The Journal
Stories & craft notes
Notes from the search: the shops, the finds, the kilns and eras behind them, and the pieces that got away.
A guide to the chawan, the Japanese matcha bowl: its shapes, the kilns that made it, how to read age and repair, and how to choose and care for a vintage one.
Ochoko are the small thimble-sized sake cups poured from a tokkuri; guinomi are larger and meant for sipping. A guide to telling them apart, reading kilns and glazes, and buying vintage cups well.
A practical guide to vintage Japanese sake sets: the parts, the kilns, hot versus cold serving, and what to check before buying second-hand sake ware.
What a tokkuri is, the main shapes and kilns, how the old shop and inn bottles differ from tableware, and what to check before buying a vintage Japanese sake bottle.
How to buy antique Japanese pottery and porcelain with confidence: the main kilns and glazes, antique versus vintage, signs of genuine age, and what actually sets prices.
What a kyusu is, how Tokoname, Banko, Hagi and Arita teapots differ, and how to check a vintage Japanese teapot for spout drip, lid fit and hairline cracks before you buy.
Japanese Ceramics is a one-piece-at-a-time shop for antique and vintage Japanese pottery, sourced in antique shops around Nagoya and sold worldwide in small drops.