Shuroku Harada is the consummate potter. First off, this highly successful ceramist doesn't put on any proud airs; he maintains a humbleness that is important when working with the earth. He shapes the clay and the clay has shaped him, so to speak, into what he is today; mutual respect at its best.
Harada respects clay very much (he uses Bizen clay), so much that he processes it with a passion. To bring out the "flavor" of the clay (tsuchi aji) takes about 10 years.
Secondly, his work is bold, without being overbearing, and fresh, even though he works in the 1,000-year-old Bizen tradition.