Wender·Vista
Ishigaki Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileJapan
in the Yaeyama Islands, southwest of Okinawa

Ishigaki Island

— — the blue the reef puts under the boat.

— 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

“The largest of the Yaeyama Islands, closer to Taiwan than to mainland Japan. Kabira Bay sits on the north coast — a half-moon of white sand and impossibly pale water where black pearls are still farmed and swimming is not allowed. The interior is jungle and sugarcane; Mount Omoto is the highest point in Okinawa Prefecture. Coffee plants grow here. The road around the island takes a slow afternoon. The Yaeyama dialect is its own language, older than the road.

from the studio
Ishigaki Island
— bring it home

Ishigaki Island, 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 Ishigaki Island

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

Ishigaki is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands, the southwestern group of the Ryukyu Archipelago in Okinawa Prefecture. The island covers about 222 square kilometres and lies roughly 410 kilometres southwest of Okinawa's main island and 270 kilometres east of Taiwan. Mount Omoto rises to 526 metres, the highest point in Okinawa Prefecture. The island is part of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, established in 2007 and expanded in 2016. The population sits near 48,000, concentrated in Ishigaki City on the south coast.

— the colour

Kabira Bay's water reads as pale jade because of a shallow sand floor, a fringing coral reef, and a tidal current that keeps the silt moving rather than settling. Swimming is prohibited in the bay itself; the colour is held by glass-bottom boats that run from the shoreline. The bay is the only place in Japan that still farms black-lipped pearl oysters, an industry founded here in 1914 by Kichimatsu Mikimoto's brother. The reef beyond the bay supports manta rays that aggregate off Ishigaki between July and October.

— informed by Wikipedia — Kabira Bay
— the visit

Ishigaki has its own airport, New Ishigaki Airport, opened in 2013, with direct flights from Tokyo, Osaka, and Naha. The island is the staging point for ferries to Taketomi, Iriomote, and Hateruma, all part of the same national park. Kabira Bay sits about thirty minutes by road northwest of the city. The rainy season runs May into June; typhoon season runs August into October. The clearest water and the manta aggregations align in late summer, after the rains and before the typhoons.

— where
Japan · Okinawa Prefecture
— within
Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park
— position
24.3400° N · 124.1600° 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.
18 km NW
Kabira Bay
bay and pearl farm
8 km SW
Taketomi Island
small island
25 km W
Iriomote Island
jungle island
N
Ishigaki Island
Kabira Bay
Taketomi Island
Iriomote Island
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Ishigaki is the largest island of the Yaeyama group in Okinawa Prefecture, about 410 kilometres southwest of Okinawa's main island and 270 kilometres east of Taiwan. It sits in the southwestern Ryukyu Archipelago.

Kabira Bay is a sheltered half-moon bay on Ishigaki's north coast, known for pale jade water over a shallow sand floor. Swimming is not permitted; the bay is viewed from shore or by glass-bottom boat.

The bay's jade tone comes from a shallow sand bottom, a fringing coral reef that breaks the swell, and tidal currents that keep fine silt suspended. Sunlight reflects through the column rather than off a dark floor.

New Ishigaki Airport, opened in 2013, has direct flights from Tokyo (Haneda and Narita), Osaka, and Naha. Ferries connect Ishigaki to Taketomi, Iriomote, and the other Yaeyama islands several times a day.

Late September through early November is generally the clearest window, after typhoon season eases and before winter fronts arrive. July and August offer the manta-ray season but bring heat and storms.

Mount Omoto, at 526 metres above sea level, is Ishigaki's highest peak and also the highest point in Okinawa Prefecture. The summit is reached on a forest trail of about two hours.

— about the piece in your home

Ishigaki holds a particular place for Okinawa travellers because it is the quieter, less-developed south. A Small or Medium speaks to someone who has been to Kabira Bay and remembers the colour. The Coaster Set carries the bay around the kitchen.

The jade-and-sand palette suits Japandi, Coastal-modern, and Warm Minimalist rooms. It also pairs cleanly with raw oak, linen, and the unglazed pottery common in Okinawan craft.

Japandi has moved past general Japanese motifs toward specific, named places. A piece anchored to Kabira Bay and the Yaeyama Islands reads as considered and lived-with rather than as a stylised idea of Japan.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large carries the wall. Above a console or low bench, a Medium reads at the right scale. For a feature wall, the 4-tile Mural or 9-tile Mural opens the room.

Yes. Order the tile in the Dura Satin or Matte finish for damp or splash-prone rooms. Both finishes are scratch-resistant; the colour lives in the ceramic surface itself, not in a separate top coat.

Wipe with a soft microfibre cloth and water. For kitchen splashes, a drop of mild dish soap is fine. Avoid abrasive pads and scouring powders, which can dull the surface over time.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, curated by Reid Wender. We do not license third-party art and we do not resell stock imagery.

— if this one stayed with you

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Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.