RESOBOX Produces New York Debut for Kiyomizu-Yaki Artisan Atsushi Yamakawa
RESOBOX produced the New York debut of Atsushi Yamakawa, a traditional craftsman from Iwao Kiln / Yamakawa Pottery, a Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki studio in Kyoto.
A Kyoto Craft Tradition Enters a New York Context
The featured work was a yunomi tea cup with a plum blossom motif, created for Icca, a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant in New York. Through this project, Yamakawa's ceramics were introduced not simply as tableware, but as objects carrying Kyoto craftsmanship, symbolism, and hospitality.
The design expresses the idea that every person carries a different life story, represented through variations in red and white plum blossoms. By leaving some of the imagery as white silhouettes, the work invites each viewer to imagine their own color and future within the piece.
Supporting Japanese Craft in the U.S. Market
RESOBOX's role was to help connect the artisan's work with a New York setting where its story, function, and beauty could be understood. This kind of project reflects the company's market-entry approach: not only introducing products, but finding the right context for them to be appreciated.
RESOBOX and Yamakawa are continuing to explore additional possibilities for Japanese craft in New York, including settings beyond the traditional categories where Japanese ceramics are usually seen.
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