February 28, 2026

The first Japanese porcelain was made in Arita, Saga Prefecture. In the late 16th century, the potter Kanagae Sanbe'e (Yi Sam-pyeong), brought from Korea by Nabeshima Naoshige, discovered porcelain stone in Izumiyama.

[Arita: The Birthplace of Japanese Porcelain]

“Yakimono” is a general term for items made by kneading clay, shaping it, and firing it. These include tableware, sanitary ware like washbasins, artificial teeth, and building materials such as roof tiles. “Yakimono” is everywhere in our lives. They are classified into four groups based on soil type, firing temperature, and density: earthenware, pottery, stoneware, and porcelain.

Earthenware is fired at 700–800°C without glaze. Pottery, like Matsuyama Tokojo's Iga ware, is fired at 800–1200°C and is porous. Stoneware, such as Tokoname ware or Ichiyougama's Bizen ware, is fired at 1200–1300°C and is non-porous. Porcelain, like Arita and Hasami ware, is fired at 1300°C using silica-rich clay and glaze, resulting in a white, glass-like finish that rings like metal when tapped.

The first Japanese porcelain was made in Arita, Saga Prefecture. In the late 16th century, the potter Kanagae Sanbe'e (Yi Sam-pyeong), brought from Korea by Nabeshima Naoshige, discovered porcelain stone in Izumiyama. Originally called “Imari ware” because it was shipped from Imari Port, Arita porcelain flourished under the protection of the Saga Clan. By the late 17th century, the “Kakiemon style” for European royalty and the “Nabeshima style” for the Shogun were perfected. Exported by the Dutch East India Company, Arita ware became a status symbol for European nobility and influenced Western porcelain production.

In the “Arita Uchiyama Traditional Buildings Preservation District,” you can feel this 400-year history. Historic buildings like Fukagawa Seiji's flagship store and the Old Tashiro Family Western-style House line the streets. Visiting the Sueyama Shrine, which features a porcelain torii gate, or the Kyushu Ceramic Museum, offers deep insight. Like food, knowing the birthplace of a craft makes you cherish it more. We hope you visit Arita, the cradle of Japanese porcelain.

HASAMI
https://www.shokunin.com/en/hasami/blockmug.html
Susumuya
https://www.shokunin.com/en/susumuya/yunomi.html
HARIO
https://www.shokunin.com/en/hario/
qusavi
https://www.shokunin.com/en/qusavi/hata.html
Arita Uchiyama Preservation District
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UayQUJRCNCgYzs9J7
Sueyama Shrine
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Xqjb2bAHy4jwCCVn9
Kyushu Ceramic Museum
https://maps.app.goo.gl/oggit48ioinY2doZ8

References
https://saga-museum.jp/ceramic/exhibition/permanent/20224.html
https://www.arita.jp/aritaware/
https://www.moco.or.jp/intro/guidance/
https://saga-museum.jp/ceramic/yakimono/qa/05.html
https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/2542/

February 28, 2026

[About Oden] I would like to say “Standard winter oden,” but the lifespan of oden has been extending year by year, and it can now be enjoyed for quite a long period at convenience stores.

[About Oden]

I would like to say “Standard winter oden,” but the lifespan of oden has been extending year by year, and it can now be enjoyed for quite a long period at convenience stores. The peak sales period is not mid-winter, but rather October to November, when it starts getting cold. Perhaps younger people do not have the image of oden as a home-cooked hot pot or a winter food. At the convenience store entrance visible from our showroom, the word “Oden” is prominently displayed, and I sometimes wonder if visitors from overseas are also eating Japanese oden.

There are unique yet similar dishes, mainly in Asian countries like South Korea and Taiwan, which have had cultural exchanges with Japan. In South Korea, what is called “eomuk,” which often appears in dramas, is a standard street food made of thin, flat fish cakes skewered on sticks. They are simmered in a light broth made of dried sardines or kelp, and there is even a spicy version called “maeun oden” seasoned with chili peppers. In Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, it is known as “yong tau foo,” a healthy local food where tofu or vegetables stuffed with fish paste are blanched and served with soup or sauce. In Japan, you can enjoy differences in ingredients and seasoning depending on the region. There is a variety of seasonings, such as “gyu-suji” in the light-flavored oden of Kansai, “miso oden” in Nagoya, and “kuro oden” in Kyushu using sweet soy sauce. And I recently learned for the first time that “chikuwabu” is overwhelmingly popular in Kanto but hardly eaten in Western Japan.

In Nihonbashi, quite close to our showroom, there is a long-established oden ingredient shop called Kanmon's Kanmo that I highly recommend. They are particularly particular about their “hanpen,” using a golden ratio blend of fresh, non-frozen blue shark and blue whaler shark, which craftsmen knead for 45 minutes in a stone mill and shape by hand using wooden molds. It is characterized by its fluffy texture and rich umami. It is excellent in oden, of course, but also delicious on its own with wasabi soy sauce. Besides hanpen, I also recommend “Takozou,” where you can see cute octopus legs, and the large “Ebi-shinjo.” By adding a few luxurious oden ingredients from Kanmon's Kanmo to your usual affordable ones, you can enjoy a feast of oden with more elegance and volume than usual.

