Japanese pottery and porcelain

Koishiwara pottery 小石原焼

Koishiwara ware is pottery made in Toho Village, Asakura District, Fukuoka Prefecture. They mainly make everyday items. Koishiwara ware started in 1682, when Kuroda Mitsuyuki invited potters from Imari and established a kiln. It was the first area to produce pottery in Chikuho.It is known for its unique geometrical patterns that are made using hakeme, tobikanna, and kushikaki. They often use a raw glazing technique, which means they pour the glaze without bisque firing. This technique later reached Onta ware in Hita City, Oita Prefecture, which is why Onta ware and Koishiwara ware are similar. Bernard Leach, who significantly changed (more…)

Kuromuta pottery 黒牟田焼

Kuromuta ware is pottery made in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture. It is considered folk pottery like Onta ware. They used to make all kinds of everyday items that the common people throughout Hizen used.In the Meiji era, they had 40 kilns, but currently they have just one, Maruta Nobumasa’s kiln. In the 1960s–70s, the late Maruta Masami also participated in making Kuromuta ware. Maruta is known to have trained under Hamada Shoji, who holds an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure). Maruta was known as “One of the artists that represent the folk art of the west.” However, in (more…)

Kasama pottery 笠間焼

Kasama ware is pottery and porcelain made around the area of Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Between 1772–1781, Kuno Hanuemon from Hakoda village (currently Hakoda, Kasama City) started making pottery under the guidance of Choemon, a potter from Shigaraki, and established a kiln.With the start of the Meiji era, Kasuma had 9 kilns, and was known for producing coarse ceramic kitchenware. However, after the war, people’s lifestyles significantly changed, forcing the village of pottery, which had been the best in the Kanto region for over 100 years, to switch from coarse ceramic kitchenware to artistic pottery. However, it is currently known (more…)

Mikawachi porcelain 三川内焼

Mikawachi ware is porcelain made in Mikawachi Town, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and is also known as Hirado ware. It is believed that Mikawachi ware started in the Azuchi Momoyama period, when Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi took back a talented potter back to Japan during the Imjin War, and had him establish a kiln in Japan.One of the characteristics of Mikawachi ware is its translucent white color. At first, the potters were not able to find good materials on Hirado Island, so they had to go search in various places, and ended up in Mikawachi. Around 1670, they discovered a white (more…)

Hasami porcelain 波佐見焼

Hasami ware is porcelain made in Hasami town, Higashisonogi District, Nagasaki Prefecture. Since they opened in 1599, they have produced the largest quantities of blue-and-white porcelain in Japan. However, they have been overshadowed by the famous Arita ware, which was located a mountain away. They are not well-known, but it is said that many of Arita ware products were in fact Hasami ware products. It is also believed that most of the porcelain that was excavated from ruins since the Edo period in the 18th century was Hasami ware.In the beginning, they used to produce celadon porcelain, but eventually they (more…)

Shibukusa porcelain 渋草焼

It is said to have begun when the 21st Gundai of Takayama in Hida, Toyoda Fujinoshin built a joint government/private-owned kiln in year 11 of the Bunsei era(1840) in order to make ceramics self-sufficient.Inviting potters from nearby Kutani and Seto, they mainly produced porcelain and developed the Seto-style and Kutani-style known as Hida Aka-e and Hida Kutani.However, at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, the support and protection from clans disappeared, and craftsmen such as potters and ceramic painters were separated and forced to abandon the kiln for a while. Though in year 11 of the Meiji era (1878), Miwa (more…)

Matsushiro pottery 松代焼

Matsushiro ware is pottery and porcelain made in Matsushiro District, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture. However, Matsushiro got famous in the castle town of the Sanada Clan, and flourished as the clan’s official kiln. In the beginning of the Kansei era, Kaheiji, a potter who trained in Karatsu, established a kiln, and made indigo earthenware pots. After that, in 1816, the kiln was promoted as Matsushiro ware by the Matsushiro Domain’s kiln. At that time, Kaheiji’s kiln was acquired, and many potteries were established. Potters invited from Kyoto made Terao ware, potters invited from Shigaraki made Tennozan ware, and potters invited (more…)

