Volcanic earthenware

Futoshi Yamashita is unique in the world of Japanese pottery. Located in the Aso area—where our tea is grown—he uses actual volcanic ash from Mt. Aso in his pieces.


He named his studio Aso Bougama, with the Bou from Bouchuu—the district in Aso where he's situated—and "gama" being the voiced-consonant version of kama, meaning "kiln."


Update: I forgot to mention another clever aspect of the potter's name: Together, Aso and Bou form asobou, which means "let's play."



The same volcano-enriched soil that makes for such exquisite tea also makes for exquisite works of art. But then, tea is a work of art, so it makes sense, no?


—Mellow Monk

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