potter
verb
to move around without hurrying, and in a relaxed and pleasant way
Pottering Cat is a small Japanese family owned company exclusively making cat themed stationery and zakka (Japanese word for miscellaneous household items that improve your quality of life). Founded by Norikazu Machida in 1996, they have a total of 4 employees. Pottering Cat is based in the riverside town of Itabashi, on the northern outskirts of Tokyo.
Machida-san has a background in art and design. He was awarded the International Exhibition Excellence Award in 1996 by the The Art Directors Club of New York. Pottering Cat espouses his personal philosophy of being kind to animals , which means he is in favor of vegan lifestyle and adopting stray animals vs. purchasing pets from breeders. They are also strongly against using and producing animal leather products and sports such as horse racing, as stated on their webpage. A portion of their profits are donated to animal welfare every year.
There are over 200 designs including manuscript paper, envelopes, letterpads, enamel pins, phone straps, rubber stamps or hanko, photo frames, brass bookmarks, photo frames, key chains, stickers, posters, notepads, t-shirts and fridge magnets. With such a wide range to choose from, something will connect with just about any cat lover out there.
From our experience, quality is top notch and on par for the price, which is very reasonable. The reason for this is because a lot of their products are produced in China. So on one hand you have something that is designed in Japan but mostly produced overseas. On the other hand you can collect a lot more without busting the piggy bank. That’s an acceptable trade-off to us. There’s only so much a small business with four employees can produce in-house.
As for getting your paws on them, their page lists Japanese and international retailers here, and some of them have online stores such as Niconeco Zakkaya based out of new York and CutethingsfromJapan.com which is based in Tokyo. A lot of their stuff is also listed on Amazon Japan. Amazon US doesn’t really carry their stocks although there are some unbranded Chinese copies with a far inferior quality.
Of course, you can support them directly by purchasing straight from their own website. The challenge for most of us will be that it’s all in Japanese, and Google translate doesn’t always work perfectly. Plus the payment methods they currently offer might be a hassle for those outside of Japan.
Personally, I’m looking forward to getting more of the seasonal and fluffy postcards, bookmarks, enamel pins and a rubber stamp or two in the near future. Although I would be reluctant to use a metal bookmark on any of my books, these look really nice and collectable.
With the company’s positive stance against animal products and their dedication to taking care of strays, I wouldn’t hesitate purchasing their products to give away as gifts as well.
So if you’re looking for some cat themed collectibles that are cute, whimsical and not priced too over the top, be sure to give Pottering Cat a try. And if you’re already familiar with this brand, let me know in the comments what your favorite items are!
*Purresenting is a series showcasing independent artists and businesses from all over the world that make the best cat themed collectibles and gifts.
*Click here for more posts showcasing art and collectibles from Japan!
