• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Bonsai Tonight

An educational website about bonsai development

  • Blog
    • How-to Guides
  • Podcast
  • Shop
    • Bonsai
    • Books
    • Soil
    • Soil (wholesale)
    • Supplies
    • Tools
    • Video Consulting
    • Northern California Bonsai Resources
  • About
    • Workshops

Kawauso Pottery – the bonsai pots of Roy Minarai

November 11, 2016 by Jonas Dupuich

One of the highlights of attending regional bonsai events is the opportunity to meet and get to know artists from around the world. Back in September, I was looking forward to meeting Roy Minarai of Kawauso Pottery at the US National Bonsai Exhibition. I’d seen photos of his work online and was curious to see his pots in person.

Kawauso Pottery by Roy Minarai

Blue glazed rectangle with soft corners and pronounced lip

As luck would have it, I met Roy before the event began and was able to learn a bit about his relationship with pottery.

Roy began growing bonsai in 2013 and started making containers a year later in 2014. Pot making quickly became Roy’s favorite bonsai-related activity, and by fall of 2016, Roy had a table full of his work available at the National. (See Ryan Bell’s “21 Questions for the Talented Roy Minarai” for more about Roy and photos of his work.)

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot

Roy’s chop, the eponymous kawauso (river otter)

When the exhibit opened, I got to see and handle the pots. The shapes and sizes struck me as very usable for bonsai. The clay bodies were well-constructed. The blue glazes were beautiful. I quickly set a couple of pots aside and left Roy to deal with the crowd that had formed.

I stopped by Roy’s table several times throughout the weekend, each time setting aside a pot or two until I had a small box of them. When I got home from New York, I unwrapped the pots and took some time to inspect them closely. I was happy with what I saw.

kawauso pottery bonsai pot with tomogire

Glazed oval shown with tomogire, the stamped cloth that comes with every Kawauso pot

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot-4

Glazed round pot with three feet

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot-5

Glazed oval – note the great yellowing near the lip

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot-7

Glazed rectangle with round edges

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot-6

Glazed round pot with three feet

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot-8

Glazed rectangle with flared sides and pronounced lip

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot-9

Same pot from the front left corner – note the variation in drips on each side

One of my favorite pieces is a container designed as a pot for companion plants. The points are sharp and delicate. The glaze, dramatic, flowing blues. Best of all, the feet are drips of glaze.

kawauso bonsai pot by Roy Minarai

Kawauso accent pot – one of my favorites

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot-12

Accent pot

roy-minarai-bonsai-pot-11

Glaze feet

For more of Roy’s work, check the latest on the Kawauso Pottery Facebook page.

✕

Subscribe to Bonsai Tonight

New Posts Delivered Every Tuesday and Friday

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Filed Under: Display Tagged With: Pots

Previous Post: « Identifying slipcast bonsai pots
Next Post: Earthwares – the bonsai pots of Vicki Chamberlain »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ryan Bell says

    November 11, 2016 at 10:25 am

    Great write up Jonas! For more images, and an interview with Roy, check out
    https://japanesebonsaipots.net/2015/08/15/21-questions-for-kawauso-pottery-and-the-talented-roy-minarai/

  2. Bruce Winter says

    November 11, 2016 at 12:53 pm

    A quickly rising star in the world of pots. He’s found his metier thats for sure.

Footer

Follow Bonsai Tonight

Subscribe

Instagram ● Facebook ● Twitter
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • About

P.O. Box 6560, Alameda, CA 94501 · 510-915-2025 · jonas (at) bonsaitonight (dot) com

© Copyright 2009-2023 Bonsai Tonight · All rights reserved · Privacy · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can opt-out if you wish. Accept Decline Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT