21/07/2026
Kurinuki (くり抜き) is a traditional Japanese ceramic technique whose name literally means “to hollow out” or “to carve out.” Instead of building a pot with coils or throwing it on a wheel, the potter starts with a solid block of clay and carves away the inside and outside until the vessel emerges.
But kurinuki is much more than a technique—it is also a philosophy.
The concept
Rather than adding to create form, kurinuki is about revealing form by removing what is unnecessary. The vessel is thought of as already existing inside the clay block, and the artist gradually uncovers it.
This gives each piece a feeling of:
* Discovery rather than construction.
* Presence and weight.
* A close dialogue with the material.
The essence
Kurinuki embraces ideas found in Japanese aesthetics:
* Wabi-sabi — beauty in imperfection, irregularity, and the marks of time.
* Ma (間) — the importance of empty space. In kurinuki, the hollowed interior is just as important as the clay walls.
* Dialogue with the clay — instead of forcing a predetermined shape, the potter often responds to cracks, textures, and surprises that appear during carving.
