Wender·Vista
Gifu
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileJapan
on the Nagara River in central Honshu

Gifu

— the night the cormorants take the river.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A castle town on the Nagara River, midway between Nagoya and the Japan Alps. The keep at the top of Mount Kinka was once Oda Nobunaga's seat, the place from which, in 1567, he set out to unify the country. Each summer evening from May to October, fishermen take cormorants out by torchlight, as they have on this river for more than a thousand years.

from the studio
Gifu
— bring it home

Gifu, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Gifu

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Gifu City is the capital of Gifu Prefecture in central Honshu, set on the south bank of the Nagara River, about 30 km north of Nagoya. The city sits at the foot of Mount Kinka, which rises to 329 m and carries the reconstructed Gifu Castle on its summit. The keep is reached by ropeway from Gifu Park or by a steep hiking trail. The 1567 capture of the castle by Oda Nobunaga is considered the start of his rise to national power.

— the year

From 11 May to 15 October each year, cormorant fishing, ukai, takes place on the Nagara River below the castle. The technique uses leashed seabirds to catch ayu (sweetfish) by the light of an iron brazier hung from the bow of a flat wooden boat. The practice is documented for at least 1,300 years on this river; the head fisherman holds an imperial appointment and the title Usho. Spectator boats follow the fleet down from a launching point near the Nagara Bridge.

— informed by Gifu City Ukai
— the visit

The Gifu Castle ropeway runs daily from Gifu Park to a station near the summit; the final climb to the keep is on a short stone path through the trees. The current reconstruction dates to 1956 but stands on the original mountaintop foundations laid in the 13th century. Below, the historic Kawaramachi district preserves Edo-era merchant houses near the cormorant boat docks. The city is reached from Nagoya in about 20 minutes on the JR Tokaido Line.

— informed by Wikipedia: Gifu Castle
— where
Japan · Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture
— position
35.4233° N · 136.7606° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
2 km N
Gifu Castle
mountaintop keep
2 km N
Mount Kinka
mountain
1 km N
Nagara River
river
2 km N
Kawaramachi
Edo merchant district
30 km S
Nagoya
city
N
Gifu
Gifu Castle
Mount Kinka
Nagara River
Kawaramachi
Nagoya
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Gifu — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Gifu City sits on the Nagara River in central Honshu, about 30 km north of Nagoya. It is the capital of Gifu Prefecture and one of the older castle towns of the region.

Ukai is the traditional Japanese practice of fishing with cormorants. On the Nagara River it has been performed for more than 1,300 years and runs nightly from May to October.

A sixteenth-century warlord who captured Gifu Castle in 1567 and made it his base for the campaign to unify Japan. He renamed the town Gifu and used the seal Tenka Fubu.

About 329 m. The reconstructed Gifu Castle stands on its summit and is reached by ropeway from Gifu Park, with a short stone path to the keep itself.

Nightly from 11 May to 15 October, weather and water permitting. The fleet launches from the Nagara River bank below the castle and returns around 10 in the evening.

By Shinkansen to Nagoya, then about 20 minutes on the JR Tokaido Line to Gifu Station. Total travel from Tokyo runs around two hours, from Kyoto under an hour.

— about the piece in your home

It often is. Gifu is less familiar to outside visitors than Kyoto or Tokyo, so the recognition runs deep. A Medium on Glossy with a note from the studio carries it well.

The piece reads well in Japandi, warm minimalist, and Maximalist Asian rooms. The river greens and castle ochres bridge interiors built around natural wood, paper, and indigo textiles.

Yes. Japandi rooms favor scenes with depth and quiet, a single landmark, a river, a sense of night air, over busy graphics. The composition suits that brief.

A single Large is the usual sofa scale. A four-tile Mural fills a longer wall; a nine-tile Mural reads as a window over the river itself.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and unbothered by humidity, which makes them well-suited to backsplashes, shower walls, and vanity surrounds.

A soft microfibre cloth and clean water are all the surface needs. The color is infused into the ceramic and will not fade, peel, or wash off.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our Knoxville studio. The visual language belongs to Reid Wender's eye and is not licensed from any outside artist or stock library.

— if this one stayed with you

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