Obori-soma pottery 大堀相馬焼

Obori Soma ware is pottery made in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture. In 1690, Sama, the manservant of the feudal retainer of Oshu field, Obori Village (currently 1-Chome, Obori, Namie), Hangai Nizaemon (Kyukan), learned the techniques of manufacturing pottery at Soma Domain’s kiln (Tashiro kiln), which is located in Nakamura Castle Town (Currently Soma City), and established a kiln in Obori Village.Obori ware is made from good-quality clay, gathered from Mt. Utsukushimori in Namie Town. As for the glaze, they use a lot of ash glaze, rice husk glaze, ameyu, and black glaze. Their pieces are known to be extremely lightweight (more…)

Soma-koma pottery 相馬駒焼

Soma Koma ware is an old pottery established in 1626 by the founder, Tashiro Seijiuemon, who is said to have trained under Nonomura Ninsei. Tashiro Pottery, located in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, currently carries on the tradition as the only kiln left. It is said that Soma Koma ware’s trademark, “Hashirigoma,” has to be done in 32 brush strokes.Until the Meiji Restoration, their items were considered prohibited goods to the public. It is believed that they were introduced to the public around the time of the 13th generation. Their climbing kiln was designated as an Important Cultural Property of the (more…)

Koito pottery 小糸焼

Koito ware is the oldest kiln in the history of Hida Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture.In the early Edo period, Hida was Kanamori family’s territory. The third lord of the Takayama Castle, Kanamori Shigeyori, and his elder brother, combined efforts with kanamori Sowa, the patriarch of the Sowa-style tea ceremony, and tea ceremonies were held very frequently in Takayama thanks to their efforts.In their prosperity in 1620, the landowner, Shigeyori, invited Takeya Genjuro, a potter from Kyoto, and had him build a kiln in Koitozaka, a western suburb in Takayama, and make tea utensils. It is said that this is the (more…)

Hirashimizu pottery 平清水焼

Hirashimizu ware is pottery and porcelain made in Hirashimizu, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture. In the Bunka era in the late Edo period, the landowner, Niwa Jizaemon, invited Ono Tojibei, a potter from Ibaraki, and had him make pottery using clay locally supplied from Mt. Chitose. This is said to be the start of Hirashimizu ware.Currently, they have six potteries, but Seiryu Kiln’s “Nashiseiji” and “Zansetsu” are the best-known ones. The iron sulfide found in local clay is vaporized by reducing flame and is dissolved into the glaze, giving Nashiseiji a unique blueish-white color with a speckled texture that is similar (more…)

Otani pottery 大谷焼

Otani ware is pottery made in Otani District, Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture. In 1780, in the late Edo period, pottery artisan, Buneimon, who came from the Bungo Province (Oita Prefecture) on a pilgrimage to the 88 Temples of Shikoku, made pottery with Kanigaya’s red clay here in Otani Village. It is said that this was the start of Otani ware.Long ago, there was a time when they were known for using a method called lying-down potter’s wheel to make large pottery to ferment Awa indigo dyes in. (more…)

Sodeshi pottery 袖師焼

Sodeshi ware is pottery made in Sodeshi Town, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. Sodeshi ware started when Ono Tomoichi established a kiln and made everyday items in 1877, after training in Fujinaya, Rakuzan, and Hoeizan.In 1893, the second-generation head, Iwajiro, moved to the current kiln site at the coast of Lake Shinji in Sodeshinoura, where surface mail was regularly used at the time, and built five climbing kilns. After Iwajiro visited and investigated places that work in the ceramic industry including Kyoto, Seto, and Arita, he created elegant pottery, which has a different appearance than traditional Fujina ware, and named it (more…)

