Japanese Pottery Articles
Regions and kilns, techniques, how to choose and care for your pieces. Articles to start your journey into Japanese pottery.
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Tsuboya Yachimun Street: Okinawa's Pottery Quarter
A walk down Tsuboya Yachimun Street in Naha, Okinawa's pottery quarter: how to get there by monorail, the p...
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Visiting Imbe: A Day in Bizen's Pottery Village
How to spend a day in Imbe, the home of Bizen ware: getting there from Okayama, what is open while the stat...
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Pottery Towns Near Kyoto: Day Trips to Shigaraki, Tamba and Iga
Three pottery towns are close enough to Kyoto for a day trip: Shigaraki, Tamba Tachikui and Iga. How they d...
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Japanese Pottery Souvenirs: What to Buy and Where to Find It
The best Japanese pottery souvenirs are small: sake cups, tiny plates, chopstick rests and teacups. What to...
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Ichiju Sansai: Japanese Tableware for One Soup and Three Dishes
Ichiju sansai, one soup and three dishes, is the everyday shape of a Japanese meal. Which piece each part n...
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Tomobako: What the Wooden Box Tells You About Japanese Pottery
A tomobako is the wooden box an artisan signs for one piece of pottery. How to read the lid, the signature ...
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How to Ship Pottery Home From Japan Without Breaking It
Bought pottery in Japan? How to get it home in one piece: what to carry on, what to check, how to wrap cups...
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Shoji Hamada and Bernard Leach: How East Met West and Mingei Began
The mingei movement began with the English potter Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada, who crossed the sea with ...
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Japanese Wedding Gift | A Pair, or One Piece They Share
A wedding gift in ceramic pays off not on the day you hand it over, but in the memory it leaves over the ye...
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Buying Pottery That Lasts a Lifetime, Not a Season
Japanese pottery exemplifies sustainability through multigenerational durability, Kintsugi repair, and agin...
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Shigaraki Tanuki: The Lucky Raccoon-Dog of Japan’s Pottery Capital
Shigaraki Tanuki represents Shigaraki ware, symbolizing business success ("outsmarting rivals"). Featuring ...
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Hagi Ware: The Tea Bowl That Changes Colour as You Use It
Celebrated as a pinnacle of tea ceramics for 400 years, Hagi ware is defined by its soft, porous clay and m...
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Japanese Trays: Obon, Zen and How to Use Them
In Japanese food culture, serving trays like Obon and Zen are far more than mere utilitarian tools; they ar...
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Kintsugi: How to Repair Pottery With Gold (and Why)
Kintsugi is the traditional Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with natural Urushi lacquer and dusting...
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Japanese Bowls Explained: Chawan, Donburi, Matcha Bowl
Japanese bowls like "Wan" and "Hachi" are meticulously designed for a unique dining culture where vessels a...
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Zen and Japanese Ceramics: Where the Aesthetic Began
The serene aesthetic of Japanese pottery roots deeply in Zen philosophy and its "subtractive beauty." Exemp...
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Keshiki: How to Read the 'Landscape' on a Pot
"Keshiki" — the surface “landscape” of Japanese pottery — includes glaze drips, flame marks, ash deposits, ...
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Japanese Teapots: Kyusu, Houhin and Dobin Compared
The right Japanese teapot changes the character of every cup. Tokoname red clay, Hagi stoneware, Arita porc...
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Ichigo Ichie: One Encounter, Once in a Lifetime
In crafted Japanese pottery, no two pieces are ever alike. Ichigo-ichie — the philosophy of the once-in-a-l...
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Japanese Pottery: The Complete Guide
From Arita porcelain to Bizen stoneware and Raku tea bowls — japanese ceramics carry over 10,000 years of c...
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The Philosophy Behind Japanese Ceramics
Why do Japanese ceramics embrace imperfection? "Wabi-sabi", Zen, "Mingei "folk craft, "Ichigo-ichie" — Japa...
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Wabi-Sabi in Ceramics: What It Actually Means
Wabi-sabi finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence. A lopsided bowl, an uneven glaze, a worn rim — not...
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Tea Ceremony Ceramics: A Short History of the Chawan
In the Japanese tea ceremony, ceramics are vital artistic vessels that geometricize mindfulness. Ever since...
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Wabi-Sabi at Home: Ceramics for a Calmer Room
A slightly lopsided vase, a well-worn teapot, a rough-textured bowl — wabi-sabi aesthetics bring deep calm ...
