Our Story

Arakawa Pottery grew from an unexpected change in life into a working studio built around clay, community, and everyday use. This is the story of Thomas Arakawa and Kathy Lee-Arakawa—how they learned, adapted, and gradually built a life around making pottery.

2008

A year of loss and a new beginning.
After losing his father in Japan early in the year, Thomas began a new professional chapter in California, joining Ernst & Young. At the time, pottery had not yet entered his life.

January — Loss of His Father

Thomas’s father passed away in Japan on January 10. It was a major personal loss at the beginning of a year that would soon bring significant change.

August — Joining Ernst & Young

Thomas joined Ernst & Young in August, working in Assurance and Advisory Business Services. He was hired by senior manager Yuichi Sakashita—a relationship that would unexpectedly become important again years later when Arakawa Pottery became a formal business.

2009

Clay enters the story.
While working at Ernst & Young, Thomas began taking regular pottery classes at Blossom Hill Crafts. Only six months later, his corporate career suddenly ended—leaving pottery already present in his life at exactly the moment everything changed.

June — First Pottery Class

On June 18, Thomas contacted Blossom Hill Crafts about taking pottery classes. He signed up for the regular class and began working with clay for the first time while still employed at Ernst & Young.
 

December — Pottery Becomes Daily Life
After leaving Ernst & Young, Thomas began going to the pottery studio Monday through Friday. What had started as a weekly class only six months earlier quickly became the center of his daily routine.

 

2010

From Student to Working Potter

Pottery quickly became more than a daily practice. Thomas received his first commercial orders, began teaching, entered his first pottery sale, and started learning not only how to make pots, but how to build a life around making them.

May — First Commercial Customer
Misuzu and Hiroshi Hayama of Utsuwa Floral Design approached Thomas while he had been making pottery for less than a year. Utsuwa became his first commercial customer, beginning with custom vessels for their San Francisco shop. Thomas later said that the Hayamas had “raised” him as a young potter. Over the next ten years, making planters became his bread and butter.

Around the same time, Joanne Brice, owner of Blossom Hill Crafts, became Thomas’s mentor. She had been working in the pottery business since 1970 and shared decades of practical knowledge and experience with him.
 

July — Teaching at Blossom Hill Crafts
Thomas began teaching and assisting at Blossom Hill Crafts, moving quickly from student into an active role within the studio community.

He took on a wide range of responsibilities, including covering students’ pots, mixing glazes, and loading and unloading kilns. Through this work, he learned the ins and outs of large-scale studio production. At the time, Blossom Hill Crafts served approximately 180 to 200 students.

 

September — First Pottery Sale
Thomas entered his first pottery sale at Blossom Hill Crafts. He sold only about $200 worth of pottery and went home disappointed. That night, he created his first production and marketing plan for the three months leading to the next sale. The plan worked: revenue at the following show increased by roughly 400%.

 

December — First Wood Firing and Lasting Connections

Thomas joined his first wood firing at Spring Valley, where pottery began connecting him with people who would remain part of his life for years. Matt and Isa Hoogland of Clay Planet, still Arakawa Pottery’s supplier today, introduced him to wood-fire master Phil Park. Phil would later become the landlord of Arakawa Pottery’s current studio.

2011

Building a Life Around Pottery

Thomas continued teaching, making, and developing the commercial relationships that had begun the year before. The year was also deeply affected by the earthquake in Japan, while a new San Francisco connection would begin expanding Arakawa Pottery’s retail presence.

March — Earthquake in Japan
The Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11. With Thomas’s family in his hometown of Sendai, the disaster was deeply personal. Thankfully, his family was safe. 

Throughout the Year — Pottery Becomes the Work

Thomas continued making pottery full time and teaching at Blossom Hill Crafts while his relationship with Utsuwa Floral Design continued to grow. What had begun with a small custom order in 2010 was developing into regular production work.

December — A New Relationship with Succulence
 Thomas was introduced to Succulence, a San Francisco plant and garden shop. On December 14, he learned that someone from the business wanted to meet about his pottery, and he arranged to visit the following day. The relationship would develop into another long-running retail partnership.

2012

Stepping Into a Wider World

Thomas’s pottery began reaching a broader audience through festivals, galleries, retail spaces, and featured exhibitions. He also deepened his technical experience through a full wood-firing cycle with Hiroshi Ogawa.

