[NIKKO Corporation] Bringing cutting-edge artist Ryota Mishima's 3DCG art to life in fine bone china: Launch of 'KENDAMA,' a new art piece fusing traditional Japanese culture

Ceramics manufacturer NIKKO Corporation (Headquarters: Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture; President: Akiko Mitani; hereinafter NIKKO) has released 'KENDAMA,' a work that embodies 3DCG art created by artist Ryota Mishima using the company's own 'NIKKO FINE BONE CHINA.' The product is available at the direct-managed store 'NIKKO SHOWROOM・STORE / LOST AND FOUND TOKYO STORE' (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo).

This work is an art piece modeled after the traditional Japanese toy 'kendama,' yet it is also a one-of-a-kind experiential art piece that can actually be used as a 'bekuhai'—a traditional sake cup used for parlor games in Kochi Prefecture. Because of the extremely high level of manufacturing skill and time required, the initial production is limited to a rare run of only 10 pieces per design (3 types in total, 190,000 yen each, including tax).

* Bringing digital art into the real world: Realizing Mr. Mishima's 3DCG work in bone china, a material considered extremely difficult to form.
* Fusion with the traditional culture of 'bekuhai': The large, medium, and small cups of the kendama serve as sake cups (sakazuki), allowing you to pour Japanese sake and enjoy them at actual banquets.
* Rare production system backed by exceptional craftsmanship: Because the intricate painting is done by hand by artisans using more than five times the normal number of processes, the initial release is limited to only 10 pieces per design.

■ The artist's philosophy and the background of this project
Artist Ryota Mishima creates 3DCG works that transform familiar, everyday items into the texture of 'ceramic materials that can break,' continuously presenting a sense of visual tension and beauty born from fragility in objects we see every day.

This project was realized through the combined efforts of Mr. Mishima's desire to 'reproduce the art I have expressed on screens as physical ceramics that can actually be touched' and NIKKO's advanced modeling and painting technology, brought to life through the handiwork of artisans.

In development, the goal was to go beyond mere reproduction of shape, evolving digital art into a real art experience that can be 'touched.' In addition to the unique values of ceramics—such as the weight and smooth texture when held—it fuses the 'play' element inherent in kendama with the practicality as 'tableware' that NIKKO has cultivated. Furthermore, the background to Mr. Mishima's choice of material was his empathy for the story that 'NIKKO FINE BONE CHINA' can contribute to a circular economy as 'BONEARTH,' a fertilizer derived from ceramics, when the product itself is finely crushed.

■ Functionality as the traditional parlor game 'Bekuhai'
'Bekuhai,' which is incorporated as a motif, is a traditional way of enjoying sake from Kochi Prefecture. It is a game where you spin the included top, and the person it points to must drink up the sake from the cup decorated with the design on the top.

The large, medium, and small cups in 'KENDAMA' are crafted as cups with different capacities, each painted with one of the three designs—'flower, horse, snake'—that Mr. Mishima drew specifically for this work. They realize the smooth mouthfeel unique to bone china, making them useful not only as art objects but also as high-quality sake vessels.

*The wooden box used for storage is made from solid cypress wood. It is designed so that the tools can be stored as-is when used for the bekuhai game by combining the parts that fix the main body with the stand for spinning the top.*

■ Manufacturing processes condensing the essence of NIKKO's technology
To reproduce the transparent pure white and vivid blue of the original drawings, 'NIKKO FINE BONE CHINA' was adopted as the material. This material has a very high bone ash content of approximately 50%, which presents significant difficulties in creating complex three-dimensional forms, but after repeated prototyping and adjustments, completion was achieved.

For painting on complex curved surfaces, skilled artisans spend more than five times the normal number of processes to hand-paint each piece, ensuring that Mr. Mishima's brushstrokes and hand-drawn texture are not lost. Due to the highly specialized manufacturing method that makes mass production by machine difficult, the number of units that can be manufactured at one time is limited, resulting in high rarity with only 10 pieces of each design in the first production run.

■ Comments from those involved
- Artist Ryota Mishima: 'The surprise and emotion I felt when I first saw my own CG work, which I had been creating on screen, exist with a weight that I could actually touch with my hands, has left a strong impression on me. I hope you will experience 'KENDAMA' now that it has become a reality.'
- NIKKO Corporation development manager: 'It was a challenge with a material that is extremely difficult to shape, but the sight of the three types of kendama lined up after all our hard work was simply breathtaking. It has become a piece that brings out the maximum characteristics of bone china, maintaining ultimate whiteness, a majestic presence, and quality as tableware without a single compromise.'

■ Product Overview
- Product Name: KENDAMA
- Variations: 3 types (Flower, Horse, Snake)
- Price: 190,000 yen each (tax included)
- Sales Quantity: Initial production limited to 10 pieces per design (*Limited quantity due to the special manual manufacturing process)
- Retail Stores:
NIKKO SHOWROOM・STORE / LOST AND FOUND TOKYO STORE (Tomigaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
mishima ryota collection https://www.mishimaxxx.com/

■ About NIKKO FINE BONE CHINA
'Thinness' and 'whiteness' are features of NIKKO FINE BONE CHINA and the main reasons it is supported by top chefs. While the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) define bone china as containing 30% or more bone ash, NIKKO FINE BONE CHINA increases this content to approximately 50%.

While it is generally said that molding becomes difficult when the bone ash content exceeds 50%, NIKKO has overcome this through repeated research and successfully commercialized it. Using carefully selected raw materials, they produce beautiful, pure white bone china under thorough management at their own factory in Ishikawa Prefecture.

■ About 'BONEARTH®'
Developed by NIKKO, this is the world's first* fertilizer born from discarded tableware. Development began because the tricalcium phosphate contained in the raw materials (cow bone ash) of NIKKO FINE BONE CHINA is effective as a fertilizer, and technology to recycle the ware into fertilizer was established.
Fertilizer Registration Number: No. 107121 (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)
Winner of the 2022 Good Design Award
* 'The world's first fertilizer recycled from tableware among major companies in the ceramics and fertilizer industries (surveyed by NIKKO Co., Ltd., February 2026)'

■ Artist Ryota Mishima Profile
While active as a graphic designer, he began his career as an artist in 2023. He creates works making full use of 3DCG and graphic expression. By converting materials and exteriors into other objects, he develops art works that transform the significance that should exist in everyday life and create new meaning for existence.
Website: https://www.mishimaryota.jp/
Instagram: @mishima_x0610

■ Retail Store: NIKKO SHOWROOM・STORE / LOST AND FOUND TOKYO STORE
1-15-12 Tomigaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0063
Business Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
Closed: Tuesdays
TEL: 03-5454-8925