From a fist of clay to a hundred years.

Japanese bonsai pots are made in more than one way: thrown, slab-built, hand-built or moulded; glazed, painted or left unglazed. Here are the features we examine, and the limits of what a finished pot can tell us.

01 · 土 The Clay

The body

The body may be unglazed clay, stoneware, porcelain or another ceramic body. Colour alone does not establish the material, kiln or age, so we use the terms supported by the individual pot’s documentation and visible evidence.

色だけで素地・窯・年代は決まらない。

Stacked discs of unglazed clay prepared for forming — 土

A potter forming a bonsai pot on the wheel, shelves of finished wares behind — 成形

02 · 水 The Form

The form

A pot may be thrown, slab-built, coil-built, pressed in a mould or made by combining methods. We examine proportion, rim, walls, feet and drainage, without assuming a method that is not documented.

挽き・タタラ・手捻り・型。作り方は決めつけない。

03 · 火 The Fire

The firing

Kilns, atmospheres and temperatures vary. Oxidation, reduction, ash and glaze may affect the surface, but a finished colour does not by itself prove a firing method. We state the process only where it is documented.

焼き上がりの色は、焼成方法の証明にはならない。

A kiln at temperature, its seam a line of molten orange — 焼成

Finished glazed bonsai pots resting on kiln shelves — 検品

04 · 時 The Inspection

Before listing

Before listing, we examine the individual pot, photograph it, record its dimensions and describe visible condition. Marks are read only as far as the evidence allows.

一点ずつ見て、撮って、寸法と状態を記録する。

窯

The Makers · 作り手

Clay remembers every hand that shaped it.

These vessels are shaped by potters and workshops using different methods and working traditions. We do not make the pots; we document and offer the individual pieces that pass through our hands. This page is our thanks to those hands.

See the work in your hands

The current collection is listed on eBay with photographs, dimensions and the information we can substantiate, and worldwide shipping.

Browse on eBay