 

April — First Cherry Blossom Festival

Thomas participated in the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco Japantown, bringing Arakawa Pottery into one of the Bay Area’s major Japanese cultural events.


April — Meeting Fusako Hoyrup Sensei

At the 2012 Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, Thomas was introduced to Fusako “Seiga” Hoyrup Sensei of Wafu Ikebana through Dorothy Chu and Mayshine Hwang. The meeting marked an important turning point, deepening his understanding of how pottery supports floral arrangements and beginning a lasting relationship with Fusako Sensei and the Wafu Ikebana community.

April — Low Tide Club, Sausalito

Arakawa Pottery was featured at Low Tide Club in Sausalito, giving Thomas’s work another early retail presence outside the studio and introducing his pottery to a wider Bay Area audience.

June — Full Hikari-gama Wood Firing

Thomas joined Hiroshi Ogawa’s Hikari-gama firing as a full participant, taking part from loading through firing, unloading, and cleanup. It was a much deeper wood-firing experience than simply contributing pots.

 

June / July — Joining Gallery House

Thomas was accepted as a member of Gallery House in Palo Alto after a jury process in June. His work was installed later that month, and his membership officially began in July. This gave him an ongoing gallery presence rather than only temporary shows.

 

November — HARMONY: 生命と器

Thomas and Utsuwa Floral Design presented HARMONY: 生命と器, with a reception on November 9 followed by the exhibition November 10–11. 

 

 

November — Continuing Wood Firing at Spring Valley

Wood firing had already become an ongoing part of Thomas’s pottery life rather than a one-time experiment.
 

Throughout the Year — Joanne Brice’s Kiln Challenge

Joanne Brice set Thomas an ambitious goal: to make enough pots to fill Blossom Hill Crafts’ 40-cubic-foot kiln entirely by himself. Meeting that challenge required sustained production, careful planning, and consistency on a scale he had never attempted before.

2013

New Relationships, New Directions

Thomas’s pottery world expanded in several directions at once. Ikebana began influencing the forms he made, Kathy entered his life and soon began helping at events, his work reached an international exhibition, and after several attempts he was accepted into ACGA.

 

Spring — Deepening His Understanding of Ikebana

Through Jane Naito and Ikebana International, Thomas developed a deeper understanding of ikebana and began thinking specifically about vessels made for flower arrangement. Jane walked him through an Ikebana International exhibition, inspiring him to begin making ikebana containers.

March — Meeting Kathy

Thomas met Kathy Lee in March. She soon began helping him at pottery shows and events, beginning a partnership that would gradually become inseparable from Arakawa Pottery.

July — Seasons at Gallery House

Thomas presented “Seasons,” a featured exhibition at Gallery House in Palo Alto, running from July 2 through July 27.

 

July — Kohshi

Kohshi, a Japanese incense shop in San Francisco Japantown, approached Thomas about carrying his pottery. The relationship expanded Arakawa Pottery’s early retail presence into Japanese tea and incense culture.

 

October — International Chawan Expo, Taiwan

Thomas’s tea bowls were included in the 12th International Chawan Expo in Taiwan, October 5–20. It was Arakawa Pottery’s first international exhibition and the beginning of several consecutive years of participation in the Chawan Expo.

 

November — Accepted into ACGA

After three attempts over roughly a year, Thomas was accepted as an Exhibiting Member of the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California (ACGA). 

2014

Growing Together and Reaching Further

Thomas continued expanding beyond local studio sales into larger exhibitions and juried craft events. Kathy began making pottery herself, turning what had started as helping at shows into a growing creative partnership. Arakawa Pottery also returned to the International Chawan Expo, this time in Singapore.

April — From the Earth into the Sky

Thomas presented “From the Earth into the Sky” with Maura Carta at Gallery House in Palo Alto. 

2014 — Kathy Begins Making Pottery

After helping Thomas at shows beginning the previous year, Kathy started making pottery herself in 2014. Her involvement with Arakawa Pottery was beginning to shift from supporting the business to becoming a maker alongside Thomas.


July — First Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival

Thomas participated in the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival for the first time, exhibiting as an ACGA member.

2014 — International Chawan Expo, Singapore

Following the previous year’s exhibition in Taiwan, Thomas’s tea bowls were selected for the International Chawan Expo in Singapore. 

 

2015

Building a Life Around Pottery

Arakawa Pottery continued expanding into restaurant work and international exhibitions, while Thomas and Kathy began building a more permanent studio life together. They married in July, developed a new studio and kiln, and welcomed Tofu into the family at the end of the year.

