Ysex designs with deliberate incompletion. We abandon the pursuit of perfection to honor the raw beauty of materials and the trace of time. A crack in the clay is not a flaw—it is where the light enters.
Seven days in a wood-fired kiln. The path of the flame remains as amber-colored landscape across the vessel's skin. With each touch of the hand, the hue deepens into something older.
A single stem becomes the protagonist against calculated emptiness. The gentle swelling of the belly preserves the potter's thumbprint. Not completion—but process made visible.
Intentional carving creates shadow. The scenery revealed when the lid lifts resembles a dried riverbed. We explore how materials deepen with use—the promise of patina.
Ysex inhabits a renovated kura storehouse on the outskirts of Kyoto. We choose wood fire over electric kilns, borrowing the force of nature to converse with raw material.
"We do not draw perfect circles. The trail left when the brush stops breathing is the mirror that reflects the maker's spirit."
We do not reject technology—we challenge how far it can be hidden. The complex machinery behind the screen is rendered as thin and translucent as a single sheet of washi.
Nights in the Kiln
Hands at Work
Eternal Present
Born into three generations of ceramicists. At twenty, he chose the path of the wood kiln. He believes the conversation with flame matters above all.
Her bamboo-weaving technique breathes life into vessel rims and handles. She draws maximum expression from minimum line.
He writes the tanzaku poems and box inscriptions accompanying each piece. One character carries the weight of the vessel's presence.
She tends the karesansui stone garden daily. She believes the arrangement of stones steadies the craftsmen's hearts.
Ysex Atelier "Tsuchi-an"
Kokūzōyama-chō, Arashiyama
Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8385
Japan
By appointment only. Six guests each month may witness the firing of the wood kiln. Please write to us beforehand.