{"title":"Akiko Nakamura 中村亜紀子","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAkiko Nakamura (中村亜紀子)\u003c\/strong\u003e is a distinguished contemporary Japanese ceramicist based in Ishikawa Prefecture, celebrated for her ability to infuse traditional Kutani-yaki techniques with a whimsical, modern design sensibility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter transitioning from a career in graphic design to establishing her studio, Nakamura Toubou, in 1992, she began crafting hand-built stoneware—often using slab-building techniques—that serves as a canvas for her charming, nature-inspired illustrations. Her work is defined by a desire to \"revive the family table,\" featuring playful motifs like camellias and insects that aim to spark conversation and warmth during daily meals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNakamura Toubou (中村陶房) is a boutique ceramic studio established in 1992 by Akiko Nakamura and her husband, Takashi, nestled at the base of the Shishiku Highlands in Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The atelier is renowned for its departure from the traditional pottery wheel, specializing instead in itazukuri (slab-building) to create unique, hand-formed shapes that serve as the perfect canvas for Akiko's narrative illustrations. Drawing deep inspiration from the surrounding Hakusan landscape, the studio produces functional stoneware that reimagines the heritage of Kutani-yaki through a modern, heartwarming lens.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"chopstick-rest-1","title":"Hina Doll Chopstick Rest Set of Two","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn 3 March, Japan celebrates Hinamatsuri, the Doll Festival, usually with a tiered display of dolls in formal court dress. This pair brings just the emperor and empress down to the table, small enough to sit beside two place settings for a festive spring meal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe empress wears layered robes of red, green and blue, with a pale yellow fan held at her chest and her long black hair tied at the back. The emperor, in a blue cap, is dressed in soft celadon painted with pine, bamboo and plum above a band of blue waves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach figure is shaped like a folded sheet of clay, its sides left open so the piece stands on its own like a small tent. Akiko Nakamura's studio, Nakamura Toubou in Hakusan, Ishikawa, works mainly by slab-building rather than on the wheel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe decoration is painted freely by hand, and the brushwork stays visible in the robes. Pine, bamboo and plum, known together as shōchikubai, are a traditional trio of good fortune in Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterial: Stoneware\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes: Set of two (emperor and empress)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtist: Akiko Nakamura\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHandcrafted\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLimited\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade in Japan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Akiko Nakamura","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52551743471892,"sku":"CE-A019-003","price":80.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0985\/2262\/8372\/files\/Product-37.jpg?v=1779859665"},{"product_id":"saucer","title":"Saucer","description":"\u003cp\u003eRed camellias, each painted in a few broad strokes with touches of gold at the centre, sit right at the edge of this small oval dish. The middle is left open and white, ready for a few sweets, a spoonful of pickles or the rings you take off at the end of the day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt comes in two patterns. One Side Floral gathers the blossoms at one end, with a single leaf on a curving stem drifting in from the other. Two Sides Floral sets a camellia at each end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatures\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe camellia is one of Akiko Nakamura's recurring motifs. She paints it in loose brushstrokes rather than fine outlines, so each flower keeps the movement of the hand, and the gold stamens catch the light against the red.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach dish is signed \"Aki\" in red on the base.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaterial: Stoneware\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePatterns: One Side Floral \/ Two Sides Floral\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArtist: Akiko Nakamura\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHandcrafted\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLimited\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade in Japan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Akiko Nakamura","offers":[{"title":"One Side Floral","offer_id":52551726956820,"sku":"CE-A019-001","price":30.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Two Sides Floral","offer_id":52551726989588,"sku":"CE-A019-002","price":30.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0985\/2262\/8372\/files\/Product-1_661d5585-d8f4-4bb7-8cc9-54c056d30b60.jpg?v=1779859935"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0985\/2262\/8372\/collections\/Product-1-2_1def19b0-1f96-4d7d-a727-1692c4c3bc62.jpg?v=1779918695","url":"https:\/\/mizuspace.com\/collections\/akiko-nakamura.oembed","provider":"Mizu Space","version":"1.0","type":"link"}