Planpo's studio is a quiet, 100-year-old traditional Japanese house in Kyoto, where she creates ceramics that add light and elegance to everyday life.
Planpo's first encounter with pottery began when she was in junior high school, after watching a TV program that followed Kyoto pottery painters.
"Since I was a child, I have loved drawing, crafting, and baking, so I was fascinated by the hands of artisans who paint detailed designs on tableware."
Unable to forget that moment, she initially aimed to become a painter and studied the techniques at a vocational school that trained artisans. After gaining experience at a pottery studio, she discovered the joy of creating his own works from scratch, and little by little he began producing as planpo.
The name "planpo" was born from an assignment to think of a brand name in a vocational school class. The idea came from making small flower pots, and the name "planpo" was created by combining the English word "plant" with the soft-sounding sounds "pa-pi-pu-pe-po." As the name suggests, the company creates objects that shine brightly while gently embracing daily life, just like plants.
Planpo's tableware mainly consists of items for everyday life, such as accessory trays and items for coffee and tea.
" I create pottery with the concept of creating pieces that lift your spirits when you look at them and use them to bring a little daily relaxation or a moment of relaxation, or when getting ready to go out on the weekend," she said.
Something that will provide a moment of relaxation, relax your mind and brighten your mood every time you pick it up... This is the thought that goes into all of our pieces.
The distinctive technique that immediately catches the eye is "Icchin." Icchin is a ceramic decoration technique in which mud is poured into a dropper-like tool and squeezed onto the surface of the dough to create a pattern. It is characterized by the creation of three-dimensional, intricate decorations, just like delicate cream decorations on a cake. The artist was inspired to incorporate Icchin into shis work after thinking that the decorations on the icing cookies she was familiar with as a child were similar. The patterns, which are drawn in great detail over a long period of time, look like tiny particles of light dancing in the air.
The brilliance of the pearl luster and gold paint, which are part of the overglaze paint, changes like a rainbow in the light, inviting the viewer into a state of ecstasy. The overglaze paint is finally completed after three firings, resulting in an intricate and luxurious piece of pottery.
Every time you pick up a planpo piece, it gently brings light into your daily life. Its sparkle, like a little magic, is sure to bring quiet, rich joy to your everyday life.
Click here for a list of planpo's works
