Shopping Guide
The city of Nomi, located in the Ishikawa prefecture, is the home of Kutani ware. Last year, Nomi celebrated its 7th anniversary as a municipality. Fans of Ultraman will be interested to know that the scenario writer who worked on Ultraman and Ultra Seven, Mamoru Sasaki (1936-2006), lived in the Nomi area. However, the city is much younger than the Ultra Heroes.
With its relationship to the popular series, the local government of Nomi together with Tsuburaya Productions collaborated on a small theme park called Ultraman Stadium, which opened in 2004. The park was closed by Tsuburaya Productions in 2007, but due to an outcry from fans, it was reopened last year. It’s safe to say that Nomi City is becoming Ultra City.
In celebration of their 7th anniversary, Nomi City held several events themed around Ultra Seven. The events were a huge hit, and an original collection of Ultra Kutani ware was created. The collection started with Alien Baltan from Ultraman and was followed up by Ultraman (we’re not sure why he wasn’t made first), Kanegon, and Pigmon. The collection was made by famous Kutani artisans.
This year, a new collection of Ultra Kutani ware was introduced. This collection includes Ultra Seven, Eleking, and Alien Metron, and was produced by young female Kutani artisans. Fans can even go to Nomi City to paint their very own Ultra Kutani ware. It’s even been said that these painted versions will go on sale soon. Keep your eyes open if you want one!
