About the maker
Erasmus James is a British potter living and working in Japan, known for his wood‑fired ceramics produced in traditional Japanese kilns. He has lived in Japan since 1996 and worked full‑time as a potter since 1999, progressing from part‑time making to completing an extended apprenticeship in the Bizen pottery tradition.
In 2004, James and his wife moved to the pottery region of Tamba, where he built a ten‑metre anagama wood‑fired kiln, successfully firing it for the first time in 2006. Since then he has fired the kiln twice a year, each firing accommodating between 800 and 1,000 pots. The anagama he built is a traditional Japanese wood‑firing kiln, a single‑chamber structure fuelled solely with wood and fired continuously for up to ten days, producing natural ash effects and surfaces unique to each piece.
James works directly with the fundamental materials of his craft, processing his own clay — primarily sourced from the Bizen region — and splitting his own wood for firing. He does not use glazes; all his pots are shaped, dried and then fired in the anagama, where the choice of clay and careful positioning in the kiln are critical to the outcome. James’s work reflects a long, demanding process of resourcefulness and sensitivity to the materials and fire, resulting in ceramics that express subtle beauty through surface variation, texture and the effects of wood firing.