Media OutReach Newswire

Curators of Clay collaborates with Hakuei Kosato to release limited-edition Japanese Kiribako Sushi serving stoneware sets

Limited-edition sushi serving sets only available in India, Singapore and London showcases the rich cultural heritage of Japan and India

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 15 December 2020 - Curators of Clay, a pottery atelier in Pune, India, helmed by ceramicists Bhairavi Naik & Rohit Kulkarni, has collaborated with Singapore-based Japanese entrepreneur and owner of India's largest sushi chain Sushi and More, Hakuei Kosato (affectionately known as Harry-san). This collaboration resulted in a unique limited-edition collection of exquisitely handcrafted sushi serving stoneware sets.

Only one hundred pieces of these exclusive sushi serving sets will be available for sale. Each set is crafted under Harry-san's creative direction. Each box is numbered, making them collectors' items. These exquisite boxes are also carefully made, crafted using methods that are under the auspices of near-century old traditional box maker Yoshida from Yamagata Prefecture.

Each sushi serving set tells a story of fantastic craftsmanship and amalgamation of Harry-san's expertise in Japanese cuisine along with Bhairavi & Rohit-san's signature finishes that are all hand-crafted in the studio. Each individual item in this set of five is fired and glazed in a combination of the ceramicists' signature styles for this particular collection.

Careful craftsmanship for each plate crafted at Curators of Clay ensures that every single piece is emblazoned in detail--making each set a journey of restrained beauty and storytelling. For example, the chopstick holder is an ode to the silhouette of the Sahyadri range of mountains - a range in the area of India where both Bhairavi & Rohit-san grew up. Incidentally, this particular range is older than the Himalayas and one of the most unique biodiversity hotspots of the world.

The Passionate Sculptors Behind The Scenes

Bhairavi Naik & Rohit Kulkarni, the founders of Curators of Clay, describe their work as 'a pursuit of beauty, peace and happiness, with clay being their medium of choice'. Since 2014, they have worked steadily to craft world class handmade ceramics, building a loyal patronage of premier chefs & private patrons alike.

Harry-san first got to know Rohit-san in Kyoto through a common friend. Upon his visit to Curators of Clay, he was immediately drawn to the passion and craftsmanship of the team, which reminded him of the pottery ateliers back in Japan, where ceramicists toiled to bring beauty to the table by working only with their hands and souls, leaving the rest to the kilns as each unique item was fired.

The positive energy, youthful spirit, and the beautiful art objects created by the duo spurred Harry-san to ask for this unique partnership in ceramics between two countries, Japan and India.

This marked the beginning of what Curators of Clay always wanted to do - fuse their contemporary Indian upbringing with their fascination for Japanese aesthetics, employing their craft and skill to create culturally rich and functional ceramics that would be coveted as 'objects of desire'.

KIRIBAKO Boxes, the epitome of Japanese tradition

Box makers Yoshida of Yamagata Prefecture Japan are a near century-old small crafts business. Yoshida is currently helmed by third-generation current master Mr Nagayoshi Yoshida, who creates hand-made special Kiri Boxes (known as KIRIBAKO). Used for hundreds of years, each KIRIBAKO is produced from the highest-grade Paulownia wood in an elaborate process that takes days to make. In 2019, Yoshida won the coveted Undiscovered Gems of Japan Grand Prix.

Mr Yoshida hopes that the KIRIBAKO will be used by many overseas. He hopes that his specialty hand-crafted boxes will add delight to the contents of the box. In this case, the best KIRIBAKO will be housing the stoneware of the highest-grade made by Curators of Clay in India.

In a nod to history, where important things were hand-delivered to guarantee it arrives safely, each of these KIRIBAKO boxes used for these sushi serving stoneware sets will be personally hand-carried by Harry-san himself to India and beyond on the legendary Japanese airline All Nippon Airways known for its hospitality, that Harry-san loves.

About Curators of Clay

Owned and run by two potters, the duo, Bhairavi & Rohit, make beautiful functional ceramics - all with their bare hands! Curators of Clay is a pursuit of happiness, peace & beauty, with ceramics being our medium of choice.

About Hakuei Kosato (Harry-san)

Harry-san is a parallel entrepreneur, social psychologist, and sushi curator. LSE and Oxford educated, he launched Virgin and Dyson in Japan as Head of Marketing, but he started out as a qualified international tax expert. Now he wears many hats and runs projects as diverse as Sushi and More (India's first chain of sushi outlets) to Me For the World (a social impact project) in Oxford. A Guinness Book of World Records holder, awarded a Good Design Award, but can't drive a car. Still studying at the SBS Swiss Business School in Zurich for a doctorate. Loves simple food, cooking with Kikkoman soy sauce, books, and yoga. Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Lives in Mumbai & Singapore, with offices in Japan and the United Kingdom, apart from Singapore and India. Daughter Riko Fiona Kosato attends UWCSEA Dover.

Availability

With just a limited edition of 100 sets being crafted, these exclusive sets will be available through the marquee's own website alone.

750 USD / 550 GBP / 80,000 JPY / 1000 SIN$ / INR 48,500 (plus relevant taxes)

For more details please visit: http://curatorsofclayandharrysan.com

Hi-res images can be found in this link.

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