Journal

After nearly three months of an online only presence, we reopened the shop on 16 June.In doing this, of course we have been studying closely the government guidelines on becoming a Covid-secure space, and will be in full effect with hand sanitiser, masks and social distancing.We plan to test the water in the first week of opening, and may have reduced hours of business. If you plan to make a specific trip to see us, then it may be worth calling ahead, and in any case we will update our social media channels.Our priority is to deliver the things from...

This month at wagumi, we have a collection of work by Japanese potter Motoharu Ozawa. Based in the traditional Mino-ware pottery region of Toki in Gifu, the work of Motoharu Ozawa is characterised by its glazes that invite pairings with food.   Another characteristic is its popularity.  In contrast to his unassuming personality, and isolated base in the Gifu countryside, are Ozawa’s social media channels and the scrum that forms whenever he exhibits his pottery in Japan and nearby Asia. This is the first time that Ozawa has shown his work in Europe, and we have a small selection of items...

2020.  It should have been a year of Japanese culture culminating in the Olympics this summer.  Instead it is what it is. We want to send our best wishes to all of customers and those who have supported us down the years, and the hope that you are all staying safe. Like all small businesses we are facing our own Annus Horribilis, but we are determined to keep operating within the boundaries of what is safe and responsible. We are completing every online order we receive, and will consider reopening the shop once it is safe and legal to do...

The Okinawa islands are a land of culture and craft, more than 600km south of Japan’s larger archipelago.  This summer we have been featuring some of the many great things made there, including ceramics, glass, textiles and music.   Where to go to find the true Japan?  For some intellectuals in the early 20th century, the answer was to its extremities.  Here, in places, such as Okinawa the spirt of craft and creation had survived the effects of industrialisation found elsewhere. Today too, the islands offer a different vision to other places in Japan, of a way of life, and...