You’ve maybe never heard the name Onta before, and that’s fair. This one stays under the radar even among people who know their Japanese pottery. But if you’ve read a serious book on Japanese folk craft, this village probably came up as the example, the one writers point to first. I brought up mingei briefly … Read more
You’ve probably seen ornate, cream-colored vases covered edge to edge in gold and tiny painted figures, labeled “Satsuma” somewhere online. Chances are decent that piece never came near Kagoshima. That’s not an insult toward the seller necessarily. It’s just the strangest authenticity problem in this whole series so far. I’ve spent six pieces now working … Read more
You’ve probably run into a phrase somewhere in your pottery research without fully understanding it. “Raku ichi, Hagi ni, Karatsu san.” Roughly, first Raku, second Hagi, third Karatsu. It’s the classic ranking Japanese tea masters used for the tea bowls they valued most. I’ll get to Hagi in my next piece. For now, Karatsu earned … Read more
You’ve almost certainly seen a Shigaraki tanuki statue somewhere, even if you never knew the name. Round belly, straw hat, sake bottle in one paw, standing outside a restaurant or gift shop. That image basically hijacked this entire pottery tradition in the public eye. Which is a shame, honestly, because there’s a lot more going … Read more
You’ve probably used Hasami ware in a coffee shop without knowing it. Those simple, stackable block mugs with the flat lids, the ones that look almost too clean and modern to be a 400-year-old tradition. That’s Hasami. And for most of its history, nobody outside Japan even knew the name. I want to circle back … Read more
Here’s something that still catches people off guard. In Japanese, there’s a word, “setomono,” that just means pottery. Any pottery. Not a brand, not a specific style. A generic word for dishes, the way English speakers might say “china” for any fine tableware. That word comes directly from Seto, the town in Aichi prefecture I … Read more
You’ve likely eaten off a Mino ware plate at some point. Maybe in a restaurant. Maybe at home, in a set you bought without checking the label. That’s not an insult. It’s just how big this region actually is. I mentioned earlier, in a general piece about Japanese ceramics, that my very first “Japanese ceramic” … Read more
You’ve probably noticed the difference right away if you’ve ever seen a Kutani piece next to plain white porcelain. Deep red, green, purple, gold, all layered on thick, patterns covering nearly the whole surface. It doesn’t look shy. And it doesn’t try to. I’ve been collecting Japanese pottery for about seven years now, and Kutani … Read more
You’ve maybe seen a rough, earthy-looking cup online labeled “Bizen ware” and wondered why it costs more than a set of glazed dinnerware. No shine. No pattern. Just clay and fire marks. That confused me too, back when I started. I’ve been buying and writing about Bizen pottery for close to six years now. I’ve … Read more
You’ve probably picked up a Japanese ceramic mug at some boutique shop and felt something. Weight, texture, a little imperfection in the glaze that somehow made it better. And then you put it back down because the price tag said $85 and you had no idea if that was fair. I’ve been collecting and writing … Read more