I. The Echo of Things
In Japan, there is a philosophy that whispers gently through poetry, garden stones, tea bowls and scrolls - Mono nois Aware (物の哀れ). Literally translated as “the pathos of things”, it points toward a refined sensibility: the recognition that all things are transitory, and that their impermanence is what makes them beautiful.
Imagine a cherry-blossom petal drifting on a breeze - brilliant, delicate, and gone within hours. Or a moment of sunset that bathes hills in rose-shine, then retreats into dusk. It is in these fleeting moments that our hearts stir, because we sense their fragility and inevitable fade. These are the moments that Mono no Aware honours.
II. Clay, Fire and the Whisper of Time
At Chikoyaki, we believe that pottery is not merely a vessel - it is a moment captured in clay, fire and air. A handcrafted vase glazed in soft blush (thuy hồng) embodies this spirit perfectly: the glaze emerges, glows, then subtly fades as if recalling the pollen lost to the wind.
Each piece is unique. During the kiln’s blaze, ash drifts, heat shifts, and the clay’s surface records a one-time journey that will not repeat. In this imperfection, we recognise Wabi-Sabi - the beauty of impermanence. And in this recognition, we embrace Mono no Aware.
III. Heritage Rooted in Japanese Aesthetics
The phrase Mono no Aware rose to prominence during the Heian period of Japan. Literary scholars such as Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801) asserted it as central to Japanese art and literature.
In ceramics and art, this principle is reflected in tea bowls scarred by age, private moments of hanami (flower-viewing) under cherry trees, gardens designed to show moss and weathering rather than polish and perfection.
For Chikoyaki, this heritage is not academic - it is alive. We source pieces that bear the mark of time: kiln runs that lasted days, fading glazes that reward the quiet observer, surfaces that evolve in the light, then hold their story.
IV. A Vase as Philosophy
When you hold one of our thuy hồng glazed vases, pause for a moment. Feel the cool clay. Notice the soft blush of colour that seems to hover rather than dominate. Consider how it was shaped, fired, cooled and carried across lands.
This is not about owning beauty. It is about being present with it. To appreciate that it will change, that it carries the season of its making, that it teaches us: nothing lasts, yet each moment is rich because it is fleeting.
When the vase dims, doesn’t crack or fade, but remains as evidence of journey - that is the heart of Mono no Aware.
V. Sharing the Journey
At Chikoyaki, we have gathered more than a collection; we have created a cultural journey. From veteran collectors in Japan, through distant markets, to your hands, our pieces carry stories of threads that connect time, tradition and place.
VI. Live the Present
In the rapid pace of our modern world, it is rare to stop and listen to the whisper of things. A glaze fading, a brushstroke drying, a scroll unfurling - these are our invitations to slow down.
Let this vase, this scroll, this moment remind you: beauty lies not in perfection or permanence, but in the ephemeral, the subtle, the now.
Live in the present. Honour the moment. Embrace the pathos of things.
