ABOUT
Maholo's Core Values
Maholoba is an ancient Japanese word referring to a beautiful, comfortable place.
We introduce humble yet authentic works that help you build such a mahoroba in your daily life.
Our shop is located in Yokohama, the city of "civilization and enlightenment" where new cultures once intersected and the port opened to the world.
It is an international trading port that was also the starting point from which beautiful Japanese handicrafts and art crossed the seas and captivated people around the world.
We want you to engage with the works before you, free from preconceived notions or biases.
That is why we strip away unnecessary embellishments, creating an environment where the artist's breath and the material's passion are conveyed directly.
Just as Yokohama once connected unknown cultures and people's lives across the seas,
we aspire to be a "place" that discovers the fresh sensibilities of unseen young talents and brings their handcrafted works into the world.
Something that captured your heart at first glance.
Something you wanted to keep by your side after gazing at it for a while.
It might be similar to the experience of encountering a moving work at a museum
and taking home a small, passionate fragment of it.
To witness the moment when that very first piece becomes someone's treasure.
Yohei Kiyono, Owner of Utsuwa-ya Maholo
"Maholoba" is an ancient Japanese word that refers to a beautiful and comfortable place.
We introduce humble yet authentic tools to help you build such a "Maholoba" in your everyday life.
Our store is located in Yokohama, the city of "Bunmei-Kaika" (civilization and enlightenment),
where new cultures once intersected and the port opened to the world.
It is the international port of Yokohama, the very starting point from which Japan's beautiful crafts and arts once crossed the ocean to captivate the world.
What we wish to deliver from this historic land is a new expression born from young talents clothed in a modern atmosphere, along with authentic techniques inherited from tradition.
It might be called a modest attempt at a "Bunmei-Kaika"—opening up the creators' passion to modern lifestyles.
Here, you will find vessels like art standing quietly in a gallery.
Pinholes in the glaze, the coarse texture of the clay, and the marks of the maker's hands.
Far removed from efficiency, these are the one-of-a-kind "proofs of life" created by artists sincerely facing their materials.
We want you to converse simply with the artworks before you, free from preconceptions or biases.
That is why we have stripped away unnecessary decoration, creating an environment where the artist's breath and the heat of the materials are conveyed directly.
Just as Yokohama once connected unknown cultures and people's lives across the ocean, we aspire to be a "place (Ba)" that discovers the fresh sensibilities of unseen young talents and sends their handiwork out into the world. Something that captivates your heart at first glance. Something you want to keep close at hand as you gaze at it.
It might be akin to the experience of encountering a deeply moving artwork in a museum and taking a small piece still carrying that warmth home with you.
To witness the moment that first piece becomes someone's treasure. "Maholo" serves as a bridge, delivering these fine "things" to the "place (Ba)" of your daily life. We hope the vessels, imbued with their breath, will quietly blend into your space and eventually become an irreplaceable scenery in your everyday life.
May the vessel you hold in your hands help you build your very own "Maholoba".
Yohei Kiyono | Owner, Utsuwa-ya Maholo
ARTISTS
List of Artists
