About half the catalogue is ceramic, and all of it comes from small studios and kilns in Japan. The sourcing process is slower than buying from a distributor, but it is the only way to know what you are actually selling. Here is how it works in practice.
Finding the kilns ¶
Most of the kilns we work with were found through the craft fair circuit. Toji Temple in Kyoto, the Tokoname Pottery Festival in Aichi, and a few smaller events in Shiga Prefecture. Haruki Nishimura has been attending these events since before Oak Vault Line existed, first as a department store buyer and then on his own account. A few kilns have been introduced through other makers we already work with. We have never found a kiln worth working with through a trade catalogue.
The testing process ¶
Before anything goes on the site, we use it. Plates go through at least four weeks of daily meals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dishwasher cycles, stacking, the full routine. Bowls get used for rice, soup, and noodles. We note how the glaze holds up, whether the foot ring scratches the shelf, whether the weight feels right after a week of picking it up twice a day. Items that pass this test go on the site. Items that do not are returned with notes. Some kilns have revised their pieces based on our feedback and resubmitted.
Pricing and minimum orders ¶
Small kilns do not work on the same pricing structure as manufacturers. There are no volume discounts in the conventional sense, and minimum orders are often set by the kiln's production schedule rather than by quantity. We pay the kiln's asking price and price accordingly on the site. This is why our ceramic pieces cost more than comparable items from a distributor. The Shigaraki stoneware plates at ¥3,200 each reflect what the studio charges for their work, not a margin calculation on top of a wholesale price.
What we do not stock ¶
We do not stock ceramics made outside Japan, regardless of quality. This is not a political position. It is a practical one. We can visit the kilns we work with, we can see the production process, and we can have a direct conversation about quality issues. We cannot do that with a studio in another country. We also do not stock ceramics from studios that produce at a scale where individual pieces are not reviewed before shipping. If a kiln is producing ten thousand pieces a month, the quality control is different from a studio producing two hundred.
The current ceramic range is listed in the full catalogue. If you are a maker or a kiln interested in working with us, the best approach is to send a message through the contact page with a few photographs and a brief description of your process.