Wender·Vista
Tsushima Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileJapan
in the strait between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula

Tsushima Island

— — an island the sea wrote both sides of.

— 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

“An island in the strait that separates Kyushu from the Korean Peninsula, closer to Busan than to mainland Japan. Two main landmasses, cut through by a narrow artificial channel since 1900, hold a folded coast of rias, cedar slopes, and small fishing harbours. The Mongol fleets landed here in 1274 and again in 1281. The strait gave its name to the 1905 naval battle that ended the Russo-Japanese War. from the studio

from the studio
Tsushima Island
— bring it home

Tsushima 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 Tsushima 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

Tsushima is a long, mountainous island in the Korea Strait, administratively part of Nagasaki Prefecture though it lies closer to Busan than to Fukuoka. The two main landmasses, Kamishima in the north and Shimoshima in the south, together cover about 696 square kilometres and hold a population of roughly 28,000. The two were a single island until 1900, when the Imperial Japanese Navy cut the narrow Manzeki Strait through the isthmus to shorten the route for warships. Cedar and broadleaf forest covers nearly nine-tenths of the land area.

— the silence

Tsushima sits on a fault between two histories. The Mongol expeditionary fleets of Kublai Khan made landfall here in 1274 and again in 1281, and the island's defenders were overwhelmed both times before the typhoons later called kamikaze broke the invasions further out at sea. Six and a half centuries later, the strait gave its name to the May 1905 naval battle in which the Imperial Japanese fleet under Admiral Tōgō destroyed the Russian Baltic Squadron, effectively ending the Russo-Japanese War. The island's small museums hold relics from both campaigns.

— the visit

Tsushima is reached by ferry from Hakata Port in Fukuoka, a run of about five hours, or by a short flight from Fukuoka or Nagasaki to Tsushima Airport on the southern island. A high-speed ferry from Busan crosses the strait in about an hour and a quarter. The narrow Manzeki Bridge spans the cut between the two main islands. Spring brings cherry blossom in the lowlands; autumn turns the cedar slopes a deep rust. Local roads are slow because the coast folds in and out of every ria along the shore.

— informed by Tsushima Tourism
— where
Japan · Tsushima City
— within
Iki-Tsushima Quasi-National Park
— position
34.4000° N · 129.3000° 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.
at the lake
Manzeki Bridge
bridge over the Manzeki Strait
at the lake
Watatsumi Shrine
shrine with tidal torii gates
at the lake
Eboshidake Observatory
viewpoint over Asō Bay
at the lake
Kaneda Castle ruins
seventh-century mountain fortress
N
Tsushima Island
Manzeki Bridge
Watatsumi Shrine
Eboshidake Observatory
Kaneda Castle ruins
— common questions

What people ask.

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

Tsushima lies in the Korea Strait between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula. It is administratively part of Nagasaki Prefecture but sits closer to Busan than to mainland Japan, about fifty kilometres from the Korean coast.

Tsushima covers about 696 square kilometres across two main landmasses, Kamishima and Shimoshima, and is home to roughly 28,000 people. Nearly nine-tenths of the land is cedar and broadleaf forest.

Tsushima was a single island until 1900, when the Imperial Japanese Navy cut the narrow Manzeki Strait through the isthmus at its waist to shorten the route for warships crossing between the bays.

The expeditionary fleets of Kublai Khan made landfall on Tsushima in 1274 and again in 1281. The island's defenders were overwhelmed both times before typhoons later called kamikaze broke the invasions further out at sea.

A decisive naval battle fought in the strait in May 1905, in which the Imperial Japanese fleet under Admiral Tōgō destroyed the Russian Baltic Squadron after its eighteen-thousand-mile voyage. The defeat effectively ended the Russo-Japanese War.

Most travelers come by ferry from Hakata Port in Fukuoka, a five-hour run, or by a short flight to Tsushima Airport. A high-speed ferry from Busan crosses the strait in about an hour and a quarter.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for many of our customers connected to the island and to wider Nagasaki Prefecture. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The piece reads well with Japandi, Wabi-Sabi modern, and Coastal-modern rooms. The cedar greens and tide-coloured water of the island give the surface a quiet that pairs with light oak, linen, and unpolished stone.

A single Large covers most sofas. For a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural carries the weight; a 9-tile Mural fills a console-to-ceiling stretch and reads as a wall installation rather than a framed piece.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for vertical installations in wet rooms; both resist water and scratches. The Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall art in drier rooms of the house.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water are all the surface needs. Skip abrasive sponges and ammonia-based cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so it will not lift or fade with regular cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista painting is made in the Knoxville studio by Reid Wender, the curator. We do not license imagery from other studios, and no painting appears in more than one atlas.

— if this one stayed with you

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