Black and white drawing with sgraffito on organic shaped stoneware

 "Yaoyorozu no kami" - or literally "god in eight million things" - is the ancient Japanese belief that all beings and objects have a spirit and divinity within.  Born and raised in Japan, my aesthetic sensibility was largely influenced by the traditional art and crafted items that reflect this philosophy. With my pottery I use black slip on white stoneware and sgraffito technique to draw my own "yaoyorozu no kami."  My work is the result of these "moments of bliss" while working with the clay and expresses my belief in the connectedness of all beings and appreciation for our surroundings, which make us what we are.

I was born in Japan and worked as a studio potter in the area of Mashiko, a renowned folk pottery town, before relocating to the US.  My love for pottery started during my time at Tama Art University in Tokyo where I studied contemporary art and museum curation.  After further study and apprenticeships in Japan, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998 and founded Studio Tabula Rasa.  I relocated to the Asheville area in 2012, and have enjoyed my pottery making and a large vegetable garden in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.  Here I am able to again experience the four seasons with mountains and rivers just like my home in Japan.

studiotabularasa.com