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Material: porcelain, rice straw
Maker: Kihara
Region: Nagasaki

Open edition
Semi-customisable
Edited by ANF

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ANF x Kihara
Design Baptiste Meyniel


Compra Vase



Commissioned by ANF, French designer Baptiste Meyniel used historic Konpura bottles as a reference for the modular Compra Vase. Designed to accommodate both European and Japanese-style flower arrangements, the piece can be wall-mounted or made portable through rice-straw weavings inspired by traditional porcelain packaging.




fig. 1–4. Typology of Konpura bottles from “Searching for Satsuma Kompura Bottles”, Ikue Yoshimitsu, Reimeikan / Kagoshima Prefectural Center for Historical Materials, 2021.
fig. 5. Archival document with specifications of a classic Konpura bottle.
fig. 6. Excavation site of Konpura bottles; location uknown.
01. View of Hasami Village.
 Originally produced in the town of Hasami as export containers for soy sauce and sake, Konpura bottles circulated between Japan and Europe through the port of Nagasaki. While never fully standardised, their form – a large cylindrical body topped by a distinctive funnel-shaped neck – responded to the practical requirements of transport and handling. Inscriptions, hand-painted using natural cobalt (gosu), were mostly in Dutch, with other examples in Russian, English, and Japanese. Rarer markings include shrine symbols, village names, and floral motifs, likely identifying workshops or artisans.
fig. 7. Extract of book depicting Arita kilns, export ceramics, and port scenes, tracing the networks that shaped the circulation of Japanese porcelain.

Unlike nearby Arita, where kilns historically specialised in highly refined white porcelain, often elaborately decorated for export markets, Hasami developed a more utilitarian production culture. Its kilns focused on everyday wares designed for durability, efficiency, and large-scale distribution.

To reduce costs and stabilise production, Hasami workshops commonly produced their own semi-porcelain, known as hanjiki: a body made by blending porcelain stone with a higher proportion of clay than standard porcelain. This composition results in a material that is less white and less translucent. What began as a pragmatic choice gradually shaped the material identity of Hasami ceramics.

Through research in historic archives, ANF identified that porcelain wares were traditionally packaged using specific rice-straw bindings, a practice that largely disappeared with the introduction of plastic wrapping. In collaboration with straw artisans committed to revitalising this tradition, Baptiste Meyniel developed a contemporary binding system that complements the vase’s use, facilitating transport and wall mounting while extending its modular function.




02. Straw artisan at work, Nagano Prefecture.
03. Rejected straw compositions.




04. Glaze batches referenced during the development of the Compra Vase, Hasami.


05. Ko-hakuji glaze, interior of Compra Vase

Redefining the historic silhouette of Konpura bottles into an elegant, contemporary form, Baptiste Meyniel developed a slightly larger format, giving the piece greater presence while combining clear-cut and subtly rounded lines.

The design is composed of two elements: a large cylindrical base topped by a straighter, funnel-shaped upper part that can be used on either side. This configuration multiplies the object’s possible uses, echoing the way Konpura bottles historically served to transport various liquid goods. The removable top also allows for future variations in form or glaze, extending the system over time.

Working on the glaze development, Baptiste Meyniel sought to reference Hasami’s traditional hanjiki semi-porcelain while avoiding overt pastiche. A balanced glaze system was developed: the exterior surface is treated with a contemporary, textured matte glaze, deliberately muted to emphasise floral compositions and the delicate lines of the piece. In contrast, the interior is finished in ko-hakuji, a subtly bluish glaze, slightly rough to the touch, with visible variations in thickness, irregularities, and surface imperfections that recall the artisanal finishes historically found on utilitarian wares.




06–09. Scenes of porcelain making in Hasami.




Rather than prescribing a single function, Compra Vase encourages tactile engagement. It supports multiple modes of use and accommodates different scales of flower arrangements, from larger compositions to more contained arrangements. The dual treatment of interior and exterior creates a gentle tension that reinforces the object’s functional reading: the interior remaining impermeable yet materially expressive, while the exterior retains a grounded, almost architectural presence.

This project marks the beginning of a broader collaboration between ANF, Baptiste Meyniel, and porcelain artisans in Hasami, aiming to bring under-documented practices into focus and to contribute to a renewed sense of pride and recognition among local workshops.



Projects



TypeName
Designer


Recollection
New Yukinko
 Edition
Pedestal Furniture
      Luka Yasukawa

Edition
Compra Vase
Baptiste Meyniel

 Recollection
Nuriwake Tray
In-house design

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2026