Japanese Lisa cat (No. 9, Mashiko) Awasejima

``Nippon no Lisa Neko'', a stray cat who travels all over the country, has returned to her hometown of Mashiko.

The plump glaze from Mashiko, which Lisa has loved all her life, has a striped pattern that falls like the blessings of the earth.
Although it has an orthodox folk art style that has become rare in recent years, it is stylish and handsome. A stray cat walks along the border between Northern Europe and Japan. Introducing the ninth Lisa cat from Mashiko, the heart of Japanese ceramics.

The origin is Mashiko.

A total of five cats have been born to Japan's Lisa cats, starting with Mashiko and ending with Awasejima. Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture is the largest producer of "Lisa Cat" in Japan.

●Lisa and Mashiko
Lisa Larsonfirst visited Japan in the 1950s, and after meeting the ceramic artist Shoji Hamada, he developed a deep interest in Japanese ceramic culture. It is said that when he returned to Japan for the 1970 Osaka Expo, his love for Mashiko ware became even stronger. ``I want to make my own works using Mashiko ware someday.'' Her long-held dream came to fruition with the project for the ``JAPAN Series.'' Through Tomoo Hamada, the grandson of Mr. Shoji Hamada, we were introduced to Tsukamoto, a long-established pottery in Mashiko, which led to the beginning of a new type of manufacturing in Japan with Lisa.

After her encounter with Mashiko ware, Lisa's collaboration with Japan spread throughout Japan, developing into the ``JAPAN Series'' and the ``Japanese Lisa Cat'' project.

●A island of love and challenge!
Lisa's first idea was "Awasejima".
Lisa really liked the border. Both in his work and in his private life, he naturally wears a border, and Mikey also wears a border. So, naturally, the design of the border was considered from the beginning, but it was not easy to create. Mashiko glaze is soft and flows easily. If you apply stripes to a three-dimensional cat shape, the glaze will flow during firing and the stripes will collapse. As a result, this proposal was put on hold.
Years passed, and one day, an early sample of ``Awasejima'' was found at Tonkachi's office, which he had just moved into. That was the trigger, and we started reconsidering, thinking, ``It's really cute,'' and ``Lisa liked borders, right?'' The Mashiko workshop, which had produced four Lisa cats up until then, has finally completed the ``Awasejima'' cat with its neat stripes. A colorful striped pattern was created using traditional glaze.

●The name “Awasejima”
The name ``Awasejima'' is based on the meanings of ``Awase,'' which is a combination of various glazes, ``Awase,'' a combination of tradition and innovation, and ``Awase,'' which is the combination of Northern Europe and Japan.

Regarding this time's Awasejima production, we spoke to the pottery making it about its commitment and the behind-the-scenes process of production. ⁠
[Listen! 】Until the fifth Lisa cat was made with Mashiko ware⁠
https://shop.tonkachi.co.jp/blogs/reading-matter/lisaneko_reading5

Lisa's cat made in Japan

Lisa really, really loved Japanese pottery!
Lisa loved Japanese pottery so much that no matter how big, big, big, big it was, it wasn't enough. That's why the idea of having Lisa's work made in potteries across Japan was present from the very beginning when I started working with her. At first, it was a dream story that came out as a routine at the end of a conversation. As time passed, it became no longer a dream, but a plan that I absolutely wanted to realize.

Each piece is painted by a craftsman in Mashiko, so there are individual differences in the size and shape of the striped pattern. Enjoy the swaying lines as part of your child's individuality. In addition, there may be some penetration, but please enjoy it as a natural texture of pottery.

It is 13.5 cm long and 8 cm high, so it feels like this size when placed in the palm of your hand. This free-spirited cat looks like a real stray cat when placed casually on your desk or shelf.

Mashiko ware andLisa Larson

In the first place, this project would not have been born without my encounter with Mashiko ware. One day in the 1950s, Lisa visited Japan and met Shoji Hamada, a living national treasure who popularized Mashiko ware, and learned about Japanese pottery. Since then, Lisa has maintained a strong interest in Japanese culture, and we have been working on various products in Mashiko since our early days.

In addition to the already standard Mashiko-style flat plates and teacups, ``Nippon no Hedgehog'' is a blend of Mashiko and Swedish styles. ”, “JapaneseLisa LarsonWe have created this together. Because of this connection, we decided to ask for the most important top runners and the second three cats for ``Nippon no Lisa Cat''.

We are introducing Mashiko ware items on the Mashiko ware special site ``Mashiko ware that Lisa fell in love with''.

Mashiko ware

Pottery produced around Mashiko-cho, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture. Mashiko is said to be a mecca for modern ceramic art. In 1924, Shoji Hamada settled here and built a pottery kiln, which attracted attention not only in Japan but also in the world of pottery. The glaze is made from stone powder or old iron powder, and the coloring is done using dog hair brushes, giving it a distinctive deep color and smooth texture.

Japanese Lisa cat lineup

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Japanese Lisa cat (No. 9, Mashiko) Awasejima

The origin is Mashiko.

Lisa's cat made in Japan

Mashiko ware andLisa Larson

Mashiko ware

Japanese Lisa cat lineup

Lisa Cat from Japan: Mashiko Ware Edition - Behind the scenes of production