Troy Yoshimoto - Moving Water Chawans

We're thrilled to be stocking Troy Yoshimoto's chawan series, Moving Water, at the shop as a nod to his childhood memories of sharing meals with his grandparents. The mesmerizing waves of slip embody the movement of the pacific ocean, a meditation on his time returning to Hawaii and his journey in deepening his roots, familial traditions, and understanding his ancestral pathways. 

"This series, “Moving Water,” was developed last year while I was living in Hawaii and learning how to surf. I’ve always loved the sight of moving water, and I can recall the fascination from when I was a kid playing in Liliokalani Park in Hilo. Fly fishing on the East Coast furthered that fascination, staring, gazing, and reading water conditions. It’s a fascination I’ve always tried to capture. I was really drawn to the depth and intricacies of glazed relief ceramics, especially Wing on Wo’s Cabbage Bowls and the amazing work of Tiffany Saw. I wanted these pieces to be a balance between random yet somewhat controllable waves of slip. While on the wheel, I can manipulate the slip waves with my fingers as the vessel turns, much like the feeling of making a sharp turn into the face of the wave and running your fingers through it.

For this iteration, I wanted to expand Moving Water into chawan. Growing up 5th generation Japanese American, I remember setting chawans out for special meals, like when my grandparents would visit from Hawaii. We would have meals like shabu shabu or batayaki and use a dedicated rice bowl. I remember how special it made the meal feel and how delicious it made rice taste when combined with fresh-out-of-dashi meats and vegetables. 

I'm honored that these series will be housed at Wing on Wo, a place I’ve always felt both at home and inspired by. Knowing our ancestors were here around the same time over a hundred years ago, makes me think about all the traditions that must have faded away, yet we still have things that have pushed through, for me, the chawan."