Alongside the first-time English publication of his essays, an exhibition on the Mono-ha artist surveys his extensive work on the medium. Kishio Suga’s sculptures and installations are muted, simple in their elements. But after close observation, one may notice the hidden truths of our surroundings beginning to articulate themselves. An exhibition running from January 15…

The white star is particularly celebrated in Japan and has inspired various artists, whose works are featured in this leporello. The moon occupies a special place in Japanese society, one that Anne Sefrioui’s book, La lune par les grands maîtres de l’estampe (‘The Moon by the Great Printing Masters’), seeks to examine. This set, made up of…

You can tell that September was the busiest time at work when all I could manage to write about was putting tomatoes on handmade ceramic plates and sharing daily Instagram Stories about preparing matcha (抹茶, Japanese powdered green tea) in a proper teabowl using a bamboo whisk. Truth is, these things were a palliative to a hectic period. Running…

‘Are you a collector or a maker?’ a chatty chap asked me during a ceramics exhibition months ago. He then went on to tell me how proud he was of his Japanese collection. ‘I’m a user’ I uttered without too much thought, and my answer has been lingering in the back of my mind ever…

Frequent JLA contributor Alice Gordenker shares her appreciation for a type of Japanese antique porcelain that has captivated people all over the world for more than 400 years. For a comprehensive introduction to Imari ware, and some lovely photographs, please take a look at her new article on the All About Japan website.  

Levitation is among the miraculous feats ascribed to a child prince who lived more than a 1,400 years ago and grew up to become a great patron of Buddhism.  (Detail from “Illustrated Biography of Prince Shotoku,” a National Treasure of Japan. Image courtesy of the Tokyo National Museum, Gallery of Horyuji Treasures.) The Tokyo National…

Senna Misawa didn’t originally intend on becoming an Edo Kiriko craftsman. Unlike most artisans in Japan, she didn’t have a background or familial connection with the industry. Her plan was to open a nail salon. But when she came across a unique Edo Kiriko product made by Toru Horiguchi, it changed her life. Now in…

When Yuki Sakamoto joined Horiguchi Kiriko in 2017 at the age of 18, he was at the time Japan’s youngest Edo Kiriko apprentice. Drawn to “jewels, gems and shiny bright things,” as a kid, Sakamoto was inspired to move from Hokkaido to Tokyo straight after high school to study the decorative art of glass cutting. First made…

In the early 1980s, the American contemporary artist discovered the potential Japanese ceramics had to offer in Shigaraki. An iconic figure in contemporary American art, Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) bridged the gap between abstract expressionism and pop art in the 1950s, while refusing to be affiliated with one particular movement. Bringing together materials, symbols, cultures and…

Ukiyo-e gradually became the dominant Japanese art form following a devastating fire that was also the birth of Tokyo. The West underwent a similar transformation almost simultaneously According to legend, sometime during the first half of the fifteenth century in Edo, Japan, a young girl came into possession of a kimono. This would not be…