Antique Cream Shinogi Bud Vase

We’re delighted to bring Japanese potter Aya Ogawa’s ceramics to the UK.

In Japanese there is a word 幸 (sachi) which translates as good fortune, and happy accidents. Aya’s craft embraces such serendipity, the unpredictability of nature and how it expresses itself differently for every piece. The unexpected expression of the glaze, because the kiln has changed, the season has changed, the atmosphere has changed, the makeup of the clay has changed. And in turn a vase, and its blooms, introduce nature in to a room. Nature and pottery and the hand of the potter become inextricably intertwined.

Having studied under veteran potter Eric Landon, Aya now handcrafts each unique piece in her Tokyo studio. Contrary to its diminutive size, each vase projects its presence and warmth in to the room. Aya applies an ancient technique of Japanese ‘shinogi’, whereby the surface of the clay is scraped away line by line to form ridges.