Caramel Edge Icchin Bowls by Aya Kondo

These bowls are by Kasama based ceramist Aya Kondo and show her use of the icchin ceramic technique.

She uses a dripper to apply slip onto the surfaces in a distinctive arabesque pattern.

Alongside the central motif, Kondo uses her 'caramel edge' glaze, to provide balance and colour.

In their proportions, the bowls highlight the delicately sized kodai (foot) at the base.

Each has diameter 17.5 cm, with a height of 5cm.

As the pieces are hand made, there are subtle variations between them.

They weigh 310g.

About Aya Kondo

The work of Aya Kondo comes from a quiet obsession. A brief career as a public employee, and then time spent travelling in Asia led her eventually to pottery training in Mashiko. In 2001 in nearby Kasama, she established her own kiln, enveloped by nature. As the years pass, so has there been a gradual evolution in her style. A key element remains detailed arabesque patterning which she achieves hand painting slip using a dripper . More recently Kondo has added deep moss green, Oribe type glazes in a patchwork alongside her trademark sweet yellowish brown. An important figure in the Kasama pottery scene for most of the last twenty years, Aya Kondo’s ceramics are a kind and refined presence in homes all around Japan.