This tableware is drawn in a traditional Arita porcelain style but takes its inspiration from an unexpected source: the patterns found in kaolin rocks from Amakusa Island, Japan.

This tableware is drawn in a traditional Arita porcelain style but takes its inspiration from an unexpected source: the patterns found in kaolin rocks from Amakusa Island, Japan. Since the closure of the Izumiyama quarry, Arita porcelain makers have relied on this new clay source. Unlike the highly prized Izumiyama kaolin, Amakusa kaolin is considered of lesser quality, but its natural formations display intricate, mysterious patterns that even geologists cannot fully explain yet.

By translating these geological designs onto the plates, the designer rediscovers and celebrates the hidden beauty of the material. The works reimagine imperfections as opportunities, turning what signals lesser quality into stunning surface patterns that merge tradition, observation, and the surprising artistry of nature itself.

Materials: Amaksa porcelain, traditional Gosu paint

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The project is made possible by the Creative Industries of The Netherlands (Stimulering Fonds)

And in collaboration with the  Riso Gama Company