YUKIMONO store in Tokyo

This is the inside view from the entrance.

Hello, we are happy to tell you a good news!

YUKIMONO opened a bonsai pot store in Tokyo on June 4.

It is definitely the first store which sells European bonsai pots in Japan.

We have provided Japanese bonsai pots, especially Tokoname pots to the world since 2013.

Meanwhile, we have had chances to meet many wonderful bonsai potters who created great works with high skills and passion in Europe and other countries.

It was our dream to introduce their beautiful pots to Japanese bonsai enthusiasts.　Fortunately, we got a chance to open a store and it is the first step to our dream.

Inokashira Park

YUKIMONO store is located in the middle of Tokyo-city, and near Kichijoji-station of the Chuo line. Inokashira Park is under our store and you can walk to the Ghibli Museum from our store. us. There are nice restaurants, café, and a variety of shops around YUKIMONO.

The bonsai display of early June in the store

The bonsai display of late June in the store 

Currently, there are some European potter’s pots (they are all part of my collection!) and some unique Japanese potter’s works in the store. The international airmail services are back to normal, and we are now able and also would like to put more and more works from Europe and other countries.

Needless to say, we are selling and shipping Japanese beautiful bonsai pots to the world as usual!

Updated information about the shipping situation

To all my customers throughout the world,

Thank you to all of the customers who continue to visit YUKIMONO store and purchase Japanese bonsai pots even in this tough time.

We would like to inform you about the current shipping situation.

Though we still ship to various countries by Japan Post, UPS and other carriers, recently they are running very slowly and significant delays occur by the reduction of flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Japan Post, for the parcels to the US and other countries, it takes more than 2~3 weeks to load onto the flights in Japan currently.

Some orders to the US and Canada, which we have shipped by the middle of April have still been waiting for loading as well and their tracking info hasn’t been updated. (They still keep showing “Posting/collection” status.)

Even worse still, we are afraid there is a possibility that the JP parcels to the US are returned because Japan Post has stopped the acceptance of international mail items to the US since the 23 of April.

We still accept all orders and try to ship by various carriers, however, the delivery will take much longer than usual and the delivery schedule will be unpredictable. These circumstances are beyond our control.

We are sorry for this situation and the inconvenience it may be causing anyone.

We thank you very much for your understanding, patience, and kind indulgence during these difficult times.

We will inform you as soon as we get any new information.

Best regards,

Yukiko Kasai

YUKIMONO

The bonsai potter, Gassan of Kyoto Part 2

This is Gassan's Shimpaku bonsai in his handmade unglazed bonsai pot.

Hello, I am Yuki, an owner of the YUKIMONO web store.

This is the second article about the bonsai potter, Gassan. (Part 1 is here!)

Gassan’s career as a ceramist of tableware started in 1975. After having been into Bonsai, he began making bonsai pots for his bonsai since 2008. For himself, making bonsai pots was just for fun but for the Japanese Bonsai pottery world, it should be said it was lucky because skilled bonsai potters who have various kinds of techniques like Gassan or young people who want to become a bonsai potter has been decreasing. 

Once I asked him. 

“Do you think about what the differences are with the tableware and the bonsai pot when you make them?”

He said. 

“In Japanese cuisine, it is thought that the tableware are clothes for foods. I think bonsai pots are the same as well.”

I asked again.

“Are there any colors or patterns/paintings/designs that are fit for tableware but not bonsai pots or the opposite?

“I think there is nothing. Even though there are colors or patterns that are not good for bonsai pots, it depends on the combination, it turns out that it can match beautifully.”

Gassan's small bowls to hold the soup for Japanese noodles. 

 This pot with the painting of “the rabbitsjumping on the waves” is one of his new works. 

According to him, it was the first time for him to paint the rabbits & waves painting in his bonsai pot. The technique used is “Shita-etsuke (What is it? you can see here*).” He was going to add “Uwa-etsuke” after “Shita-etsuke” just like when he made tableware, however, he stopped because he realized it would be excessively fabulous for the bonsai pot.

(To be continued)

*When you paint on the bonsai pot, mainly there are 2 ways. One is painting over the glaze “Uwa-Etsuke”, and the other is painting under the glaze “Shita-Etsuke”. 

Painting over the glaze is done on the pot that was glazed and fired. After painting, it is fired again at a low temperature. 

   On the other hand, painting under the glaze is more complicated. It is done on the pot that wasn’t unglazed and was pre-fired with low temperatures. After painting, it is glazed and fired with high temperatures. 

The bonsai potter, Gassan of Kyoto Part 1

Mr. Takao Nagata, and Gassan

Hello, I am Yuki, an owner of the YUKIMONO web store.

Today let me introduce you the bonsai potter, Gassan of Kyoto.

Takao Nagata, and his professional name as a potter is Gassan(月山), was born and raised in Kyoto-city. After accumulating enough experience at a house of Kyo wear, he opened his kiln in the suburbs of Kyoto-city, Kyotanbacho in 1990, and has continued making tableware of Kyo ware so far.

These are not bonsai pots but tableware by Gassan.

