Wender·Vista
Nara
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileJapan
south of Kyoto, in the Kansai basin

Nara

— — the slow bow of a deer in late afternoon.

— 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

“Nara was Japan's capital for most of the eighth century, and the city still moves at that older pace. The deer in the park belong to the shrine, technically: descendants of a herd considered sacred at Kasuga Taisha since the 700s. They bow for the rice crackers vendors sell. Most days, that's the loudest thing in the park.

from the studio
Nara
— bring it home

Nara, 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 Nara

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

Nara sits in the Kansai basin, about 40 kilometres south of Kyoto and 30 east of Osaka, the seat of Japan's imperial court from 710 to 794. The Nara Park district holds eight UNESCO-listed monuments, including Tōdai-ji, whose Great Buddha Hall is among the largest wooden buildings in the world, and the vermilion shrine complex of Kasuga Taisha. Roughly 1,200 sika deer roam freely through the park, protected since the eighth century and designated a national natural treasure.

— the year

Kasuga Taisha holds about 3,000 lanterns: roughly 2,000 stone lanterns along its paths and 1,000 bronze lanterns hung from its eaves. They are lit twice a year, at Setsubun Mantoro in early February and Chugen Mantoro on the nights of 14 and 15 August. On those evenings the path through the cedar grove reads as a corridor of soft amber, and the shrine returns to something close to how it looked in the Heian period.

— the visit

Nara Park is open continuously and free to enter. Tōdai-ji's Great Buddha Hall charges 800 yen and opens at 7:30 in summer, 8:00 in winter. Shika senbei, the deer crackers vendors sell at marked stalls, cost 200 yen a bundle and are the only food the deer should be offered. The park is a 20-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station, or 25 minutes from JR Nara on the slower line.

— informed by Wikipedia — Tōdai-ji
— where
Japan · Nara, Nara Prefecture
— within
Nara Park
— position
34.6851° N · 135.8048° 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.
40 km N
Kyoto
former imperial capital
30 km W
Osaka
city
15 km SW
Hōryū-ji
Buddhist temple complex
N
Nara
Kyoto
Osaka
Hōryū-ji
— common questions

What people ask.

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

The herd is considered sacred at Kasuga Taisha, where a deity is said to have arrived on a white deer in the eighth century. The deer have been protected since, and are designated a national natural treasure.

The Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji, a 15-metre bronze figure cast in the 740s, and the free-roaming sika deer of Nara Park. Both date to the city's eighth-century run as Japan's capital.

Nara was founded as the imperial capital Heijō-kyō in 710 and held that role until 794, when the court moved to Heian-kyō, the city now called Kyoto. The temple district predates the capital.

Twice a year: Setsubun Mantoro on 3 February, and Chugen Mantoro on 14 and 15 August. All 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns are lit on those evenings, beginning at dusk.

The Kintetsu Nara line takes about 45 minutes from Kyoto Station for around 760 yen, with a limited-express option at 1,290 yen. JR's Nara line is slightly cheaper and slightly slower.

— about the piece in your home

It's a meaningful gift for travellers and former residents alike. Most visitors leave with a memory of the deer at the park's edge, and the tile holds that quietly. A Small or Medium with a note from the studio carries well.

The piece sits well in Japandi, Minimalist Asian, and warm-neutral rooms. The deep cedar greens and lantern amber complement oak, linen, and unfinished wood.

A single Large fills a console wall. Above a standard sofa, a four-tile Mural reads better, and a nine-tile Mural anchors a longer wall.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and moisture-tolerant. The Glossy finish is intended for framed wall display rather than wet rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it will not lift or fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house by the studio's curator, Reid Wender, in a single visual language we use across the whole atlas. No licensed or stock imagery is involved.

— if this one stayed with you

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