The March Trial Residency - Week 2

The second week had fewer excursions, events, and new faces. Our guests settled into a steady working rhythm, and we established a studio routine focused on throwing and trimming rice bowls.

DAY 8 (2026/3/9) Monday & DAY 9 (2026/3/10) Tuesday

Wheel Throwing and Trimming

More and more rice bowls took shape, and there was plenty of trimming to do!

DAY 10 (2026/3/11) Wednesday

Factory Tour Finally, it was time for our factory tour! We started the day with a visit to Urabe Kiji, our friends’ greenware factory. This family business produces a wide variety of tableware using pressure casting.

Next, we visited Takayama to see a very different kind of factory. Every stage of production takes place under one roof, from forming and printing to glazing and firing. The factory is highly automated, and the scale of the operation is impressive.

At noon, we took a break and enjoyed lunch at Midouya.

In the afternoon, we visited Yuko Ota’s studio, Atelier Bisque. Our guests had already met her at the welcome party and were curious to see how she worked.

Yuko Ota holds the title of “Master of Traditional Craft” for wheel throwing in the traditional Hasami style. She kindly showed us how she makes oval bowls, which she shapes into ovals after throwing them on the wheel. Her movements were so smooth and effortless that we couldn’t take our eyes off her.

DAY 11 (2026/3/12) Thursday & DAY 12 (2026/3/13) Friday Wheel Throwing and Trimming We had set the end of the week as the deadline for finishing all throwing and trimming, so we could bisque-fire the pieces on Saturday and spend our final week decorating them. This meant Yoko and Mads had to work long hours to get everything finished in time.

Still, we found time to take them shopping for brushes and underglaze paints. Seeing the variety of brushes and all the different shades of blue is always inspiring.

DAY 13 (2026/3/14) Saturday Studio day Saturday we loaded the bisque kiln. DAY 14 (2026/3/15) Sunday Excursion to Koishiwara Our friends, the Ota family, had build a new studio recently and started to offering pottery classes. So we were curious and decided to visit. Their studio is located in Koishiwara, Fukuoka Prefecture, an area known for its slip-decorated pottery and strong ties to the Mingei movement.

Master Ota tought us wheel throwing and the traditional technique of Tobikanna, or chattering. Unfortunately we took more movies than photos. So please check our instagram to watch Master Ota throw. After the workshop, we visited another friend’s kiln, Tatsumigama. It’s a pretty wild place! The father fires several wood-fired kilns he built himself, while his daughter creates figurative works.

END of week 2