COVERCHORD EXCLUSIVE

SPRING TABLEWARE
- JAPANESE CERAMIC ARTISTS EXHIBITION at COVERCHORD

Now showing at COVERCHORD Nakameguro and Fukuoka:
Spring tableware by five distinct ceramic artists.

Saturday, April 12 – Wednesday, April 16

For this occasion, COVERCHORD asked five ceramic artists to create works based on the theme of spring.
Each artist expressed spring in their own unique way, through materials, techniques, textures, tones, shades, and forms.

These pieces are designed to complement Japanese cuisine, bringing out the beauty of seasonal ingredients.

In this feature, we present spring tableware paired with Japanese dishes.
The meals were prepared by Hibi no Ryouri, a quietly nestled restaurant in Oiso, Kanagawa.

Each dish, filled with a deep reverence for ingredients, gently harmonizes with the handmade tableware as if in celebration.
The SPRING TABLEWARE EXHIBITION will be held at both COVERCHORD Nakameguro and Fukuoka, starting Saturday, April 12.
Each dish, filled with a deep reverence for ingredients, gently harmonizes with the handmade tableware as if in celebration.

Elegant pieces that integrate naturally into daily life.
The more you use them, the more attached you become.

Little joys that quietly accompany your everyday moments.
We hope you find a beautiful encounter with your own favorite piece of spring tableware.

FUTOSHI YAMASHITA

Based in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, ceramic artist Futoshi Yamashita begins his creative process by digging clay from the surrounding mountains.
Unlike refined clay, the soil he uses is rich in character, blended with elements like lava, volcanic ash, and native plants.
Harnessing the raw beauty of Aso’s natural environment, he creates powerful, one-of-a-kind pieces that seem to carry the vitality of the land itself
 

Spring Tableware by Futoshi Yamashita
With Lightly Boiled Spring Vegetables with Dashi

Spring Tableware by Futoshi Yamashita
with Young Greens Potage and Fried Chickweed

FUTOSHI YAMASHITA
Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1973.
From 1995 to 1996, he traveled across Asia, Europe, and Japan.
Trained in Koishiwara ware from 1997 to 2001.
Founded his own kiln, Asobougama, in 2002, where he continues to create today.
Instagram_@futoshiyamashita

Artist’s Comment for the SPRING TABLEWARE EXHIBITION
These pieces were created with the hope that you’ll enjoy the rich colors of the earth―together with food.

FUTOSHI YAMASHITA

DAISUKE NAGANO

Based in Kochi Prefecture, Daisuke Nagano operates his kiln Utsuwa Batake while engaging in daily farming.
He uses natural ashes―such as pine, mandarin peel, and straw left after rice harvesting―as glaze materials.His pieces, fired in a traditional wood-fired kiln known as an anagama, embody the quiet, organic beauty of nature itself.

Spring tableware by Daisuke Nagano
with Nanohana and Clam Rice

Spring tableware by Daisuke Nagano
with Kinpira Gobo

Daisuke Nagano
Born in 1982 in Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture.
Graduated in 2004 from the Department of Ceramics, Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts.
Built an anagama kiln in Mitani Koshimizu, Kochi City, in 2006.
Opened his studio “Utsuwa Batake” in 2013.
Instagram_@utsuwaman

Artist’s Comment for the SPRING TABLEWARE EXHIBITION
Spring, with its abundance of flowers and seasonal ingredients, feels like the true beginning of the four seasons.
For many of those visiting this exhibition, I imagine this may be their first encounter with my tableware.
With that in mind, I’ve created these pieces hoping they’ll be used to serve the flavors of spring. If they can offer even a small helping hand in your cooking, I would be truly happy.
Around my studio and kiln, the seasonal relay of spring flowers and wild mountain vegetables has begun—it’s the start of something fresh.

SHIHO TAKADA

Based in Kameoka, Kyoto, ceramic artist Shiho Takada began her practice in 2008.
She specializes in sumi-kannyu―carbon crackle patterns with a distinctive surface texture―and primarily creates pieces using carbon firing techniques.
Her work is characterized by elegant, approachable forms and a translucent white-grey glaze, designed to be pieces you instinctively reach for in daily life.

