Some collections begin with a product catalogue. This one began with a journey.

When I visited Hasami, a pottery town in Nagasaki Prefecture, one of the places I was most looking forward to seeing was HIROPPA, created by Maruhiro, the company behind BARBAR and the IROHA collection.

HIROPPA is more than a ceramics shop. Maruhiro created it as a place where pottery, design, art, nature and local life could meet. Alongside the flagship store and coffee stand is a green public space shaped by the company’s connections with artists, craftspeople and the community. 

It was here that I met the Maruhiro team, explored the collection and had a glimpse behind the scenes of the production process. I later met the team again at the Life × Design Expo in Tokyo, continuing a relationship that had begun well before the pieces arrived in Melbourne.

The collection I kept returning to

From the beginning, I was particularly drawn to IROHA.

The collection is based on kurawanka ware, practical porcelain that was widely used by ordinary people during Japan’s Edo period. It was not pottery intended to remain untouched in a cabinet. It was made to be affordable, familiar and part of everyday life.

Maruhiro’s IROHA collection brings that spirit into the present. Simple traditional patterns are painted in bold blue against softly grey-toned porcelain, giving the pieces a character that feels historical and contemporary at once. 

That balance is central to what I want Mitsuya Home to represent: Japanese objects with a real story and cultural foundation, selected for modern homes and everyday rituals.

Why blue and white?

Throughout my journey as a ceramics maker and lover, I found myself returning again and again to blue-and-white ceramics.

There is something clear and enduring about the combination. Usually made using cobalt oxide on a porcelain or clay body, this style can be traced from China, to Korea, then to Japan, Holland, Portugal and beyond. The lines and designs that cobalt can leave, bring to life the literal journey and evolution of the history of pottery across the globe.

Beyond that, the colours can feel crisp or rustic, traditional or graphic, depending on the pattern and form. It works beautifully with timber, linen and other handmade ceramics, and it allows individual pieces to be mixed rather than creating a table that feels too coordinated.

It is gradually becoming part of Mitsuya Home’s own visual language: recognisable, versatile and quietly expressive.

Pieces for real life

The IROHA collection includes small plates, versatile shallow bowls, generous serving pieces and teapots. Each has a clear purpose, but none is limited to a single use.

A small plate might hold a sweet beside tea, condiments at dinner or jewellery on a bedside table. A shallow bowl can move between breakfast, salads and shared dishes. The larger bowls invite food to be placed at the centre of the table.

That adaptability reflects the history behind the collection. These are not precious objects waiting for a special occasion. They are pieces meant to take their place in the rhythms of daily life.

From Hasami to Melbourne

Bringing IROHA to Mitsuya Home feels especially meaningful because I have now seen the place, met the people and understood more of the thinking behind it.

This is the kind of sourcing relationship I hope to continue building: slower, more direct and grounded in genuine curiosity about the objects and the people who make them possible.

From Maruhiro and HIROPPA in Hasami, to another meeting in Tokyo, and finally to tables here in Australia, IROHA has already travelled a long way.

Now it is ready to become part of your everyday rituals.

Discover the IROHA collection at Mitsuya Home.