We had the amazing opportunity to visit Japan recently, and the trip included two pottery studios we’d long wanted to see: Kugino Gama in Kumamoto and Studio FAF in Hokkaido. Each was beautiful in its own way.
Pieces from Kugino Gama and Studio FAF
Kugino Gama is wonderfully remote. Driving on the left side of the road — with the steering wheel on the right — kept us on our toes, and the tiny, winding roads eventually delivered us to a quiet green forest. The journey was almost as much fun as the destination. A narrow path led us up to the studio entrance, where we were greeted by the artists themselves: Noriaki and Maki Ibi. Mr. Ibi speaks English, so we were treated to a wonderful tour of the gallery and each of their work areas.
Kugino Gama
What fascinated us most was comparing their two styles. Mr. Ibi throws every piece on his wheel, controlling the speed with a classic hand lever. The pieces he throws for Maki tend to be smaller, lighter, and more delicate, while his own lean more rugged, with a distinct wabi-sabi form. Maki’s underglaze painting is exquisite — incredible attention to detail on every piece, in muted but beautifully coordinated colors: soft blues, greens, and off-white. They work in light-colored clays with a fine grog, which gives each vessel a feel that’s somehow both solid and light.
Mr. Ibi’s shop
Studio FAF, just outside Kutchan, was easier to find — but the facility itself is what makes it special. The artists, Masaharu and Sachiko Hayashi, bought an 80-year-old schoolhouse and renovated it while keeping the original architecture and materials, so it feels old and new at the same time. Every structure has been given a second life: a sheep barn, a kiln room, a gallery, a classroom, a wheel and hand-forming room, a glazing room, even a wool processing room.
The clay classroom hosts regular pottery classes, with twenty wheels and benches for hand-building. Our favorite surprise: looking down mid-tour and spotting basketball court lines on the hardwood floor. The classroom is the school’s former gymnasium — and the gallery was once a classroom.
Studio FAF
The whole family is part of the pottery business: Masaharu, Sachiko, and their son Yasuo, each with a style of their own. Masaharu builds traditional earthenware and dishware with medium grog and simple, consistent glazes, while Sachiko and Yasuo hand-form large, abstract coil-built sculptures finished in bright, contrasting glazes.
And then there’s the wool. The Hayashis keep about fifteen sheep, whose fleece is sheared, skirted, and scoured on site, then carded and combed to align the fibers. Sachiko spins the yarn herself on one of her several spinning wheels, and the gallery is full of the results: handmade bags, rugs, pillow covers, and seat covers.
We always treasure our time in Japan, and getting to know artisans like these — and hearing their stories — is what Shiki Hill Studio is all about. Our languages may differ, but a love for simple, handcrafted, useful things is universal. You can find pieces by Noriaki, Maki, Masaharu, and Sachiko in our shop now.
