Journal — Stories from the world of Japanese craft — makers, beauty, seasons, and the table.
Making Kanten: A Craft Shaped by Nature
Explore how a Tokyo kanten workshop blends seaweed from three Izu shores to preserve…
Tamura Seito: Calligraphy on Kutani Ware, Connecting Across Time
The fourth-generation practitioner of Kutani mohitsu saiji, Tamura Seito paints waka poems in micro…
The Craft Behind the Chopsticks: Three Stories of Artistry
How artisans use the best domestic materials and extreme attention to detail to create…
Interview with Potter Kosako Hajime: Carrying Omi Shimoda Ware Forward
Discover how Kosako Hajime is reviving Omi Shimoda ware through traditional clay, gosu glaze,…
The Art of Connection with Mizuhiki Artist Omoda Kyoko
Discover how mizuhiki artist Omoda Kyoko finds meaning, mindfulness, and connection in the craft…
What is Sometsuke?
Sometsuke is the traditional blue-and-white porcelain technique that uses the cobalt pigment gosu on…
Tracing the Breath of Glass: The Living Lines of Takeoka Kensuke
Learn about Takeoka Kensuke's woven glass vessels, where molten lines, breath, and light create…
Otsuki Yosuke’s Art of Glass: Layering Colors, Engraving Memories
Step into Otsuki Yosuke’s world of multi-layered glass, where color, memory, and time are…
Nakada Hiroshi: Shaping Nature in White Porcelain
Enter the world of Nakada Hiroshi, where budding forms and pearl-luster surfaces create a…
Experiencing Shibori Tie-Dyeing with Suzusan: Traditional Textiles Made Modern
Discover Suzusan’s modern take on 400-year-old Arimatsu shibori through a hands-on tie-dye workshop.
Rebecca Menasché
Meet the Tool Specialists Who Support Seto Ware Artisans
Go behind the scenes in Seto and meet the toolmakers and experts whose skills…
Unearthing Kusatsu Ware: Plant Pots Inspired by Nature & Tradition
Discover how Yamamoto Kazuma revives 1,400 years of Kusatsu ware through plant pots crafted…
Buyer’s Travelog: Recycling Bizen Ware into Plant Pots
Handcrafted in Okayama, these Bizen ware plant pots pair recycled clay with forms made…
Shirata Ai
Six Sustainable Japanese Craft Makers
Discover six Japanese craft makers embracing sustainable practices for mindful everyday living.
Interview With An Artist: Ohigashi Alyne’s Nature-Inspired Tobe Ware
Step into the world of Ohigashi Alyne and discover how nature, family, and memory…
Meet the Incense Masters: Awaji Island’s Art of Healing Aroma
Discover Awaji Island’s incense heritage and learn how traditional craft shapes refined fragrances for…
Taruta Hiroshi: Glowing Lines Carved in Celadon
Discover Seto ware artist Taruta Hiroshi’s celadon vessels, where carved porcelain lines glow with…
Rebecca Menasché
Wakunami Madoka: In Dialogue with Jomon Pottery
Meet ceramic artist Wakunami Madoka, whose hand-shaped works reinterpret ancient Jomon pottery.
From Arita to Your Table: The Enduring Legacy of Gen-emon Kiln
Visit Gen-emon Kiln in Arita and learn in our interview how bold, hand-painted blue…
Fukube Kaji: A Blacksmith Where Tools Sustain Tradition
Discover Fukube Kaji, a 118-year-old Ishikawa blacksmith crafting durable knives and tools rooted in…
Nakada Kazuo: A Master of Silver on Porcelain
Meet Nakada Kazuo, a master artisan of Kutani ware and underglaze silver leaf.
Behind the Scenes at A Raku Ware Workshop
Explore the grace of Raku ware, born from firelight for the tea ceremony, its…
Hariya Kinuyo: Soft in Form, Powerful Beneath
Meet maki-e artist Kinuyo Hariya and discover the story behind her maneki neko, made…
Behind the Scenes of Our Original Ramen Bowls
Discover how our original ramen bowls were born in Tajimi, blending Mino ware tradition…