Kasho

Kashogama is a Kyō-yaki pottery manufacturer that has been creating ceramics for four generations since its founding in 1914. The current head-craftsman Zentaro (also known as Kasho) was born in Kyoto in 1974.  From an early age, he helped with the family pottery business, and by the time he was in elementary school, he was working on his own. He graduated from the Department of Ceramics at Kyoto Municipal Doda High School of Art and Crafts, then continued his studies under his father.

Kasho opened the Kashogama Pottery on Sannenzaka in the Kiyomizu area and served as the head instructor at the pottery school, eventually becoming the fourth generation headmaster upon his father’s passing in 2009.  He has since gone on to open a sister studio, ENSOU, in neighboring Shiga prefecture in 2020.

ENSOU is located just outside the famous pottery village of Shigaraki, famed for its ceramic kilns since ancient times. Its vast grounds are set in a lush forest and divided into two old houses. Gallery ENSOU focuses on pottery sales and a pottery experience, while Cafe ENSOU houses a traditional Japanese cafe specializing in tarts.

Opened in 2016, the cafe is located in an old kominka farmhouse from Osaka’s Sennan area, dismantled by the the previous owner so that he could enjoy his hobby of listening to music.  Unfortunately, he passed away during construction, with the building left abandoned, before Kasho breathed new life into it by turning it into a cafe.  The spirit of music lives on in the record collection left behind by the previous owner, who was similarly concerned with the high quality audio system.  The tasteful jazz music played through the Vitavox speakers goes a long way toward perfecting the entire experience.