Toshiko Fujiyama is a Japanese ceramics artist living on the outskirts of Sendai City, a region rich in natural beauty. The changing seasons and abundant birdlife she observes on her daily walks inspire her quiet, attentive approach to making.

Toshiko began her pottery journey 25 years ago at Box Hill TAFE in Melbourne. While grounded in Japan’s deep ceramic traditions, she was drawn to the freedom of creating intuitively with clay, unbound by convention. Her work centres on the intelligence and resilience of plant life — particularly the forms of flowers, seeds, and pods.

Her technique is intentional and shaped by her environment. She flattens and stretches clay into thin sheets, applies slip, and joins the layers at a pace influenced by the day’s temperature and humidity.

Toshiko uses this same process to create both sculptural and functional pieces, from vases to mugs, each one reflecting the quiet strength and adaptability found in nature.