touched by dedication
We curate special hand-made items produced by highly-skilled Japanese artisans.
For their simple, humble, warmth and functional beauty.
Please enjoy the beauty of human touches.
yamamaru ヤママル窯
YAMA-MARU Kiln locates deep in the mountain of Koishiwara sarayama. Master ceramist Jiro Kajiwara (13th generation) and eldest son Hizuru Kajiwara (14th generation) work relentlessly to carry-on the 350-year-old
tradition of Koishiwara-style pottery. Their kiln symbol (the reverse V, and the circle) represents their kiln location, an old way to communicate the address. It was said that because they were the first kiln on the village lane, they became known as YAMA (mountain) MARU (zero). The next kiln was named YAMA (mountain) ICHI (one), so on and so forth.
Appreciate SHOKUNIN (Japanese artisan) culture: dedication and commitment.
All items are made by hand with inherited skills, diligently using local natural material and traditional hand-tools. Yamamaru draws inspiration from and celebrate the beauty of the village's natural surroundings. Reeds become their thatched roof, straw from harvested rice becomes brushes and slip glazes, and pottery produced become humble tableware for everyday use.
koishiwara ware
Koishiwara is a small village in central Fukuoka, Kyushu. Kilns originated in the 1600s and are still run by small families, passing down their skills and signature techniques from one generation to the next, dedicating their life in producing utilitarian pottery. "Tobikanna", "Hakeme", "Yubikaki" are some of the techniques that Koishiwara artisans perfected.
There are no better words to describe koishiwara-ware than "you no bi" 用の美 (Beauty of Functionality), as coined by Mingei Movement (民芸運動) instigator Soetsu Yanagi (柳宗悦) in the early 1920s. There are about 50 kilns in the village still actively producing everything by hand using traditional tools and local material.
