Kumamoto's 400-Year-Old Shodai-yaki Pottery Connects Food and Craft in New 'KOKON SHODAI' Series

Shodai-yaki, a pottery tradition passed down for about 400 years at the foot of Mount Kotake in Kumamoto Prefecture, has given birth to a new series, 'KOKON SHODAI'. This series creates a new entry point by combining respect for the ancient with a sensibility for living in the present, while preserving the tradition.

This series connects cultures nurtured in the same region—Nankan somen noodles, bamboo chopsticks, and Shodai-yaki—and proposes a way for traditions to be used naturally in daily life.

The Hakata Daimaru Kyushu Exploration Team has been working to edit the appeal of various regions in Kyushu from new perspectives and deliver them as products and experiences, alongside local producers and craftspeople. 'KOKON SHODAI' was also born as an initiative to deliver local craftsmanship and culture in a way that fits modern life.

[Background and Context]

In Nankan Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, there is a deeply rooted food culture including Nankan somen and Nankan-age (fried tofu). In the same area, there is the pottery culture of Shodai-yaki, with a history of about 400 years. However, despite being cultures nurtured in the same environment, there have not been many opportunities for 'food' and 'craft' to be clearly connected.

'KOKON SHODAI' is a series that connects such local cultures and cultivates a new form of 'Nankan-ness'. It is implemented as part of an initiative to disseminate the new appeal of traditional crafts in collaboration with Kumamoto Prefecture, aiming to nurture local craftsmanship and culture into something naturally cherished in modern life.

The core value is an approach where items are used naturally in daily life and passed down to the next generation. While valuing the unpretentious daily scenery that characterizes Nankan's craftsmanship, its value is edited into a form that fits modern life.

Connecting 'food' and 'craft' creates a new cultural cycle. It envisions a future where local craftsmanship is not just preserved as something special, but naturally blends into daily life and continues to be used.

[About KOKON SHODAI Products]

'Connecting 400 years of warmth to the present. Shodai-yaki that makes every day a little more enjoyable' — KOKON SHODAI develops new products and proposes new ways to use Shodai-yaki, inspired by the climate of Nankan and daily life. The goal was not tableware for special occasions, but items that naturally draw your hand in everyday life. Ideas come from various life scenes: the dining table, family time, seasonal colors.

■ Somen Bowl

A product that brings together Shodai-yaki, Nankan somen, and Yamachiku bamboo chopsticks—cultures nurtured in the same land but never significantly intersecting before—within a single vessel.
Nankan somen is a local food culture said to have been passed down from a person from Shodoshima Island during the Kanei era (over 300 years ago). This product combines Nankan somen, Shodai-yaki, and bamboo chopsticks, giving form to the local culture itself.
The soup bowl with a hole, which boasts not only visual novelty but also functionality and design, is a new expression that connects the craftsmanship of Shodai-yaki to modern life.
The aim was to create a vessel that makes the background of local culture and craftsmanship feel familiar every time it is used at the table.

■ Small Rice Bowl

The smaller rice bowl is easy to use for children and the elderly, and also adapts to changes in lifestyle. For example, when you want to eat a little less rice at night or just a small portion. It is a proposal to turn small daily choices into enjoyment rather than restraint. It aims to be a companion in life that enriches not just the act of eating less, but the time spent choosing and using the vessel itself.

■ Grass and Plant Bowl

A small vessel for casually arranging and enjoying garden flowers or seasonal plants. By incorporating plants into daily life—in the kitchen, on the dining table, or at the entrance—it adds a touch of color to ordinary moments and spaces. This Shodai-yaki is designed to bring the small happiness of spending time with familiar plants into everyday life, rather than for displaying special flowers.

[TOPICS] Places to Experience KOKON SHODAI

■ POP UP Event Report
Period: Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Venue: Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin Store, Main Building B2 Event Space (in front of the down escalator)

To mark the launch of 'KOKON SHODAI', a limited-time POP UP event was held at Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin Store, offering an opportunity to touch the products and experience local craftsmanship.

The venue sold products from the 'KOKON SHODAI' series and also introduced the culture and background nurtured in the same region, including Shodai-yaki, Nankan somen, and bamboo chopsticks, providing a chance to convey the region's appeal to many customers.

[TOPICS] Taste 'KOKON SHODAI' — Limited-Time Menu at &LOCALS Acros Fukuoka Store

From early June 2026, a limited-time menu, 'Nankan New Noodle Soup (Cold) Served in Shodai-yaki', will be available at &LOCALS Acros Fukuoka Store. You can enjoy the world of 'KOKON SHODAI' not only through the vessels but also through a real dining experience.

The menu uses Nankan somen from Narahara Seimenjo, also known as 'phantom noodles'. With a history of over 300 years, it is still made using only wheat, salt, and sesame oil, with all processes done by hand. It features a surprisingly firm texture and a smooth throat feel for somen.
It is paired with homemade chopped Nankan-age. The Nankan-age is carefully drained of oil and slowly simmered in Kyushu soy sauce, brown sugar, and red sake (akazake).
The broth uses dried sardine shavings from Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and Rishiri kombu. It is finished with yuzu kosho from Soeda Town, adding a pleasant accent to the gentle umami. Enjoy a bowl layered with local ingredients and craftsmanship, served in Shodai-yaki pottery.

■ Nankan New Noodle Soup (Cold) Served in Shodai-yaki
Price: 1,100 yen (tax included) per serving
Start of service: Scheduled for early June 2026
Location: &LOCALS Acros Fukuoka Store (1-1-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, 810-0001)
*The service period is currently being adjusted. Please contact &LOCALS Acros Fukuoka Store for details. (Phone: 092-791-6690)

[The Craftspeople of KOKON SHODAI]

■ Nakahira Kiln (Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture) / Kiln Master: Tomonari Nishikawa
While inheriting the traditional Shodai-yaki technique 'Shakugake-nagashi', he creates vessels aiming for 'tableware that users enjoy using'. He continues to make pottery that fits into daily life.

■ Shodai Hongu Chihiro Kiln (Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture) / Kiln Master: Tomohiro Maeno
Incorporating techniques from Okinawan 'Yachimun' pottery, he reinterprets Shodai-yaki in a modern way. His gentle style, blending tradition with new sensibilities, is appealing.

■ Issaki Kiln (Nagasu Town, Kumamoto Prefecture) / Kiln Master: Yuichi Yamaguchi
Utilizing the characteristics of local clay and straw ash, he expresses unique colors and textures. He values craftsmanship rooted in daily life.

■ Yamachiku (Nankan Town, Kumamoto Prefecture)
Founded in 1963. A bamboo chopstick manufacturer that continues to make 'only bamboo chopsticks'. They consistently create products that are considerate of the user and the food.

*Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin Store is a group company of Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co., Ltd.

Access:

Nishitetsu Train 'Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station'

Nishitetsu Bus 'Tenjin Daimaru-mae'

Nishitetsu Bus 'Nishitetsu Bus Terminal-mae'

Subway Nanakuma Line 'Tenjin Minami Station'

Address: 1-4-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, 810-8717 Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin Store

Phone: 092-712-8181 (Main)