 

March / April — Custom Ramen Bowls for Kirimachi

Thomas developed custom white Shino ramen bowls for Kirimachi Ramen in San Francisco. The project became an early example of Arakawa Pottery creating functional tableware specifically for a restaurant.

June / August — Building a New Studio

Thomas began building a kiln in June and continued developing a new studio at Wellington Square in San Jose. By August, the new studio was becoming a dedicated place for Arakawa Pottery production.

 

July — Thomas and Kathy Marry

On July 28, Thomas and Kathy were married. What had begun with Kathy helping at shows and then making pottery herself became a partnership in life as well as pottery.

 

2015 — International Chawan Expo, Belgium

Thomas’s tea bowls were selected for the International Chawan Expo in Belgium, following earlier exhibitions in Taiwan and Singapore and continuing Arakawa Pottery’s growing international presence.

December — Tofu Joins the Family

At Christmas, Thomas and Kathy welcomed Tofu into their home.  “Kathy and I were just a couple, but with Tofu, we became a family.”

2016

Building the Foundation for Arakawa Pottery

Thomas and Kathy began planning a much larger future for the pottery business. With help from longtime friend Yuichi Sakashita, they developed a business plan, organized the company, moved into a larger production studio, and installed the equipment needed to make pottery professionally at a new scale.

 

Summer — Planning a Full-Time Pottery Business

Thomas and Kathy began working closely with Yuichi Sakashita, the Ernst & Young senior manager who had originally hired Thomas in 2008. Together they worked through business plans, financial projections, equipment needs, studio layouts, permits, and the structure needed to turn Arakawa Pottery into a sustainable full-time operation.

 

November — A New Partnership and Studio

On November 1, Thomas, Kathy, Yuichi Sakashita, and Genzo Sekine formed a new business partnership, and Arakawa Pottery moved its studio to Phil Park’s property. Thomas later wrote that he and Kathy were working “day and night” to get the new business running.

 

November — Kathy Joins Full-Time

With the new business and studio taking shape, Kathy became full-time with Arakawa Pottery. What had begun with helping Thomas at events in 2013 and making pottery in 2014 now became her full-time work alongside him.

 

Thanksgiving — A New Production Kiln

A larger production gas kiln arrived around Thanksgiving. The kiln was installed immediately, followed by weeks of repairs, gas-line work, electrical work, studio setup, and preparation for production.

 

December — Building the New Studio

Thomas, Kathy, Yuichi, Phil, and friends worked through December preparing the studio—painting, installing sinks and pottery wheels, moving equipment, and completing the infrastructure needed to begin production. 

2017

Going National

The new production studio came to life, and Arakawa Pottery quickly moved beyond the Bay Area. Thomas and Kathy entered the American Craft Show circuit, built relationships with galleries across the country, and began operating at an entirely new scale.

 

January — Production Begins at the New Studio

On January 1, Thomas and Kathy began their first day of production in the new studio at Phil Park’s property. After months of planning, construction, equipment installation, and kiln work, Arakawa Pottery was finally operating from the production studio that remains its home today. 

 

February — First American Craft Show, Baltimore

Thomas and Kathy traveled to Baltimore for their first American Craft Show, February 24–26. It was Arakawa Pottery’s first step onto a major national craft-show stage. 

 

Spring — A National Gallery Network Begins

Baltimore immediately opened doors far beyond California. Orders and new relationships followed with galleries and craft retailers across the country. Within months, Thomas was announcing that Hoadley Gallery in Massachusetts, Panache in Maine, and The Studio Gallery in Pennsylvania were carrying Arakawa Pottery.


April — American Craft Show, St. Paul

Thomas and Kathy drove across the country to exhibit at the American Craft Show in St. Paul, Minnesota, continuing the national expansion begun in Baltimore. 

Planter production was still the studio’s main source of income. With help from an assistant, Thomas and Kathy fired the 40-cubic-foot kiln two to three times each month.

April — Meeting Warren MacKenzie

During the American Craft Show in St. Paul, Warren MacKenzie visited Thomas and Kathy’s booth and spent nearly two hours talking with them. After the show, Thomas and Kathy were invited to visit MacKenzie’s home and studio in Stillwater, Minnesota. There, Thomas had the unforgettable opportunity to handle historic pottery by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada from MacKenzie’s collection.

