Kutani Artist Yukika Shibata – Giving Life to Pattern and Color

April 18, 2025

Craft & People Vol.01

The quiet strength of KASHIKO's designs—whether on a furoshiki or a notebook—owes much to the hand of one artist:
Yukika Shibata, a Kutani ware painter whose brush gives form to delicate life and emotion.

Tradition, Reimagined with Grace

Born and raised in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Shibata studied fine arts at Kinjo College and continued her training at the Ishikawa Prefectural Kutani Ware Technical Institute.
There, she apprenticed under renowned artist Yoshiaki Yamada, grounding herself in the classical techniques of Kutani painting.

Yet what distinguishes Shibata's work is how she weaves that tradition with a distinctly modern sensitivity—soft, feminine, but with quiet strength.
Her lines are precise, her colors subtle yet vivid, creating pieces that are at once rooted and alive. Her work feels traditional, yes—but never distant.

Painting with Life

There is a sense of breath in Shibata's painting, a presence that goes beyond the surface.
Her brushwork, though delicate, carries intention. Her colors shimmer softly, yet never fade into the background.

She often paints goldfish, flowers, birds, and grasses—natural motifs that might appear simple, yet through her hand, become stories.

A goldfish drifting across fabric seems to ripple not just with water, but with memory.
The flower in bloom seems to hold a quiet moment of pause, like something you once saw but can't quite place.

Shibata doesn't just paint forms.
She paints the feeling of nature—the tenderness of light, the hush of air, the unspoken moments we carry with us.
Her use of Kutani's traditional five colors (blue, yellow, red, purple, green) is always measured, always meaningful.
It's beauty not for show, but for resonance.

Her art doesn't demand attention. It lingers gently.

Meeting with KASHIKO

KASHIKO's connection with Shibata began with a small incense container discovered at a local gallery.
Though small in size, its presence was undeniable—quiet, elegant, and unforgettable.
From that first encounter, a collaboration began to take shape.

Shibata now lends her artistry to KASHIKO items: goldfish designs on furoshiki, seasonal blossoms on notebooks, gentle motifs on bookmarks and cards.
These are not mere prints, but echoes of a long craft tradition, given new form through everyday objects.

Through her work, the art of Kutani steps beyond ceramics and into the living world.
Each item carries the touch of her hand, the stillness of her vision.

Between Tradition and Everyday Life

What Yukika Shibata reminds us is that tradition is not something to be locked behind glass.
It is something to hold, to live with.

Her paintings invite us to experience craft not just with admiration, but with intimacy.
To carry a furoshiki she designed is to carry her sensitivity.
To write on a sheet of paper bearing her pattern is to let beauty settle gently into your day.

At KASHIKO, we believe in these quiet connections.
And we are honored to share the work of artists like Shibata—who continue to breathe new life into the traditions we treasure.