A field guide to shisa makers — ceramics, resin art, Ishijishi (stone lion): twelve artisans at one Senaga Island shop

On the shelves of Shisa Chui, pieces that all count as "shisa" could not be more different: dependable standards, artist works carried in only two shops in the prefecture, one-of-a-kind stone carvings.

This is a field guide to the makers you can meet at this shop in Senaga Island's Umikaji Terrace. All prices are "from" figures and can change — check in the shop for the latest.

Ceramics — from standards to characters

The classic entry point is Asahi Toki (from 1,700 yen): palm-sized "mini" pieces, "small standing/lying" figures sturdy enough for outdoor use, and the "medium standing" — the most standard size seen at Okinawan gates, and the shop's first recommendation for a larger piece at a fair price.

Tamagusuku Toki (from 2,000 yen) is the original cute-style shisa with a beaming smile, solidly made yet affordable. The shop also carries Takaesu Tojiki (from 6,800 yen).

Lequian Colored (from 3,300 yen) has a charming squared form and has appeared in an in-flight magazine; made by a single artist, supply is limited. Asuchin shisa (from 3,400 yen) are unglazed bisque pieces with singular forms and bursting smiles — the artist herself, the shop notes, is every bit as cheerful and powerful.

Art pieces — including the owner's favorite

Hiroki Koichi (from 3,300 yen) makes art shisa that honor the classic form and then carry it somewhere entirely his own. Carried by only about two shops in the prefecture including this one — and the artist the owner loves most.

In resin, wave-motif resin-art shisa (from 8,200 yen) are favorites of sea lovers, while Redesign (from 3,000 yen) scatters color and pattern through glass-like clarity that fits quiet interiors.

There is also a painted route: Atelier Ponmadan (from 11,000 yen), idiosyncratic shisa in acrylics, and Elizabeth (from 11,000 yen), acrylic and print works by an American artist living in Okinawa.

Wood, papier-mache, and Ishijishi

Mokkobo Hikari (from 1,680 yen) cuts each wooden shisa from Okinawan timber with a jigsaw. Tasogareya (from 2,800 yen) makes a rare egg-shaped shisa of gettou-paper papier-mache.

Studio de-jin (from 4,000 yen) carves shisa from limestone quarried in Okinawa, taking as its motif Ishijishi, the village guardian said to be the shisa's origin. One-of-a-kind limestone Ishiganto (from 660 yen) stand alongside them.

For easy souvenirs, there are Nansei Sangyo's small items (from 660 yen — resin figures, keychains, magnets, plush toys) and the shop's own original goods (from 280 yen — stickers, keychains, bags, T-shirts), sold only at this shop.

Where to start

Start affordable with Asahi Toki, Tamagusuku Toki, or Mokkobo Hikari; choose by character with Hiroki Koichi, Asuchin, or Lequian Colored; for interiors, resin and paintings; for the guardian lineage, de-jin's Ishijishi. Any door works. Note that tax-free purchase is not available. Products are sold at the shop only, but mail order and shipping can be arranged on inquiry.

And if you cannot decide, ask the owner. Through his approved online consultation window, share your taste, budget, and the spot you have in mind, and ask which maker to start with — before your trip. It clearly discloses that an AI is answering, the content is based on the owner's first-hand information, and it is free.