 

August — American Craft Show, San Francisco

Arakawa Pottery completed its first year on the American Craft Show circuit with the San Francisco show at Fort Mason.

August — The Community Rallies Around Tofu

Tofu became seriously ill and needed surgery. Friends and customers rallied around Thomas and Kathy, with 79 people contributing $6,271 toward his care. Thomas later wrote about how much that support meant to the three of them.

2018

The National Network Takes Root

After the breakthrough of 2017, Arakawa Pottery returned to the East Coast and continued building relationships with galleries, museums, tea businesses, and specialty retailers across the country. At the same time, Thomas and Kathy continued strengthening their connection with the ikebana community and opening their own studio to visitors.

 

February — Returning to American Craft Show Baltimore

Thomas and Kathy returned to the American Craft Show in Baltimore for a second year. 

This second Baltimore trip brought another wave of national customers, including New Morning Gallery, Left Bank Gallery, Teaism, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Simply Inspired Goods, The Tenth Muse Gallery, Wantoot, and Ward Ellinger Gallery.

 

March — Ikebana International Los Angeles Katen

Thomas and Kathy traveled to Southern California for the Ikebana International Los Angeles Katen, continuing the increasingly important relationship between Arakawa Pottery and the ikebana community. 

 

June — The Final Firing at Hikarigama

Thomas joined Hiroshi Ogawa and the Hikarigama community in Elkton, Oregon for Hiroshi’s final wood firing. Thomas had been returning to Hikarigama for years, learning not only about wood firing but about the community that formed around a kiln.

When Hiroshi stopped firing, Thomas made the decision to stop wood firing as well. It marked the end of an important chapter in his development as a potter and allowed him to focus more fully on the direction Arakawa Pottery was taking.

 

2018 — Museums and Established Galleries

The national wholesale network created through the American Craft Shows began reaching significant cultural institutions and established craft galleries. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts became a customer, while relationships with galleries from North Carolina to Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C. continued expanding.

2019

A National Business Finds Its Rhythm

By 2019, Arakawa Pottery had established a working rhythm between studio production, national craft shows, regional exhibitions, and wholesale orders. Many relationships formed during the previous two years were now becoming repeat customers rather than one-time show orders.

 

February — Returning to Baltimore

Thomas and Kathy returned to the American Craft Show in Baltimore for the third consecutive year, continuing the national gallery and wholesale relationships that had begun there in 2017.

March — Ikebana International, San Francisco

Arakawa Pottery again participated with Ikebana International in San Francisco, continuing a relationship with the ikebana community that had become an important part of Thomas’s work and the development of his vessels. 


June — Washington, D.C. with Fusako Sensei
Through Fusako Hoyrup Sensei’s introduction, Thomas and Kathy traveled to Washington, D.C., where Fusako presented a demonstration for the local Ikebana International chapter. Arakawa Pottery’s containers reached Wafu members beyond California, helping make 2019 an important breakthrough year for the studio.
 

July — Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival

Thomas and Kathy returned to the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival, one of the important Bay Area shows that had been part of Arakawa Pottery’s growth since Thomas’s first participation in 2014. 

 

August — American Craft Show, San Francisco

Arakawa Pottery exhibited again at the American Craft Show in San Francisco, completing its third year at the national show in Fort Mason. This would be the final year of Arakawa Pottery’s San Francisco American Craft Show run.

 

2020

When Everything Changed

Arakawa Pottery entered 2020 with growing momentum and its strongest American Craft Show yet. Then the pandemic abruptly shut down exhibitions, restaurants, and ikebana events. Thomas and Kathy responded by turning inward—making bonsai pots, taking custom orders, and using the unexpected quiet to build inventory.

January — A New Direction: Bonsai

Eric Shreider, president of the San Francisco Bonsai Club and owner of Bonsaify, approached Thomas and Kathy about making bonsai containers. Arakawa Pottery began developing bonsai pots for Eric, opening an entirely new direction for the studio.

 

February — Our Best American Craft Show

Thomas and Kathy returned to the American Craft Show in Baltimore, and it became Arakawa Pottery’s most successful American Craft Show to date.

But while they were at the show, the developing pandemic was beginning to change everything.

Spring — The World Suddenly Stops

After returning home, the normal rhythm of Arakawa Pottery disappeared almost overnight.

