After uprooting their Norwich life of over a decade to be closer to the South Coast for her husband’s work, in many ways this new place to call home is as familiar as ever for potter and maker Hiroko Aono-Billson.
Growing up on a small island in the South of Japan, being close to the idyllic scenes of ocean and nature is intrinsic to Hiroko's way of being. It might also explain — as we exited the back of her home and were led up the pebbled steps of her back garden — the arresting shed-cum-studio that lay in front of us. Engrossed in nature in its own way, it is here that Hiroko creates the warm and welcoming alchemy of her ceramic practice a•pottery.
Hi, Hiroko! Would you like to introduce yourself?
Of course! I’m originally from Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's main islands, and had began studying ceramics when I first moved to the UK at Morley College over 30 years ago.
I eventually went on to have a career in textiles, but always had in the back of my mind the dream of one day having a garden with a shed for a studio, returning to my ceramics.
It wasn’t until Covid hit and after being stuck at home, my husband encouraged me to pick up some clay once again, and I’ve now been a full-time Potter since 2023.
Hiroko wears the Chamfered Rectangular ID Necklace
How beautiful to hear of a lifelong dream being realised. Do you remember your very first interactions with ceramics?
There is a very rich history of ceramics in Japan, and my Mother always had a wonderful collection of pieces when I was growing up. I have fond memories of eating from these beautiful vessels, and it made the act of mealtime feel like a ritual. I’m also very inspired by the Japanese Mingei movement of the 1920s in my own work.
Can you explain the Mingei philosophy for people who don’t know what that is?
I like to describe the Mingei movement as an equivalent of ‘arts and crafts’ in the UK. Sōetsu Yanagi, its founder, was the one that saw the beauty and value in everyday, functional, hand-crafted objects made by unknown craftsman, or 'ordinary people'. The aim of the movement was to preserve traditional crafts: things that were utilitarian, as opposed to overtly 'artistic' pieces.
Hiroko wears the Aisling Ring
Are there certain objects you enjoy making the most? And why?
Well, at the very beginning, I started my practice because I simply wanted to make things that I could eat from (laughs). I get a lot of enjoyment out of this, and I suppose I enjoy the thought of other people getting to experience the same thing when they interact with my work.
But I have also recently started to make animals — such as my growing collection of cats — and these I make purely for pleasure. I start with no plan in mind, and maybe I’ll think to add a flower here, a flower there. I actually realised that the base I made for one of these cats is reminiscent of those found on many Buddhist statues that I grew up admiring, and I hadn’t even noticed! It’s so interesting how we store information in our brains. So it’s been such a joy to create in this way lately, too.
Flower Cat (2025)
There are a few themes or motifs that come up again and again in your work, but most consistently seems to be your ‘Harmony Bird’. Can you explain its origins and why you gravitate towards birds, or at least this bird in particular?
I’m not completely sure where it came from, but I’ve been creating this bird since I started ceramics 30 years ago and continued to do so when my daughter was born, adding it onto her little t-shirts with the word ‘harmony’ painted across the top. I suppose it’s reminiscent of the peace and calm I feel when I hear birds chirping outside. Robins, black birds. They grant me a sigh of relief.
Harmony Bird Figurine (2025)
You also run KOBO A-B with your husband, a project hosting exhibitions and workshops that centre around the teaching and appreciation of Japanese craft. What are some other aspects of Japanese culture that you feel passionate teaching others about, aside from ceramics?
We run a series of BORO workshops, a Japanese term meaning old and tattered, although today it’s used more commonly for any Japanese textiles that are patched or repaired using fragments or scraps of cloth. We teach people how to repair and revive the existing items in their life, giving them a second chance, and will have our own small collection of antique BORO pieces on show to inspire and work from as references.
I think the desire to pass on this practice has a lot to do with my generation. I didn’t grow up with access to all of these different things, and we were taught to simply look after what we had, repairing as and when it was needed. It is something I still practice today.
Like your mother’s ceramics collection and the pieces that have continued to inspire you through the age-old Mingei movement, what do you hope that your own work will make people feel when they see it generations from now?
It’s simple: joy! Whenever somebody buys one of my pieces, I give a little note written with: ‘I hope this brings you joy’. I hope in the future that this is still the case. Even when I open my own cupboard of objects, items I have had in my collection for years, I still sometimes find myself standing there and admiring all of these beautiful things.
It feels like we’re losing touch with the art of slow making, and in turn slow living. Do you have any rituals that carry through outside of your work that help you to slow down in life?
Taking the time to reconnect with nature. Go for a walk, take off your shoes, and feel the grass between your toes. Even when you’re in the city, there are pockets of nature to be found and connect with. This will always help you return to yourself.
Hiroko wears the Chamfered Rectangular ID Necklace
Looking for more?
Follow Hiroko on Instagram @aono_pottery & @kobo_a_b and online via her webstore
