On my first trip to Japan I came across the work of Ito Kan at a small gallery space in Tokyo. His pieces struck me as possessing a unique balance of old world materiality with contemporary form. His simple shapes that function as everyday objects appear to have gone through a crucible, resulting in glazes that are almost primordial. He is particularly known for silver and metallic-like glazes. I've had most of my morning coffees from the same cup of his that I first got back in 2017.

Outside of the city of Okayama, his workshop is nestled into a small quiet neighborhood along the Seto Inland Sea. In the fall of 2022 I had the opportunity to visit his studio, where these images were taken.

Ito Kan was born into a potter's family, carrying on the craft of his father Hitoshi Tachibana, a renowned ceramic artist. Kan developed his own unique style and glaze techniques and established his own kiln in 2006 before settling in Okayama Prefecture in 2011.