From an ancient time, Japanese enjoyed the sound of crickets.

This beautiful porcelain Insect cage has crickets and eggplant inside.

The matchstick-thin bars of the cricket cage are rolled individually by hand, and must be even in length and thickness or the heavy roof will collapse. Even the most complex, intricate pieces are fully assembled before entering the kiln.

It is at the end of the process that the consummate skill and deep experience of the potter shine forth, because he must form each piece to account for the deformation which accompanies the firing. Of the most complex, delicate pieces such as the cricket cage, only one in ten survives the full 20-hour baking process intact.

　The dragon is an imaginary creature and believed that has served celestial emperor in early Chinese legend. Also it is believed the dragon was a sacred guardian in early Japanese legend.

　The vessel inside is hollow, shaped to a perfect sphere by hand throw. Each piece of Hirado Etsuzan porcelain is shaped by hand, without molds or mechanical tools.

Such details as the raised scales and eyelashes of the Dragon require endless patience and great precision.

Each pieces are structured with perfect timing of dryness and correctly accounted estimate of shrinkage through the baking process in the fire.