This Pottery Studio Makes Homeware You Can Eat

The Karatsu area, home to over 70 pottery studios, is a site of pilgrimage for Japanese craft lovers. One of the resident masters, Osamu Tsurumaru, is an artisan with a flair for innovation, distinguishing himself from the flock with his edible cups, using puffed rice instead of clay.

Pottery was introduced to the city between the 16th and 17th centuries via the local port. As well as the fruits of fishing trips, boats would back various other treasures from their explorations across Asia. This is how the first Korean and Chinese potters settled and stayed here, passing on their knowledge to locals.

Pottery from Karatsu is recognizable by the use of sober colours, from earthy terracotta to dark navy, and their patterns with clean lines depicting birds, plants and flowers in simplified form.

This rustic dimension inspired Tsurumaru’s studio to imagine an edible variant of its work. He has developed cups made from Karatsu rice crackers, available to buy from his shop for 300 yen (€2.60). The product has seen great success among consumers since its conception, they might be made of puffed rice, but you’d be hard pressed to know they were anything other than terracotta. Watch out for your teeth!