This series was inspired by the Garden of Eden, the biblical paradise of Adam and Eve. The patterns that emerge from the smooth ceramic surface are cloaked in shadows for an alluring emotional effect.

Many of the motifs seen here are reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, such as the forbidden fruit, the serpent that deceived Eve, and the fig leaf used to hide Adam and Eve’s nakedness. Perhaps you, too, will taste the sweet and seductive pleasures of the Garden of Eden.

A relief carving technique called yokoku-bori is used to render deep, three-dimensional patterns created by the accumulation of glaze. This process of carving a design is extremely delicate and requires years of experience for craftsmen to know how the glaze will pool in the carved areas.

For this series, prototypes were carved by Tetsuro Kaneko, an artisan known for his skill in crafting prototypes with detailed patterns. The firing was done by Kajiken Ceramics, an Arita-based kiln with 250 years of history.

The eden series is the result of these techniques, which have a storied history of their own.