In this second entry about artisans in Aso, we will talk about Workshop Hana or Kōbō Hana 工房花 in Japanese. This workshop is situated in Otohime area (Aso city), an area well known for its pension style accommodations very popular with tourists.
I had the chance to meet Madame Takamura and to interview her while visiting her workshop. It’s been more than 40 years now that she is making pottery which is quite impressive. She draws herself all the drawing you can see on the pictures. And of course, every piece of pottery is also handmade.
Her main inspiration is Aso and its vast and beautiful nature. This is also the place where she is born and where she still lives. The memory of a flower, an artistic reinterpretation of one of her childhood stories, she uses various themes, all close to her heart. I was really impressed to see how fast and well she can draw as you can see yourself on the video below.
Madame Takamura, in addition to original pieces, can also take special orders. You can ask her for the kind of pottery and illustration you like. As for a lot of people across the globe Madame Takamura also suffered from the Covid19 pandemic situation because for example some places where she uses to expose her creations were closed for a long time.
Workshop Hana is also part of Zen, a brand promoted by Aso city for regional promotion and tourism puposes. Many artisans, farmers and restaurants owner are part of this brand. You can find a webpage dedicated to Workshop Hana via this link (only in Japanese) and a map in English via this one.
Franck.
