Volcano climbing incense holder

At a glance

- Mino-yaki ceramic (美濃焼), Gifu, Japan's largest ceramic region with 1,300 years of tradition
- By Wada Kazufumi, fourth-generation head of Craft Keizan; 2020 Traditional Culture Succession Merit Award recipient
- Each piece hand-finished with textured volcanic surface; no two are identical

A tiny figure clings to the rocky face of a volcano, still climbing. The incense smoke rises from the crater above. It is a small, ridiculous, completely charming thing to have on a shelf.

This incense holder is made in Mino-yaki (美濃焼) ceramic by Craft Keizan in Gifu Prefecture, under the direction of Wada Kazufumi, fourth-generation head of the kiln and recipient of the Prefectural Traditional Culture Succession Merit Award in 2020. Mino is Japan's largest ceramic-producing region with over 1,300 years of continuous craft history; the volcanic, hand-textured surface of this piece is a deliberate expression of that tradition meeting a contemporary sensibility. Each holder is hand-finished, which means the ridges, surface colour and small details vary from piece to piece. An incense bead holds the stick upright whilst ash falls into the small dish below.

The kind of object that guests pick up without asking. A serious craft studio making something that does not take itself too seriously.