La Ronde d’Argile
Beautiful vessels and household goods bring happiness into every day dining and a moment of ordinary life. La Ronde d’ Argile in Kagurazaka is a gallery shop handling hand craft works by Japanese artists. There are about fifty artists’ works from various genres, and this shop handles not only ceramic and glass materials, but also Japanese lacquer, wooden and metal works.
First floor is a gallery space filled with natural light through the big window. Exhibitions are held in the space featuring an artist once or twice in a month. Underground floor is for regular exhibition. There is a stained-glass lampshade by Kae Murase throwing gentle lighting in the dim room.
The owner, Michiyo Hiramori, selects the items that are for daily use, less elaborate, and suit to the household goods she uses at home. Mixing tastes like western and Japanese, materials like metal and glass is the La Ronde d’ Argile’s style of coordinates. A glass vessel is displayed as Japanese tea ware with chasen (split bamboo tea whisk, used to whip the powdered tea in water). And a chabako (tea box) is in the coordinates. You may want to take in the style of decoration from unique and free imagination, to your coordinates.
Recently, gorgeously painted plates are getting popular among tourists from overseas and young people. Ms. Hiramori says, “For example, carp running up waterfall is a symbol of advancement in life. And spider and chestnut motifs are often used because of their good superstitious meaning.” Chestnut has a meaning of “relief from agony.” She will explain to you those contexts of Japanese motifs.
Handcrafts by artists will fit comfortably in your hands and get tasteful by using them for long time. Every item is one-of-a-kind. So, their different features make them attractive. Please come and find your favorite.
May 2018 Text: Ryoko Kuraishi Photo: Yasuo Yamaguchi