Shigaraki is one of Japan’s six ancient kiln towns, with a ceramic tradition stretching back over a thousand years. The clay is coarse and iron-rich, fired to produce that distinctive warm, sandy texture you see here. It is some of the most honest material in Japanese ceramics. Nothing is hidden. Nothing is overcomplicated.
This vase takes that ancient tradition and does something completely unexpected with it. The form is a tree stump, rough-textured and unglazed, with a hollow opening at the top sized perfectly for a single stem or small cutting. And perched on a branch jutting from the side is an owl, round-bodied and wide-eyed, rendered with just enough detail to be unmistakably charming without tipping into kitsch.
It is a small object with a large presence. On a shelf, a windowsill, or a bedside table it will attract attention from anyone who notices it, and everyone notices it. Use it as a bud vase, a pencil holder, or simply as a thing worth looking at.
This is what the Concept Japan range does at its best: functional craft with genuine personality, made by hand in Japan from materials with centuries of history behind them.
Handmade in Shigaraki, Japan. 7 x 5 x 7cm.
