Feature on Potter Misa Kumabuchi of Mushimegane Books

Japanese potter Misa Kumabuchi works out of her studio in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.

Founded in 2010, Mushimegane Books is a series of ceramics and porcelain based on the theme of people and sounds. Misa hopes that her objects expel different sounds and create an image which adds both rhythm and spice to the users life.

Photography: Workshop Photos by Tae Shimada , Product Photography by Yumi Asakura

There’s now a selection of Misa’s ceramics in our shop Introduction Our journey continues in Japan as we uncover ceramicist Misa Kumabuchi, owner of Mushimegane Books. Her quaint atelier in rural Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture offers the perfect environment to create her beautiful functional but characterful objects.

Misa works with a number of different clays, such as porcelain and earthenware, experimenting with both hand building and the pottery wheel to achieve fluid forms. She’s able to create unusual effects on the body of her pots thanks to the use of natural materials. As you’ll see here in the photos, the glazes are often sourced from natural substances taken from the landscape that’s around her studio, including plants, degraded rocks and seashells. These muted tones all add character and warmth, but at the same time make the pots have a simplicity and quiet that’s very appealing.

Hopefully these beautiful working images by photographer Tae Shimada, alongside a selection of product photography by Yumi Asakura, will capture the true essence of her work and how Misa goes about making them. We’re certainly inspired and hope to visit her ourselves in the near future to document the work in even more detail. Enjoy.