It’s week 17 / 2024

This week, we immerse you in the world of Japanese craftsman Shingo Oka. In the coastal city of Karatsu, the self-described “firer of things” lives and works with kilns set among the trees on a former mandarin farm. Oka spent years studying the history of Japanese, Korean and Chinese ceramics, and draws on this expansive knowledge when creating his captivating pieces, which have an ancient quality to them, combined with a modern twist. Similarly, Shinchiro Ogata, the multitalented visionary behind the brand OGATA, deeply values the centuries-old techniques of Japan’s artisans and provides work for them in order for their skills not to be lost to time. “My vision for OGATA is to create a way of being,” he explains. Explore both these stories in our journal.