One of the most common questions we hear is some version of: what actually happens to my piece after I hand it over? It is a fair question. You have spent two hours painting something and then you leave it in a studio. Here is a plain account of what happens next.

The 48-hour wait before the kiln

After your session, the piece is moved to a drying rack behind the studio. Underglaze needs to be fully dry before it goes into the kiln; residual moisture can cause problems during firing, including small cracks in areas where the pigment is thickly applied. We typically wait two to three days before loading a piece into the kiln. This is why collection is one week after your visit rather than sooner.

Applying the glaze coat

Once the underglaze is dry, a studio assistant applies a clear glaze coat over the painted surface. For functional pieces such as cups and plates, this is a food-safe transparent glaze that fires to a smooth finish. For purely decorative pieces the visitor can choose between a high-gloss clear glaze and a matte transparent glaze. The choice affects how the colours read after firing; matte finishes tend to preserve the chalky quality of the underglaze, while gloss finishes deepen the colours.

The firing

The studio kiln is a Nabertherm front-loader installed in late 2019. The firing cycle runs at 1,230 degrees Celsius and takes approximately 48 hours from start to finish, including the slow cool-down that prevents thermal shock. The kiln is loaded to capacity before each firing, which means pieces from different sessions may fire together. Each piece is labelled with a code that matches the visitor's booking record.

Collection and shipping

We contact visitors by email when the kiln has cooled and the piece is ready for collection. Collection is available during regular opening hours, Tuesday to Sunday. Pieces are wrapped in tissue paper and placed in a Willow Panel Gate sleeve box. If collection is not possible, we ship via Yamato Transport for 880 yen flat anywhere in Japan. Breakage in transit is rare but does occur; we photograph every piece before packing.

The full process from painting table to collection takes approximately one week. If your piece has a specific collection deadline, such as a birthday or a trip departure, let us know in the booking notes and we will schedule the firing accordingly where possible.