Pottery Studio Spotlight ④ Joshua Kobo
I'm Semba, representative of Atom!
This time, I'd like to introduce 'Joshua Kobo' ☺️✨
Joshua Kobo was founded by his father, Keisen Gama, and in 2001, Tatsuhito Takenishi, the current representative, took over Joshua Kobo ☺️
Joshua Blue, created over 10 years, is inspired by the blue gradation of the deep sea. It is not painted with a brush but rather with a spray gun using a spray-dyeing technique ✨
When I spoke to him previously, he mentioned that it was created after countless trials and errors, meticulously refining the spray structure, pressure, and number of applications, to the point where his hands developed tenosynovitis 😭👏
Mr. Takenishi continues to embrace new challenges daily while preserving the tradition of Tobe ware ✨
Joshua Kobo is divided into two series: the Joshua Blue series, which brings warmth and color to everyday life, and the Joshua Blue Premium series, a higher-grade series that makes everyday life more special 😳
There are also various patterns, including
Aoumi (blue sea), Nagi (calm), Mizune (sound of water), Nami (wave), and Shinkai (deep sea) 🖌️
My personal favorite pattern is Shinkai (deep sea) 💙
Since the inside is a deep Joshua Blue, when you pour water into it, it sparkles as if reflecting the sea 🤩 I even find myself mesmerized when washing it 😳✨
Joshua Kobo has many collaborative works, but here are just a few examples 👏
First, as everyone knows, Starbucks ☕️!!!
To coincide with the 5th anniversary of the opening of Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo (Nakameguro), they joined "JIMOTO Made+" 👏👏👏
This is a single flower vase from the "Suiroku" brand, a collaboration between Mr. Takenishi and Mr. Masato Ikeda of Ryusen Gama, which I introduced on the Washo Gama blog 🌷
I took a picture of my niece arranging flowers she made from origami 📸💐♡
Additionally, I often see Joshua's works in various places, including famous hotels, ryokans, and French restaurants ☺️ It makes me very happy when I see them in Tokyo too 👏
That concludes my introduction to Joshua Kobo 👏👏
Joshua Kobo has a workshop and gallery in Tobe Town, Ehime, so please do visit if you come to Ehime 🤍
I definitely want to go again when I return to Ehime, and when I do, I'll post about it on the blog 🍊
