What we do and why

Friends & Collectors,

From myself, and on behalf of the artists we represent, thank you for visiting our new website and for your continued patronage at 2000 Cranes.  Arigatō gozaimasu!

My love for Japanese ceramics started in 1998 when, quite by chance, I happened upon the Gojōzaka pottery festival while sightseeing in Kyoto.  Stall after stall, I was amazed by the endless variety of works displayed there and fascinated by the long history and deep traditions infused in every piece.  I couldn't help but think, "I wish my friends back home could see this."

The urge to share with others the sense of wonder that I felt in Kyoto on that fateful day was the spark that started 2000 Cranes and remains at the core of our mission today:

" We believe that the beauty, variety and level of refinement in Japanese ceramics is unsurpassed in the world.  Our mission is to recreate online the rich diversity of ceramic art found in Kyoto (and beyond) and to provide our customers with only the highest quality works the artists we represent have to offer. "

Since that time, I've come to know a number of the most talented people in the Japanese ceramics scene, and their work never ceases to inspire me.  As proud as they are when their clay creations find a new home outside of Japan, I am as equally proud to send these pieces around the globe.  The final destination is as delightfully varied as the works themselves: from tabletops to top museums, including The Met, an embassy lobby in Mongolia, and even the walls of a barbeque restaurant in Texas.

However, it is to our curious visitors now turned pottery enthusiasts that I would like to extend a very heartfelt thanks.  Just like myself years ago, they noticed something special in the craftsmanship of our Japanese pottery & porcelain and entrusted us with their first acquisition.  To them, especially, thank you.

Brian Nolan
Digital Officer