Our longest standing artist whose studio has been destroyed due to the earthquake on 1st Jan 2024. Iwasaki san recently built a small studio and moved from Uchinada to Kanazawa city in Ishikawa prefecture. We insisted on paying more for this collection as this is the first ever collection from him since the earthquake and we thank you for your continuous support!

Ishikawa born artist Iwasaki Haruhiko used to work for a design company. During that time he came across various artists' works and it inspired him with a desire to make work with his own hands someday. He registered at the Utsuwayama Kogei Koubou, an institution in Kanazawa city, to study pottery before becoming independent in 1997 and setting up his studio in Uchinada city. Since then he has been making pottery every day, though he joked that Sundays are his day off.

We came across his chawan in a Tokyo exhibition before the opening of our teahouse, so meeting him for the very first time is particularly meaningful to us. His work speaks simplicity, with white, black, and brown in colour tones. He makes a collection of tableware that is somewhat nostalgic, elegant, and harmonizes with the Japanese dining table. He says he is currently testing a new green glazing that may feature in his work in the near future. A distinctive characteristic of his work is that he mixes in the sand of Uchinada Beach, which is known as a sanctuary for lovers - the sand he uses is unofficially known as "love sand".

This half glazed cup is actually his very early designs. When asked why there is a painting of fish, he answered in the beginning of his potter journey, he actually drew a variations of animals but the fish was the most popular. As he rebuilt a new studio, he remembered his journey when he first started, so he said recently he started making these cups again.

Height: 6cm
Diameter: 9.5cm
Volume: ~120ml comfortably, 190ml to the rim

Handwash with mild soap only.
No microwave.
No oven.