Ounyo

The site where the studio is located overlooks a row of cherry blossom trees.

Architect Mr. Yoshifumi Nakamura, who designed the studio, gave it the name "Ō-UN-YŌ” because he thought it would look like a pinkish cloud when the cherry blossoms were in bloom.

Clay

We use clay derived from a stone called "Hanasaka Touseki," which is quarried in the southern Kaga area of Ishikawa Prefecture. At Ounyo, we use a translucent clay that emphasizes its white hue.

Bisque

Each bisque is shaped on a potter's wheel. The bisque provided to the painters is finished with sandpaper to make it easier to paint with brushes. The design is crafted in a way to highlight the simple white pottery.

Glaze

To give the pottery a soft appearance, we create an overglaze using ash from barley and straw from the local Iwate Prefecture and ash from sake rice provided by Asamai Shuzo from Yokote City, Akita Prefecture.

Katauchi

We use a traditional technique called "Katauchi（press molding）," where after spinning the clay on a potter's wheel, it's pressed into an original mold to shape it. With this mold, one can create numerous bisques of the same shape. This technique is mainly handed down in Arita ware from Saga Prefecture and Kutani ware from Ishikawa Prefecture.