The Atlas Obscura Podcast Maine Week: Hanako Nakazato’s Pottery Studio
Dec 23, 2025
Hanako Nakazato, a Japanese-born ceramicist, splits her time between Maine and Japan, drawing inspiration from both worlds. She shares her journey from resisting her family's pottery legacy to embracing it, especially influenced by Maine’s stunning landscapes. Hanako discusses how Maine's colors have shifted her palette, connecting the meditative process of pottery with intuition. She celebrates imperfection, drawing parallels between Zen aesthetics and the rugged beauty of her surroundings, while encouraging versatile use of her creations through her studio name, Mono.
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From Rebellion To Returning Home
- Hanako grew up in Karatsu, a long-standing pottery hub, and initially resisted becoming a potter because it felt too close to home.
- After moving to the U.S. at 16 she reconnected with her heritage and decided to make tools to enjoy Japanese dining culture.
Variety Forms A Cohesive Aesthetic
- Hanako compares Japanese table settings' variety to Maine's mixed landscape, finding beauty in balanced diversity rather than uniformity.
- She treats contrast and variety as a source of cohesion rather than disorder.
Production Pottery As Meditation
- In her Union, Maine studio Hanako works repetitively, throwing dozens of identical cups to enter a physical, meditative flow.
- She listens to house music and relies on rhythm to let go and produce hundreds of pieces when in production mode.