics in a way that no other country can.

Japan was represented by Goro Suzuki, Jun Kaneko, Ryoji Koie, Bizen's Ryuichi Kakurezaki, Shiho Kanzaki and his 83-year-old mentor Suketoshi Matsuyama, and Shigeyoshi Morioka.

In all due respect to Suzuki, who is an incredible potter, he shouldn't have been there, for he rarely fires a wood-burning kiln. As Japan presenter Jeff Shapiro said, it's more the attitude and process of Suzuki's work that brought him there. Which leads me to blow off a little steam: I was initially asked to present Japan atthis affair, but had to introduce potters who had already been chosen. Do I look like a marionette?

Actually, I really don't know much about the ceramic scene outside of Japan. Quite honestly, there's not much reason to. What I saw in Iowa paled in comparison with what goes on here.

A few exceptions: Mark Hewitt's beautiful salt-glazed "ice tea ceremony" large cups, Paul Chaleff's powerful tsubo (large jars), Jeff Shapiro's sculptured vessels and Joy Brown's large figures. Other interesting Western potters included Peter Callas, Ken Ferguson, Torbjorn Kvasbo, Dick Lehman and David Shaner.

These were the exceptions, though. Too many potters are focusing strictly on how well they can fire their kilns, without giving much thought to form or originality; I saw a lot of sloppy work that wouldn't pass an art college course here in Japan.

Still, I don't want to sound too cold. The anagama has only been in the West for the past 20 years or so, and there were some young artists who show potential (Tim Rowan, Scot Parady).

One of the more interesting speeches, titled "Gifts of Fire: Gods, Heros and Icons," was given by Studio Potter magazine editor Gerry Williams, who introduced how fire has been portrayed in mythological literature. These included Prometheus, Vulcan, Berserker (a Scandinavian being), Agni from the Vedic tradition -- and even Bill Clinton, who was caught playing with fire in a lesser realm.

All in all it was a gathering of like-minded people who are starting what may turn out to be a Western movement in an art that has existed here for centuries: the magical, powerful, but controllable world of a wood-burning kiln.

I'll try to control my enthusiasm for Shigaraki potter Michio Furutani's upcoming show in Tokyo, but it's hard after seeing the exhibition catalog. I mean, each piece is better than the one before. I found out that 80 percent of the pictured pots have already been reserved, even though the exhibition doesn't open until Oct. 14. It runs until Oct. 19 at Ikebukuro Tobu department store's sixth-floor gallery.

Furutani is the world master of the anagama, as far as I'm concerned. He built his first one in 1970, the first in Shigaraki since medieval times. Since then he has built 30 anagama, more than any other person I have heard of.

He has struggled to achieve the incredible range of colors in his works, from the richest sunset oranges to mountain pine greens. On top of all the work that goes into the making and firing of his pieces, he's just rebounding from a life-threatening illness and the theft of 100 pieces from his studio. He had to postpone this show from the spring until now, and the amount of work that went into this exhibition makes it all the more miraculous.

The pieces are to die for. Many have long flowing rivulets of natural ash glaze or round globules that have formed on the pieces, called tonbo no me ("dragonfly eyes"). Others have a natural vitrified glaze called bidoro, from the Portuguese word for glass, vidro.

In addition to the pieces featured in the catalog many other works will be for sale. If you have time on the first day of the exhibition and would like to take home a piece of pottery that will make a crowded room hush in admiration -- go.

Other shows

A farewell exhibition to celadon Living National Treasure Koheiji Miura at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music museum, until Oct. 17. Miura was a professor for many years at Geidai and this is a retrospective look at his career. The museum is located in Ueno Park; call (03) 5685-7755 for further information.

Living National Treasure Manji Inoue's white porcelain (hakuji) works in Yokohama at Sogo department store's sixth-floor gallery, until Oct. 11.

At Seto City Cultural Center, a good chance to see the work of Machiko Ogawa's work. The exhibition, on until Nov. 23., covers 1986-1997 and displays Ogawa's fine technique of double-layering clay with ragged edges and smooth glazes.

Finally, Iga potter Kenji Kojima's exhibition in a suburb of Kyoto at Gallery Tosei, until Oct. 17. Kojima makes all kinds of interesting forms for tea as well as the table and should be a force to reckon with in the coming years. The gallery is in Nagaoka-kyo, a five-minute walk from both the JR or Hankyu stations; Kojima will be in the gallery today and tomorrow. Call the gallery at (075) 957-5666 for more information.