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Recent Posts

  • New Ceramics by Sakai Mika and Mara Des Bois Strawberries from Chino Farm May 26, 2023
  • Basket Weave Patterns: Kikko, Ajiro, and Mutsume March 27, 2023
  • Pop Up Craft, Stationery, and Clothing Show at The Den on Laurel Street Apr. 15th & 16th March 15, 2023
  • Gohonte -A Natural Pop of Color: New Ceramics by Inoue Shigeru March 2, 2023
  • POP UP CRAFT SHOW at the Den on Laurel Street Dec. 3rd & 4th November 23, 2022
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Basket Weave Patterns: Kikko, Ajiro, and Mutsume

By:
Ai Kanazawa
March 27, 2023Baskets Takami Yasuhiro

Bamboo baskets by Takami Yasuhiro ->

Over the years, I’ve learned the names of traditional bamboo basket weaves like kikko, ajiro, and mutsume, which are used by master bamboo weaver Takami Yasuhiro. When I visited Takami-san in Yufuin 5 years ago, he said that the kikko –which means turtle-shell- weave is the most difficult. I was mesmerized at the rhythmical swooping and holding of the strips as his wife, Ayako-san, demonstrated the kikko weave.

Double kikko weave low basket by Takami Yasuhiro

The translucent ajiro weave is an original of Takami-san’s that I also love. Ajiro means “in place of a fishing net” and it refers to woven pieces of wood or bamboo fiber traditionally used to capture fish. At first glance, the translucent ajiro looks like a plain weave, but when it’s seen from an angle, the rows of chevron patterns become visible.

Translucent ajiro weave footed tray with smoked bamboo by Takami Yasuhiro
Ajiro bamboo tray by Takami Yasuhiro. Ribs of chevron pattern appear at an angle.

The mutsume vertical basket in this collection of work is the largest basket that I’ve received from Takami-san since I started working with him in 2012. Mutsume means “hexagonal” and there are two additional splints running vertically through the hexagonal weave in this basket. When I see it, I’m reminded of what Takami-san’s son-in-law, who trained under him, told me a few years back. “People think large baskets are easy to make, like all you need is a longer splint,” he said. “But it’s not that simple. I don’t think my hands are weak, but as the basket gets bigger and taller, the splints become less flexible and impossible to bend. You need experience and extremely strong hands to make big baskets.”

Large vertical mutsume basket by Takami Yasuhiro

These days when I see a beautiful basket, I follow its pattern with my eyes and imagine weaving the strips in my head for a few minutes. I quickly lose focus and become confused, but that never stops me from being amazed at these alluring patterns developed in pursuit of function and durability.

Pop Up Craft, Stationery, and Clothing Show at The Den on Laurel Street Apr. 15th & 16th

By:
Ai Kanazawa
March 15, 2023Events, Workshops and Webinars Ceramics Sakai Mika

Our Spring 2023 pop-up event will take place at:

The Den on Laurel Street
April 15th & 16th from 11am – 5pm.
205 Laurel St. #104 San Diego 92101 (Click for Google Maps)

The pop-up will feature over 100 pieces of colorful ceramics by Sakai Mika, a Japanese Nerikomi ceramic artist based in Shizuoka prefecture. Nerikomi ceramics are made using colored clay that are stacked and cut to create slabs of different patterns.

Nerikomi Ceramics by Sakai Mika

Also for this event, Entoten has invited Hightide Store DTLA, a boutique stationery store that opened in Downtown LA in 2018. Hightide is headquartered in Fukuoka, Japan, and they are known for functional and high-quality original stationery lines.

Hightide Store DTLA

We are also happy to announce that there will be another special guest joining us for the event!

YAMMA Sangyo is a clothing brand established by designer Yamasaki Nana in 2008. By employing women -especially mothers and grandmothers- who are skilled and experienced in sewing clothing, Yamasaki sought to radically change the fashion industry standard of mass production that leads to enormous waste. The clothing by YAMMA Sangyo have long lasting designs and are made using natural fibers, mainly Aizu cotton, a traditionally woven cotton from Fukushima region that dates back over 400 years. 

Clothing by YAMMA Sangyo

Please join us for craft, stationery, clothing, Japanese tea, and conversation.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Gohonte -A Natural Pop of Color: New Ceramics by Inoue Shigeru

By:
Ai Kanazawa
March 2, 2023Ceramics Inoue Shigeru

New Ceramics by Inoue Shigeru ->

It has been a while since I’ve introduced new work by the Nagoya based potter Inoue Shigeru. This is because his ceramics has been gaining popularity in Japan since we debuted him here in the US in 2018. This long wait is understandable though because Inoue-san’s work is truly unique, and a single and in-demand potter can only make so much. So I’m delighted that I am able to show new work by him that includes beautiful green ash glazes that he has been experimenting with.

New ceramics by Inoue Shigeru

Inoue-san is continuing to use rough and crumbly unprocessed clay that is extremely difficult to form. He applies natural slip and glazes that are mixed using feldspar exposed to the rain and sun. When I met him over 5 years ago, I was shocked to see how rough his hands were from working with this difficult clay and mixing the slip and glazes. But he is adamant about using these natural materials and methods because only they can create the desired depth and rusticity in the finished work.

He fires his pots in a gas kiln with minimal airflow, known as reduction firing, which deprives oxygen from the kiln. By doing so, he forces oxygen to be drawn out of the clay bodies and glazes. This firing method causes random pink shades to appear in the glaze, known as gohonte, that are much desired by pottery enthusiasts.

Gohonte on mini kohiki bowl by Inoue Shigeru

I think that the gohonte is even more visible in this recent batch of his work, which is perfect for the soon to arrive spring.

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