Yellow Glazed Patterned Pot with Lid by Tomoka Nomura

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This pot was made by Tomoka Nomura, who is part of the wider Kasama pottery community in Ibaraki, north of Tokyo. Nomura in fact trained with the master potter Tatsuzō Shimaoka in neighbouring Mashiko, and there is perhaps some influence here visible in her skill in engraving into the surface of the pots that she makes. This is a painstaking approach to ceramics, that she combines with glazes made from the ash of selected branches and wood.

In the case of this pot, the ceramicist has cut a dandelion like pattern into the surface of the work, and finished it with a yellowish tinted glaze.

The pot is 6.5cm in diameter, and 4.5cm high. It weighs 160g.

About Tomoka Nomura

Tomoka Nomura began her career in ceramics under the tutelage of Tatsuzō Shimaoka in 2003. One of the very few potters in post-war Japan to be recognised with ‘living national treasure’ status, the charismatic influence of Shimaoka can at times be seen in Nomura’s work.

Most particularly this is true in the patterns she achieves by engraving into the pottery surface. Using a pottery chisel, she crafts each pattern individually in a process that takes time and contains risk of error. The glazes she uses often begin with burning selected pieces of wood in her studio fireplace to make ash as their base ingredient, and they reflect the explorations that begin here. The passage of time and a dedication to craft are visible in the work of Tomoka Nomura, who is a potter who uses the range of techniques of a Japanese potter to create items that become gentle companions.