There were no more craft shows. Restaurants stopped ordering. Ikebana events stopped. The national exhibition and wholesale network Thomas and Kathy had spent years building suddenly went quiet.

The Business Goes Online

When the pandemic shut down shows, restaurants, ikebana events, and the studio, Thomas and Kathy launched the Arakawa Pottery online store in March and shifted production toward bonsai pots, custom work, and inventory. 

 

2021

Customers Find Their Way to the Studio

After a year of closed events and online selling, customers began returning in person—but increasingly they came directly to Arakawa Pottery. Studio visits by appointment gradually turned the production studio into a place where customers could reconnect with Thomas and Kathy and shop surrounded by the pottery-making process.

 

 

2021 — Studio Visits Begin to Grow

Customers began contacting Thomas and Kathy to arrange visits to the studio. By later in the year, Arakawa Pottery was actively offering studio appointments, and returning visitors were making special trips back to shop in person.

April — Remembering Hiroshi Ogawa

Hiroshi Ogawa, Thomas’s longtime wood-firing mentor, passed away in April 2021.

 

Hiroshi was the same age as Thomas’s father, Tadayasu Arakawa, and Hiroshi’s son Kohki was the same age as Thomas. Both Hiroshi and Tadayasu had grown up in Japanese American internment camps during World War II. Because of that shared history, Hiroshi’s presence carried a meaning for Thomas that went far beyond pottery.

 

Through Hiroshi, Thomas was reminded of his father’s generation and of a proud Japanese American heritage shaped by perseverance, community, and creativity.

For years, Thomas traveled to Oregon to join Hiroshi and the Hikarigama community for week-long wood firings. When Hiroshi ended his wood firings in 2018, Thomas chose to stop wood firing as well. Hiroshi remained one of the people who most deeply shaped Thomas’s understanding of pottery, community, and what it meant to carry a cultural heritage forward.


September — Returning to the ACGA Clay & Glass Festival

Thomas and Kathy returned to the ACGA Clay & Glass Festival in Palo Alto, September 11–12. Only about half of the usual artists returned, and booths were spaced farther apart for social distancing. After nearly two years without normal public events, simply seeing fellow artists, customers, and friends again felt extraordinary. Everyone was happy to feel a little bit of normal life returning.

 

December — Holiday Open Studio

Arakawa Pottery held a Holiday Open Studio, marking another step in the studio’s evolution from primarily a production space into a place customers could visit and shop directly.

2022

Building Our Own Path

After the disruptions of the previous two years, Thomas and Kathy came to an important realization: Arakawa Pottery could not build its future by depending entirely on craft shows, galleries, restaurants, retailers, or other organizations to bring customers to them. They began turning their working studio into their own retail destination and strengthening a direct relationship with customers.

2022 — The Studio Becomes a Retail Store

What had started with occasional visits and appointments in 2021 became something more intentional. Thomas and Kathy began opening the studio for customers to shop directly, gradually transforming a pottery production space into both a working studio and retail store.

 

By summer 2022, Arakawa Pottery newsletters were routinely directing customers to the San Jose studio and providing a dedicated appointment link for visits.

 

2022 — We Need to Do It Ourselves

The pandemic had exposed how vulnerable the old model could be. A craft show could disappear. A restaurant could close. A gallery could stop ordering. An ikebana class or organization could change direction.

Thomas and Kathy decided that while those relationships remained valuable, Arakawa Pottery needed its own way to reach people—its own studio store, its own online presence, its own events, and a direct connection with customers.

Throughout the Year — Customers Come to Arakawa Pottery

 

Instead of always packing pottery into a van and taking it somewhere else, more customers began making the trip into the hills to visit Thomas and Kathy themselves. The studio slowly became not just where Arakawa Pottery was made, but where Arakawa Pottery could be experienced.

 

2023

Growth Brings a New Direction

With the studio store and online business established, Arakawa Pottery began growing in new ways. Customers were finding Thomas and Kathy directly, the Katakuchi Matcha Bowl developed an unexpected following, media brought more people inside the working studio, and new relationships began. At the end of the year, a serious back injury forced Thomas to reconsider the physical demands of the business and how Arakawa Pottery should grow in the future.

July — Katakuchi Matcha Bowls Take Off

Arakawa Pottery’s handmade Katakuchi Matcha Bowls developed an enthusiastic following. Demand grew faster than Thomas and Kathy could make them.

