The story of the frog feet bonsai pot

Hello, I am Yuki, an owner of Japanese bonsai pots online store YUKIMONO.  

Today,I will tell you the story about how the pot in the picture was born. 

As you know, there are various designed feet of the bonsai pot. You might often see "Cloud feet" or "Cat feet." Most of them look classical and traditional style. 

I have been wondering why the new design feet weren't created. 

I asked the Tokoname bonsai potter Shuuhou (Hidemi Kataoka) to make something new feet.  

What lead him to start making new bonsai pot feet was this picture. This is a planter that I took at Ferrara, Italy few years ago. It has 3 clawfeet and impressive for me.

I showed this picture to him and asked him.

"How about making the new bird feet?" .

The clawfoot is not bad. But I hoped something more new and adorable. Like this.
I said to Hidemi "How about the ｄuck feet?"　

He said "Why not?." And the duck foot came up.

And it became like this.

Wow! The pink hexagonal bonsai pot with duck!
Do you like it?

Hidemi said "I will try to make another shape duck feet!"
And they were made.

The new pot was completed.
I though the shape and the balance of it were really great.
But it reminded me something to eat.　. Mmm........looks delicious!

How do you look at this duck feet pot?

He tried to make the pot again.
Here is another variation. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

And it turned out like this.
Do you see it as a duck feet pot?

Thank you for reading the story until the end.
If you are interested in the frog bonsai pots, please contact me.

The frog feet bonsai pot is coming up in our online store YUKIMONO.

Thank you!

Which pot will look fantastic with your tree?

Thinking about the combinations between plants and bonsai pot brings me great happiness.
But I know it's not easy.

My bonsai Sensei (master) says that there are three points you should make much of when you do it.

First, it's harmony with the pot and the plant.
Second, it's dignity.
And third, it's uniqueness.

And he often says "Did you try to see anywhere beautiful scenery with the plant and the pot?"

As you may know, a bonsai is a small-scale replica, so I think my sensei words mean that you should see or feel any view in the pot.


Last may, I potted a young oak tree into a Shuuhou (Hidemi Kataoka) pot to display it in his private exhibition. I will show you the process from the beginning to the end.

Choosing a pot

This is just a young oak tree. I got it from the nursery.
I love it because the shape of leaves are nice and the form of its twisted trunk is interesting.

How about this blue pot?
The color of blue glaze goes well with the green leaves.
And I think the feet shape of this pot makes the tree nicely.

How about this Mokkou shape bonsai pot?
I think it's good too.

Let's take a look more.
How do you think of this blue round pot?
The blue glaze looks beautiful with the green.

But does it look too high for the tree?

So I put a hexagonal bright blue glaze pot in front of the oak. I think it looks fantastic! But is it too shallow for the tree

How about this pot? It would be not shallow.


Looks beautiful.
I think it is perfect for the oak!
















     

 How about this hexagonal pot?
 Not bad but I think it is too large for the tree.                                                                                                                                    

Finally I chose this blue hexagonal pot. Because I can imagine the scenery with this pot.

Potting the tree into the pot

Now I made mi mind to pot the young oak into the blue hexagonal pot.

My bonsai Sensei (master) says.
"Did you find the best direction？"
"Is it really OK? "
"Are you sure about this? "


"Do you think it is the best position in the pot?"
"Are you satisfied 100% with this?"

And he says,
"Make an effort to find the most fantastic position again and again."

And he helped.
"How about this?"

Yes!  It looks awesome!


















I repotted it.

Displaying the bonsai

And it turned like these. Do you like it?

At Hidemi Kataoka's exhibition in Noritake garden gallery, Nagoya  

at Takao komagino garden park, Tokyo

at Takao komagino garden park, Tokyo

Thank you very much for seeing this blog post untill the end. 

All pots I show on this blog post are made by the Tokoname potter Shuuhou. 

They are available in my. YUKIMONO store.  

The whole process of the custom-made Tokoname bonsai pot

This is the process of custom order made Tokoname bonsai pot.
You can see the progress from new order acceptance to the pot deliveries.


Step１

YUKIMONO got an custom order of large rectangle bonsai pot from a customer who loves bonsai and Tokoname Shuuhou/Hidemi's pot very much. He gave us a very accurate CAD drawing.

Step2

YUKIMONO sent the flow of making the pot to the customer and told how it forwards.

it was as follows.  

=====================================================

Step①

I will show you 2 ~ 3 samples (colors/textures) with photos from Hidemi by 8,May

Step②

You see them and order us. This is an official order.

If you prefer to the glazed pot, of course you can order it.

Step③

Hidemi begins making a pot.

