shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileJapan

on the Seto Inland Sea, east of Hiroshima

Kure

— — the harbour that built the largest ship ever launched.

— 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

— 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 working port on the Seto Inland Sea, ringed by low green mountains and a long string of islands. Kure built the battleship Yamato in the dry dock that still sits at the centre of town, and the cranes from that century are still working. The shipyards run right up against the houses. From the hill above the museum you can see the channels the carriers came home through.

from the studio

— bring it home

Kure, 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 Kure

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

Kure sits on a deep natural harbour on the Seto Inland Sea, about 25 kilometres south-east of Hiroshima city. Mountains close on the harbour from three sides, and a chain of small islands shelters it from the open sea. The city's population is roughly 210,000. It was incorporated in 1902 and grew around the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kure Naval Arsenal, established the same decade. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force still bases a fleet here.

— informed by Wikipedia — Kure, Hiroshima, Kure City official site

— the stone

Kure's defining structure is its dry dock. Dock Number Four, completed in 1940, was at the time the largest in the world; it built the battleship Yamato — at 263 metres and 72,800 tonnes the heaviest battleship ever launched. The Yamato Museum, opened on the harbour in 2005, holds a 26.3-metre 1:10 scale model and the wreck's salvaged parts. Across the plaza, the JMSDF Kure Museum displays the submarine Akishio out of the water.

— informed by Yamato Museum (Kure Maritime Museum)

— the visit

The Yamato Museum is open daily except Tuesdays, with admission of 500 yen for adults as of 2024. The JMSDF Kure Museum, across the harbour plaza, is free and closes Tuesdays as well. From Hiroshima Station, the Kure Line runs along the coast and reaches Kure in about 35 minutes; the views from the right-side window pass through Etajima's island channels. Haigamine Observatory above town gives the full harbour at dusk.

— informed by Hiroshima Tourism — Kure

— where

Japan · Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture

— position

34.2333° N · 132.5667° 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.

25 km NW

Hiroshima

prefectural capital

8 km S

Etajima

island

30 km W

Miyajima

island shrine

4 km N

Haigamine Observatory

viewpoint

Kure

Hiroshima

Etajima

Miyajima

Haigamine Observatory

— common questions

What people ask.

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

— about the place

On the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, about 25 kilometres south-east of Hiroshima city. It is reachable by the JR Kure Line in roughly 35 minutes from Hiroshima Station.

It was the home of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kure Naval Arsenal from the early 1900s through 1945, and the dry dock where the battleship Yamato was built in 1940.

A 26.3-metre 1:10 scale model of the battleship Yamato, salvaged components from the wreck, a Zero fighter, and a kaiten manned torpedo. It opened on the harbour in April 2005.

Yes. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force operates a major base at Kure, and the commercial shipyards still build civilian vessels in the same docks the navy once used.

Haigamine Observatory, on a low ridge north of the centre at 737 metres. The view takes in the harbour, the islands of the Inland Sea, and the lights of Hiroshima on a clear evening.

By the JR Kure Line along the coast, by frequent buses, and by ferries that cross to Etajima and other islands in the Inland Sea. The drive is roughly 45 minutes.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried for sailors, shipyard families, and visitors who toured the Yamato Museum. The harbour and dry dock are the city's identity. A Medium or a Large hangs well in a study.

Japandi, working-port industrial, and warm minimalist rooms. The deep blue water and warm harbour lights hold against oak, blackened steel, and unfinished linen.

Yes. Japandi reads best when its place references are specific rather than generic. A named working port on the Seto Inland Sea grounds the room in a real geography.

A single Large above a console. Above a sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the harbour panorama. For a hallway run, a 9-tile Mural reads as a long horizon line of water and ships.

Yes, in our Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and rated for vertical wet installations, including kitchen backsplashes and shower walls.

A soft microfibre cloth, lightly damp with water. The colour is set into the ceramic surface and will not lift. Avoid abrasive pads or solvent cleaners.

Yes. Reid Wender curates the atlas and the studio finishes every tile in-house in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no third-party prints.

— if this one stayed with you