Kikusho Pottery, based in Kawana Town, Nagasaki Prefecture, creates casual and charming Hasami ware tableware. With techniques cultivated over many years, the husband-and-wife team designs and produces porcelain pieces that are easy to use, as well as pottery pieces that carry a warm, inviting atmosphere.

While porcelain clay is the base, their desire to create a wide variety of products leads them to use many different types of clay. Depending on the item, they adjust clay mixtures, kneading methods, and firing techniques—experimenting with both materials and process. Although machines are used for initial kneading, the final check is always done by hand: feeling the pull of the clay and the way drops fall to judge stickiness. This tactile judgment, impossible to measure numerically, relies on years of experience. “It’s almost like cooking,” says craftsman Hiroaki Kinoshita.

Above all, Kikusho Pottery’s strength lies in their spirit of challenge, constantly creating new designs. “Continuing with what we’ve always done would certainly be easier. But by challenging ourselves, we discover new joy, and beyond that, I believe we can inspire our customers. We want to keep taking on challenges so we can meet our customers’ needs and continue to provide what they’re looking for,” says Kinoshita.

Unlike many potteries that divide tasks among specialists, Kikusho Pottery maintains an integrated system, which makes new product creation possible. Day by day, through honing both sense and skill, they handcraft pieces with care—producing warm, easy-to-use, and contemporary casual designs that suit modern life.

Interview: Takuya Arata Photography: Daiki Morishita Text: Kento Onishi