Spring Tableware by Shiho Takada
with Firefly Squid and Norabō Greens in Hassaku Miso

Shiho Takada
Born in 1977 in Nara Prefecture.
Entered Kyoto Prefectural Ceramic Technical Institute in 2001.
Instagram_@takadashiho

Artist’s Comment for the SPRING TABLEWARE EXHIBITION
For this exhibition, I used two types of glaze: my signature carbon-infused glaze, and an ash glaze that blends shades of green and pale blue.
The soft tones remind me of fresh spring leaves and the sky―perfect for this season, I think.
 

In spring, butterbur buds start appearing in the garden. We turn them into tempura or mix them into miso.

Topping a bowl of white rice with butterbur miso, or piling seasonal vegetable tempura onto a large plate―
I hope people will enjoy using these pieces in their own way, as part of everyday meals.
 

SHIHO TAKADA

NORITAKA SEKIGUCHI

Based in Shiwa, Iwate Prefecture, Noritaka Sekiguchi creates simple, everyday pieces in neutral tones.

His work is characterized by gentle forms with subtle, delicate details―offering a sense of calm and quiet beauty that fits naturally into daily life.
 

Spring Tableware by Noritaka Sekiguchi
with Grilled Salmon, Potatoes, and Shiitake Mushrooms

NORITAKA SEKIGUCHI
Born in 1975 in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture.
Studied under Nakamu ra Kyuuichi in 1997.
Built an anagama kiln and began his ceramic practice in Shiwa, Iwate Prefecture, in 2005.
Instagram_@neitianhaomei6

Artist’s Comment for the SPRING TABLEWARE EXHIBITION
Tree trunks and branches, empty fields yet to be planted, stones scattered along the riverbank―
these quietly bring out the gentle colors of spring.

Someday, I hope to create tableware that does the same.
 

MASAMI KAWABATA

Based in the Arita, Karatsu, and Hasami region, Masami Kawabata primarily works with porcelain.
Taking inspiration from the quiet presence and atmosphere of antique ceramics, she expresses the subtle “fluctuations” and “in-betweenness” found in simple materials.
Her practice draws from the transitional periods in Japanese ceramic history―from Old Karatsu to Early Imari to Old Imari―focusing on the gray zones between stylistic shifts. She extracts and recombines these elements, re-editing and simplifying them into abstract forms that reflect her unique approach to porcelain.

Spring Tableware by Masami Kawabata
with Spring Vegetable Okara

Spring Tableware by Masami Kawabata
with Chicken Saute and Kōsaitai in Thickened Sauce

Masami Kawabata
Born in 1990 in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
Graduated from the Department of Crafts (Lacquer and Woodwork Course), Kanazawa College of Art in 2013.
Completed her Master’s degree at Kanazawa College of Art in 2015.
Graduated from the Kyoto Prefectural Ceramic Technical Institute in 2019.
 Currently lives in Hasami, Nagasaki Prefecture, and creates works in the Arita, Karatsu, and Hasami areas.
Instagram_@kawabata_masami

Artist’s Comment for the SPRING TABLEWARE EXHIBITION
Spring feels like the perfect season for porcelain.
I’ve prepared pieces in a range of finishes and gentle forms―from cool bluish whites to soft pink-tinged tones.
I hope these works find their way to you this spring, and into the coming summer.

Saturday, April 12 – Wednesday, April 16

Special Thanks_hibi_no_ryouri
Culinarian_Yohei Sakama, Aoi Ueda
Instagram_@oiso.hibi_no_ryouri

Photographer_Yudai Kusano

SPRING TABLEWARE
at
COVERCHORD

Exhibition Period:
Saturday, April 12 – Wednesday, April 16, 2025 11:00 – 19:00
*Items will also be available online starting the same day.

Venue: COVERCHORD Nakameguro
1-23-14 Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Instagram_@coverchord nakameguro

Venue: COVERCHORD Fukuoka
1F, 2-17-23 Kego, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Instagram_@coverchord_fukuoka

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