Aizuhongo pottery 会津本郷焼

Aizuhongo ware is pottery and porcelain that originated in Aizumisato Town (Formerly Aizuhongo Town), Fukushima Prefecture. Aizuhongo ware started in 1593 when the feudal lord, Gamo Ujisato, summoned roof tile manufacturers from Satsuma Province to make roof tiles for Tsuruga Castle.In 1645, under the orders of the lord of the domain, Hoshina Masayuki, a potter by the name of Mizuno Genzaemon was summoned from Seto. Mizuno built a full-scale foundation for pottery. After that, the kiln was managed by the Mizuno family and flourished as an official kiln of the domain. They made a lot of teaware ordered by the (more…)

Koisago pottery 小砂焼

Koisago ware is pottery made in Koisago, Nakagawa town, Tochigi Prefecture. Koisago has a long history of making pottery. Ruins of kilns that were used to bake Sue ware in the Heian period were discovered. In 1830, Tokugawa Nariaki, the 9th feudal lord of the Mito Domain, discovered potter’s clay in Koisago, and used it as the base material at the Mito Domain’s Pottery Barn. It is said that they became famous when they started using this clay as their base material. After that, Koisago ware was launched as an official Seto ware in 1851.They had a temporary momentum at (more…)

Utsutsugawa pottery 現川焼

Utsutsugawa ware is pottery made in the kiln that Tanaka Soetsu established in Utsutsugawa town, Nagasaki City (formerly Utsutsugawa village, Isahaya Domain) in 1691 in the mid-Edo period. However, just about 50 years after the kiln was established, they closed sometime between 1741-1744, and their pottery became a legend.In the Meiji era, the predecessor, who was the 12th-generation head, restored Utsutsugawa ware, which was even known as “The Ninsei of the west” in the Edo period. He unleashed its full potential and continued trying new styles. Utsutsugawa ware still remains until today.Currently, Utsutsugawa ware is made in Gagyu pottery in (more…)

Koda pottery 高田焼

Koda ware is pottery made in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, with over 400 years of history. Their elegant pottery became popular for their style of using white and colorful clay inlays.In the Bunroku era, following the orders of Kato Kiyomasa, Sonkai came to Japan from Haicheng, Busan, Korea. He trained in Karatsu, then he was invited into the Hosokawa clan, and established a kiln in Agano, Buzen (Southeastern end of Fukuoka Prefecture). After that, in 1632, when Hosokawa Tadatoshi was transferred, he took the Agano Kizo family of Agano ware with him, and established a kiln in Koda village, Yatsushiro (more…)

Miyajima pottery 宮島焼

There are three potteries located in Miyajimaguchi, which leads to Miyajima, one of Japan’s three most scenic places. The three potteries are gathered in walking distance from each other. Miyajima ware is mostly purchased as souvenirs by people visiting Miyajima for sightseeing, but they used to make containers for the famous Anagomeshi.Kawahara Tosaigama’s third-generation head, Kawahara Tosai (store: Kawahara Geneido), second-generation head, Yamane Kosai (Yamane Taigendo), and Kawahara Keisaigama’s Kawahara Keisai (Kawahara Koji), are the current heads of Miyajima ware. The current potteries that produce Miyajima ware are: Kawahara Geneido, run by Kawahara Tosaigama’s third-generation head, Kawahara Tosai; Yamane Taigendo, (more…)

Shofuzan pottery 松風山焼

Shofuzan ware is pottery made in Shofuzan, which is located in Katsuyama, Toyora District, Nagato Province (Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture).The founder, Saka Koraizaemon, came from Korea and established a kiln under the orders of Mori Hidemoto, but it is said that later on, he moved to Matsumoto, Hagi (Chinto, Hagi City).After that, the kiln was restored in the era of Mori Motoyoshi (1785-1843), making porcelain everyday items and tea utensils. 山口県の旅行・観光情報 おいでませ山口へ松風山焼　和同窯｜観光情報｜山口県の旅行・観光情報 おいでませ山口へ (more…)