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New Studio Ghibli clock pays homage to anime soot sprites at the museum

Oona McGee Mar 29, 2022
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Beautiful timepiece comes with an equally beautiful backstory.

Longtime followers of Studio Ghibli’s Japanese Twitter account have had their eye on a mysterious clock for quite some time now, as it makes random appearances in photos shared by the studio.

▼ An example tweet, which shows the clock, with no message or description.

https://twitter.com/JP_GHIBLI/status/1476539064413298691

Every time the timepiece appears, followers chime in with a chorus of calls to make the clock available to the public. Well, it appears the studio was listening, because that very timepiece is now finally on sale, and the good news is, it’s affordable too!

Called the “Kurosuke Sensui Mado” (“Soot Sprite Underwater Window“), the clock is unique in that it represents a beloved design feature seen at the museum — a window of soot sprites peering out from an exterior wall.

▼ It’s like they’re peering out from the window of a submarine.

While the clock had been a mystery to fans for many months, all was revealed when it became available to the public on the weekend. According to the museum, the product was created by Italian ceramic artist Antonio Zaccarella, who’s known for his unusual timepieces.

▼ A sample of Zaccarella’s works.

イタリアの陶芸家＜アントニオザッカレラ＞デザインの置時計(各12,960円/税込)。陶器製の文字盤に、どこか温かみを感じます。全て手作りなので、絵柄や焼き加減によって作品ごとに個性が出るんですって！7階＝時計売場 pic.twitter.com/6pTRRz3WIZ

— 小田急百貨店町田店【公式】 (@odakyu_m) June 2, 2016

Zaccarella created the Soot Sprite clock exclusively for Studio Ghibli, and each one is handcrafted and fired individually, creating unique gradations of colour that add even more charm to the characters on the timepiece.

▼ The attention to detail is truly impressive, and how cute are these Soot Sprites?

▼ Each clock measures 11 centimetres (4.3 inches) in diameter, and comes with a removable stand.

▼ This allows you to choose whether you want to display it on a tabletop…

▼ …or up on a wall.

With the big announcement of the clock going on sale, the studio also revealed a few more special details about, namely the fact that the clock everyone had been seeing on their Twitter account actually lives in director Hayao Miyazaki’s atelier.

▼ It sits on a table at the entrance, next to a wood-carving of a bear and a couple of cork dogs.

https://twitter.com/JP_GHIBLI/status/1507653253898838019

Studio Ghibli went on to give some more sweet details about the clock that they’d previously been so secretive about, saying:

“Hayao Miyazaki usually arrives at the office before Toshio Suzuki, but sometimes, when Suzuki arrives first, he looks at the clock and says idly, ‘He’s a little late today, isn’t he?'”

https://twitter.com/JP_GHIBLI/status/1507521352361996296

Fans are now jumping at the chance to own the same clock that beguiles Miyazaki and Suzuki every day, and thankfully it’s within reach of our budgets, priced at 14,300 yen (US$116.24).

Available now at the Ghibli Museum online store, these clocks are a lot more affordable than their Spirited Away samue!

Source: Ghibli Museum
Featured Image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Ghibli Museum
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