Expressing the characteristics of Kyo ware with keywords, they are gorgeous, fabulous, sophisticated, of various shapes and fine paintings. As Kyoto has been the palace city and the center of the politics, economy, and culture in Japan for a long time, the best materials and skilled artisans from all over Japan have gathered here. Many wonderful crafts/arts were created and various kinds of techniques have constantly improved. Kyo wear was created in the early 17th century and developed as the style of ceramic of Kyoto.

Gassan was a skilled ceramist of Kyo ware who made tableware, but thankfully, not only dishes and tea bowls but he also makes bonsai pots after being interested in bonsai. I think one of the most wonderful things of his work are not only extremely fabulous but have also incorporated the beauty of Kyo ware that can harmonize nicely with plants.

His gorgeous Shimpaku in his painting pot.

This red painting is one of his representative works. According to him, it is the view of the highland (it is called Tamba-kochi 丹波高地) that can be seen from the highway when he goes back to his home from Kyoto-city.

(To be continued.)

Shipping availability of YUKIMONO

To all customers throughout the world,

YUKIMONO can still ship Japanese bonsai pots to all locations that have been set in the dropdown menu of our system as usual.

Normally we ship orders with EMS or international parcel-post by Japan Post.

Besides it, from now on, we will rely on UPS and other carriers for some locations because Japan Post have temporary suspended acceptance of international mail items for various countries including the ones below due to the reduction of flights from/to Japan since April 2.

The countries: Austria, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Portuguese, Romania, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Russia……and so on.

The shipping fee of other carriers are much higher than of Japan Post, however, we still keep offering almost all of bonsai pots with free shipping because we do hope that you will enjoy bonsai more than ever at home during this tough time.

※ Additional information with regards to shipping locations.

Depends on the location, a delay can occur; it seems more than 1~2 weeks.

※

We heard from some carriers that depending on the country there are some areas stopping the acceptance of postal items. In addition, the situation of every part of the world is changing day by day. We will also inform you if we change our “shipping available countries.”

※

Normally you can see the available country when you fill in your shipping address after clicking “add to cart” and “check out” before making a payment. If you couldn’t see your country/location in the dropdown menu of available countries, please contact us.

Thank you.

Hope you stay safe and try to enjoy with bonsai.

Best regards,

Yukiko kasai

YUKIMONO

Eimei the famous bonsai potter in Tokoname

Hello, I am Yuki, an owner of YUKIMONO webstore.Today let me tell you about the bonsai potter, Eimei of Youzan-Toen.

Hideaki Shimiz, and his professional name as a potter is Eimei, was born in 1960 in Tokoname. His father, Masaaki Shimizu, the founder of Yozan-Toen is well known as a prominent master of glazed pots, succeeded in the commercialization of the first cinnabar bonsai pots in Tokoname.

Though Eimei, the second generation of Yozan-Toen is also known as a master of glaze, I think the characteristics of his work is the beauty of the shape and the very delicate color of the glaze.

All the shapes of his pots are elegant and sophisticated, especially the curved line of the feet has a sexy feel. Once I asked him "What image did you have in your mind when you created the shape?” His answer was just what I thought. “There are many things but one of them is a beautiful ankle of the woman.”

One of his representative glazes is celadon. Look at this oval bonsai pot which is one of YUKIMONO products. The small cracks covering the surface look like a beautiful pattern.

This version is created with a new glaze which he successfully created recently after struggling for about 2 years to perfect this technique and effect. At first glance, it looks like there is a purple glaze but on closer inspection you can see that there are lots of tiny patina that is purple in color covering the blue glaze.

Needless to say, producing a beautiful and unique glaze is difficult and needs time-consuming work for all ceramists, however, once Eimei has developed a new glaze, he can keep making them stably and effectively. That’s is why he has been respected as a great bonsai potter.

Thank you for reading YUKIMONO blog post!

"Each and everyone is different"-----Mayu's Dharma Face Bonsai Pot

This little bonsai pot of which someone's face is painted on is one of the most popular works by Mayu, the famous Japanese bonsai pot painter. Do you know whose face is it?

It is the Dharma face.

Dharma is a figure which is modeled after Bodhidharma who was a founder of Zen Buddhism, however, it is also a kind of Japanese traditional doll that is most beloved by the Japanese and used as a talisman. Most companies, shops, and politicians have a Dharma doll, so if you visit Japan, you would see it somewhere.

Mayu paints various kinds of Dharma faces with many facial expressions like –surprise, piercing gaze, anxious, troubled, angry and so much more. The wonderful thing about Mayu’s paintings is that even though she has been painting Dharma faces on pots for more than 15 years there are no duplicates and each and everyone is different. She told me “I can’t paint any face exactly like the one I painted before.”

Recently, Mayu has come up with some new faces for her Dharma pots.

One is of a pretty lady’s face------but wait a minute as I was writing I remembered that Dharma is modeled after the Zen priest and the lady Dharma doesn’t make sense. So I call it a Drag Dharma.

The other is a furious and angry face. The expression, especially its eyes are so strong and piercing, however, strangely enough, they look adorable. That’s why they are popular with bonsai enthusiasts all over the world.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July, 24 to Aug, 7, this year. In commemoration of the most historic biggest event; I put up for sale 5 of Mayu’s Dharma pots which are blue, black, red, yellow and green color on the desk. 

They are available in YUKIMONO online store.

Happy shopping!

The 69th Ume Bonsai Exhibition in Nagahama