It takes about 2 months to complete the pot.

Step④

I will show you the progress and the finished pot with photos.

Step⑤

When your pot is complete, I will send it immediately.

It will reach you in 7 ~ 10 days as always.

 =======================================================

Step3

The potter Hidemi started making the pot. He converted the size of the inches into the centimeters.

Step4
He made a ceramic plate with the potters wheel and cut into some parts.

Step5
He put the parts and made a rectangle pot.

Step6
He made the feet.

Step7
It was completed.

Step8
The pot was dried.

Step9
And it was treated with Japanese black ink.

Step10
Fired in the kiln!

Step11
It has been completed!

Step12
The pot which leaves Japan soon.

Step12
Good bye Pot! Have a safe travel!

Step13
Now it looks that the pot spends wonderful pot's life in US.
This is the picture from the customer.　Thank you very much Eric!

YUKIMONO accepts orderring of a custom-made Tokoname bonsai pot.
If you are interested in it, please contact us.
http://yukimono.com/



Thank you!

The process of making the custom made Tokoname Bonsai pot Vol.1

I visit the Tokoname bonsai potter, Hidemi Kataoka/Shuuhou's  workshop  on the 16th May.
One of my purposes of this visit was taking videos in his work.

Now I will show you the process of making an unglazed Tokoname bonsai pot.
It is a custom made pot ordered from our customer in US.

The first step is the making of a plate with potter's wheel.

We accept custom-made ordering. Visit our store YUKIMONO. 
Thank you!

Let's walk the bonsai pot town,Tokoname

Last Saturday I went to Tokoname to visit the bonsai potter, Hidemi Kataoka's workshop.
Tokoname is recognized as one of the six ancient kilns of Japan, with a ceramic history which spans over a thousand years.
The main ceramic productions are/were pipes, tiles, tea pots, and of course BONSAI POTS.

Thought I was Tokoname several times on a business trip, I have never enjoyed the sightseeing.
This time I could hit some sights that were very Tokoname.

This is the very Tokoname view,the black walls of houses and factories.To keep termites, the walls are burned and painted with a tar to preserve the wood.  

An chimney of old kiln closed.

My most favorite view of Tokoname. Just like a bonsai. A tree growing to that size on top of a kiln chimney.  

The ceramic pipes were one of a main products of Tokoname.

The bonsai potter Hidemi Kataoka / Shuuhou

There are many molds in Hidemi's wokshop.

Visit YUKIMONO store, and you can see many Hidemi Kataoka/Shuuhou bonsai pots.
Thank you!

Focusing on the Display Style of Bonsai

There are some Japanese traditional displaying styles of bonsai.
If you visit any bonsai exhibitions, you would see some of them.

Tokokazari, displaying in the Japanese alcove 'Tokonoma' is a well-known style.
It is created with a main bonsai, an accent bonsai and a scroll. A small desk or a wooded plate is placed under the bonsai.

The aim of Tokokazari is to present the magnificent scenery with two or three (a main bonsai, an accent bonsai and a scroll) in Tokonoma.

The other displaying style is called Sekikazari. It is created with a main and accent bonsai, a carpet and a screen in the Japanese-style room.

Tanakazari is for the Shohin-bonsai that is less than 20cm in height from the bottom of the pot to the top of the plant. Tanakazari is created with five different materials including bonsai and a small displaying shelf.

The displaying with a quince bonsai and a scroll at Takao-Komagino garden park on April 2015

 Though generally they are called 'traditional displaying-style,' according to some documents it was Meiji era, they were established as the decoration way of bonsai. Nowadays the house with tokonoma as well as the Japanese-style rooms are on the decrease in Japan.

I think now is the time that we should create some new displaying or appreciating style of bonsai.
I expect overseas bonsai enthusiasts to find something their own authentic and unique styles, but it seems that they admire Tokokazari much more than Japanese people in general.

This is what I displayed with a maple, dear and the Kintsugi plate I did. 

Thank you!

Come to see me. I am in here, yukimono.com 



      

Make your small Japanese Garden!

At present I have about 50 bonsai on 3 wooden 4-tier plant stands in my garden.

Every morning I enjoy seeing how my plants have grown while watering them. In the evening I bring some of my favorite bonsai into the house and put them on a table in the living room, the side desk in the kitchen and the shelf in the washroom.

I like displaying and appreciating my little trees every day. Next morning, I take back them to the shelves outdoor.

As long as you have only a bonsai and some small plants with beautiful pots, you will be able to make your own small Japanese garden.

March, 2014

March, 2015 

April, 2015

Thank you!
From the owner of YUKIMONO