 

August — A New Relationship with Nisei

A relationship with Restaurant Nisei in San Francisco began to develop. What started with pottery and ikebana vessels would eventually grow into custom tableware work for Chef David Yoshimura and the restaurant.

 

 

September — Returning to Midori Kai

Thomas and Kathy returned to the Midori Kai Arts & Crafts Boutique, reconnecting with customers and the Japanese American community. Selected events once again became part of Arakawa Pottery’s business, now complementing its own studio store and growing online presence.

 

December — A Back Injury Changes the Plan

Thomas suffered a herniated disc injury near the end of the year. Pottery had always been physically demanding, from moving clay and kiln shelves to packing, loading, and transporting large quantities of work for shows. The injury forced Thomas and Kathy to reconsider how much physical strain the business could depend on and influenced the direction Arakawa Pottery would take in the years ahead.

2024

A year of recognition, change, and new beginnings.
Arakawa Pottery’s work reached an important cultural milestone through Omotesenke, while new television and media features brought the studio to a wider audience. It was also a deeply personal year for Thomas and Kathy, as they said goodbye to Tofu and began welcoming Toujiro into their family.
 

June — A Tea Bowl Chosen for Omotesenke

During a special tea gathering at the residence of the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, held as part of Omotesenke’s 50th Anniversary celebration, One of Thomas’s handmade tea bowls was selected for use during the visit of Omotesenke Iemoto Yuyusai Sosho. The deep navy-blue chawan was formally listed among the tea utensils as 「銘 深青 — トーマス・荒川作」

October — Goodbye to Tofu
After nine years with Thomas and Kathy, Tofu passed away on October 12 at age 16. He had been part of the Arakawa family since 2015 and shared nearly the entire period in which Arakawa Pottery grew from a small studio into the business it is today.

November — Destination SF
Arakawa Pottery was featured on Destination SF, which aired on CBS San Francisco/KPIX 5 on November 3.

2025

The Studio Reaches Further

After years of reshaping Arakawa Pottery around the studio, online sales, and direct relationships with customers, the new direction began to reach further. Thomas and Kathy welcomed a new member of the family, created their own collaborative experiences, returned selectively to important exhibitions, strengthened relationships with restaurants, and saw their pottery reach the Asian Art Museum.

 

January — Toujiro Officially Joins the Family

After saying goodbye to Tofu in October 2024, Thomas and Kathy began fostering a rescue dog from the San Jose Animal Shelter named Cloud. They renamed him Toujiro, carrying a connection to Tofu’s name and memory forward.

 

In January 2025, Toujiro’s adoption became official. What began during an emotional time of loss grew into a new chapter for the Arakawa family, with Toujiro becoming part of everyday life at the studio.

 

May — Creative Matcha & Flowers

Arakawa Pottery hosted Creative Matcha & Flowers, a spring gathering with Bon-cha and neighboring Gracehope Flowers. Handmade pottery, stone-milled matcha, and locally grown seasonal flowers came together at the studio.

The event reflected a direction Thomas and Kathy had been building toward for several years: rather than waiting for someone else to create an opportunity, Arakawa Pottery could bring people together and create its own experiences at the studio.

 

August — Arakawa Pottery at the Asian Art Museum

Arakawa Pottery’s ikebana vessels were featured and offered for sale at the Cha May Ching Museum Boutique at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

 

 

September — The Nisei Collaboration Deepens

Arakawa Pottery’s relationship with Restaurant Nisei continued to grow through custom tableware developed with Chef David Yoshimura.

A new Frosty White glaze was developed for Nisei’s dishes and later introduced to Arakawa Pottery customers. Thomas and Kathy also joined the fourth annual Bar Iris and Nisei Block Party in San Francisco, bringing their handmade pottery directly into the restaurant community.

 

2026

Returning to the Work

Thomas and Kathy made a deliberate decision to simplify Arakawa Pottery—fewer shows, highly selective wholesale relationships, and more protected weekday time for making pottery. The goal was not to do more, but to focus more deeply on the work itself.

 

May — Selected Collaborations

Arakawa Pottery joined the Nisei Bakers & Makers Fair in San Francisco and collaborated with K. Minamoto on a limited Mother’s Day tea set. These reflected a more selective approach to outside events and partnerships.

 

June — Summer Makers Market

Thomas and Kathy participated in the Summer Makers Market at Orange Tabby Café, choosing a smaller community event that connected naturally with pottery, food, plants, and matcha.

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