I was first brought to a serious interest in Pottery, when I realized that the founder of the Zen school I study, brought the first Tenmoku bowl to Japan from Song China. This reinforced my interest in Mingei and the work of Hamada Shoji, Bernard Leach and Yanagi Soetsu, as brought to my attention by the Minnesota potter, Warren MacKenzie. To me, there is a lot to learn about living an "awakened life" in these modern times, from the work and lives of Dogen Zenji and the founders of Mingei.