At home, I regularly use Ceramic Japan's “do-nabe.” With its clean design and sense of stability, it can be stored stacked, making it very easy to take in and out, so I use it very frequently. I like the recessed design without protruding handles and the size, which is not too deep, making it easy to wash in the sink. For our family, oden is the perfect hot pot dish because you can eat it whenever you want without waiting for everyone to come home! This winter, the sight of the do-nabe on the gas stove is becoming a permanent fixture.

Ceramic Japan's do-nabe L
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ceramicjapan/donabe.html
Showroom Information
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/
Kanmon's Kanmo
https://www.hanpen.co.jp/

References
https://tokyu-furusato.jp/m/blog/staff/selections-oden/
https://odendane.com/oden-world-naming/
https://www.hanpen.co.jp/user_data/about/

February 25, 2026

[About Kanpyo] Do you like “kanpyo-maki,” the kanpyo seaweed rolls found in sushi? For me, it is a food that feels like a slightly sweet snack and reminds me of my grandmother's favorite treat.

[About Kanpyo]

Do you like “kanpyo-maki,” the kanpyo seaweed rolls found in sushi? For me, it is a food that feels like a slightly sweet snack and reminds me of my grandmother's favorite treat. Among the thin rolls that can be eaten as a light snack, there are also “kappa-maki” (cucumber) and “takuan-maki” (pickled radish). I like them very much because they are refreshing and perfect as a palate cleanser. While kanpyo rolls are a staple in the Kanto region, I hear they are not as familiar in Kansai, Kyushu, or Shikoku. For those who have not tried them yet, they are a classic example of Edomae sushi that I would definitely like you to taste at least once.

Kanpyo (dried gourd shavings) is not only an essential ingredient for “futo-maki” (thick rolls) and “chirashi-zushi,” but also for “eho-maki” (fortune rolls). The kanpyo in eho-maki carries the meaning of “longevity” because it is thin and long. Although it is thin and flexible, it does not easily break even when simmered, making it useful as an edible “string.” It plays a key supporting role in the kitchen, used for tying “konbu-maki” (kelp rolls), “age-kinchaku” (fried tofu pouches), and cabbage rolls.

In the world of Edomae sushi during the Edo period, “norimaki” referred specifically to kanpyo rolls. It was the stylish “Edokko” (Edoite) way to eat rolls as a finisher after the nigiri sushi. The name “Sukeroku-zushi,” which combines inari sushi and kanpyo rolls, hides a witty play on words. It was born from an Edo-style pun, combining “age” (fried tofu) and “maki” (seaweed roll) by associating them with the names of the protagonist Sukeroku and his lover, the oiran Agemaki, from the Kabuki play “Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Sakura.” It is said to have gained popularity as a bento during Kabuki intermissions.

In the past, kanpyo was also used as food for training in temples and as an ingredient for dashi in the vegetarian cuisine (shojin ryori) of court nobles and samurai families. In “Ryori Monogatari” (1643), an early Edo period cookbook that concisely summarizes materials and cooking methods of daily dishes collected through word of mouth, it is recorded that “kanpyo, kelp, dried knotweed, glutinous rice, dried turnip, and dried radish are a good combination,” showing that umami was extracted from kanpyo.

The raw material for kanpyo is a plant called “yugao” (bottle gourd). It was named so because it blooms white flowers similar to morning glories in the evening and withers the following morning. In “The Tale of Genji,” a woman called “Yugao no Kimi” appears. The waka poem she composed for Hikaru Genji, “I gaze at the flower, wondering if it might be you—the yugao, glowing with the light of the white dew,” is derived from this flower.

Yugao is a member of the cucurbit family, like cucumbers and bitter gourds. The raw material for kanpyo is the fruit of the “maru-yugao,” a giant circular vegetable that grows to about 30 cm in diameter and weighs 10 to 20 kg or more, larger and heavier than a large watermelon. Kanpyo is made by shaving this giant fruit into thin, long strips, like peeling a daikon radish (katsuramuki), and then drying them. There are theories of its introduction from China and legends of Empress Jingu; it spread to Tochigi via Omi during the Edo period. Today, it is a specialty of Tochigi Prefecture, which accounts for over 90% of domestic production.

The charm of kanpyo lies in its simple taste, light texture, and a personality that does not overstate itself. From Edomae sushi to home-style simmered dishes, it is an essential supporting ingredient that has been passed down through the ages.

Kiya's Sushimaki
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/sushimaki.html

References
https://colbase.nich.go.jp/collection_items/tnm/A-10569-7130
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/干瓢巻き
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/かんぴょう
https://www.kanpyo.jp/basic/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/料理物語
https://www.kabuki-za.co.jp/syoku/2/no228.html
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ユウガオ
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/夕顔_(源氏物語)
https://www.motoji.co.jp/blogs/reading/genji2024_08
https://www.goodcross.com/words/20220-2019
https://urahyoji.com/crops-kanpyo-d/

Shokunin.com Blog

February 2026

The first Japanese porcelain was made in Arita, Saga Prefecture. In the late 16th century, the potter Kanagae Sanbe'e (Yi Sam-pyeong), brought from Korea by Nabeshima Naoshige, discovered porcelain stone in Izumiyama.

[About Oden] I would like to say “Standard winter oden,” but the lifespan of oden has been extending year by year, and it can now be enjoyed for quite a long period at convenience stores.

[About Kanpyo] Do you like “kanpyo-maki,” the kanpyo seaweed rolls found in sushi? For me, it is a food that feels like a slightly sweet snack and reminds me of my grandmother's favorite treat.