A lidded jar for salt or sugar in a smooth off-white colored glaze. 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.
On my first trip to Japan I came across his work, and have been a fan ever since. I use pieces of his just about every day at home. Outside of the city, in a more rural setting - a river runs along his workshop...In the fall of 2022 I finally got to visit his studio, where the below images were taken. Handmade in Okayama, Japan by Ito Kan.
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.
