Bonsai Pot / Goun Toen / Yoyo

This bonsai pot is made by 15 members of the Seiyo-kai, a ceramics community in Kyoto that has been in existence for about 100 years. Not just a white bonsai pot, this crystal, created by an explosion of glaze, is a wonderful piece of work with a quietness and vigor that you won't see anywhere else. Please enjoy the handiwork of a well-known craftsman who has devoted himself to ceramics for a living.

Width：15cm
Depth：15cm
Height：7.5cm
Weight：698g

Clay

GOUNTOEN

He strives to create works that are beautiful to look at, enjoyable to use, and capable of bringing richness to everyday living spaces, while working with gratitude for the joy of making.

ARTISAN STORY

Kiyonori Maeda / Goun Toen
The third-generation potter of a Kyoto kiln with a history of roughly 100 years, he carries forward the aspirations of the previous generation while continually asking himself what true beauty in ceramics means. His work includes distinctive floral-like patterns created through dynamic reactions in the glaze.

ACHIEVEMENTS

・Selected for the Nitten Exhibition

KYO WARE & KIYOMIZU WARE

About 1,200 years ago / 800s / Heian Period (794–1185)

Kyoto ceramics reach back to kilns operating before and during the Heian period, then expanded with tea culture in the Muromachi and Momoyama eras. In the seventeenth century, Nonomura Ninsei perfected brilliant overglaze decoration, followed by innovators such as Ogata Kenzan, Okuda Eisen and Aoki Mokubei, whose diverse approaches shaped today’s Kyo and Kiyomizu ware.

In Japan, these ceramics are famous precisely because there is no single fixed style. Tea bowls, kaiseki dishes and everyday tableware may use overglaze painting, blue-and-white decoration, gold, sancai-inspired color and many other techniques. The craft sits at the heart of Kyoto’s culture of pairing vessels with cuisine and tea.

The surprising point is that Kyoto was never defined by a single major clay deposit. Potters drew on materials such as Amakusa porcelain stone, techniques arriving from other regions, and the tastes of artists and patrons gathered in the capital. Freedom from one local material helped make Kyoto ceramics unusually hybrid and stylistically diverse.

Individual Differences

As each piece is individually handcrafted, slight variations in color, pattern, shape, and texture may occur. These subtle differences are a natural characteristic of handcrafted works, making each piece truly unique. We hope you will enjoy these individual variations as part of the beauty and character of Japanese craftsmanship.

Production Time

If an item is not currently in stock, it may be made to order by the artisan. As each piece is carefully handcrafted, production may take several months depending on the item and the artisan's schedule. We appreciate your patience and understanding.