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Hasami yaki
Pottery making at Hasami town in Nagasaki prefecture can be traced to the Edo
period, but in the shadow of the Artia kilns, Hasami yaki never became as well
known to collectors of fine porcelain. Three distinct types or designs of Hasami
pottery can be recognized. A fine white porcelain called Hakuji, a blue ware
referred to as Seiji, and the blue & white Sometsuke ware. Hasami's Sometsuke
techniques were the first of this style to be made in Japan. The Sometsuke wares
being made from a pure cobalt oxide pigment and thin transparent glaze. Today,
Hasami is known for its very fine handmade porcelain manufacture, in particular
its transparent white ware & striking blue & white designs, both traditional and
modern. Over recent times blue-green or blue-grey paint-work has become a popular
style.
Satsuma yaki
Three main kilns are recognized in Satsuma, or Kagoshima, as it is more
usually referred. They are, Ryumonji, Naeshiro-gawa & Chotaro. Each produce the
Kuromon black pottery thought to have originated with Korean potters sometime in
the 1590s. Satsuma black ware is made with heavy iron clays that favour simple &
earthy designs. But the Satsuma yaki that is perhaps most famous throughout the
world is the Shiromon or white pottery made from fine ivory-white clays. This
ware is now produced only at Naeshiro-gawa, but it was once manufactured in other
parts of Japan and exported to Europe. Shiromon is instantly recognizable for its
stylish flamboyance & use of colour. The ivory body of Shiromon is painted in
brilliant golds, reds, yellows & purples and is heavily decorated with a fine crazing.
Karatsu yaki
Pottery town in northern Kyushu meaning, China (kara) Port (tsu), indicating the importance
of Karatsu in the early trade with China. By the sixteenth century Karatsu had kilns
manufacturing various wares for tea ceremony use. The early history of Karatsu yaki is
dominated by conflict (cf. Yakimono or china wars of 1590s). Karatsu yaki was
originally established by Korean potters. Old Karatsu is yellow or black with some
painted wares also made. Karatsu today is one of the top regions for tea-bowls or
chawan, made for use in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Its earthy wares, simple form,
glazing & variety remain popular with collectors of artistic stoneware tea-pottery.
Koishiwara yaki
Koishiwara town in Fukuoka prefecture has kilns famous for their use of the
Tobikana, Kushigaki and Hakene pottery techniques. Koishiwara yaki has its
origins in the early Edo period, and was much influenced by early Imari pottery.
Today there are 50 or so kilns operating, turn out traditional pottery in simple
& warm styles.
Agano yaki
Agano yaki made at Akaike town in Fukuoka prefecture. Founded in the early Edo
period and influenced by Korean potters, the ware became noted for its sophisticated
designs for chano-yu pottery. By the Meiji era Agano pottery was in decline, but has
been revived in modern times. Agano yaki is known for its use of blue, green & iron
glazes.
Shodai yaki
Shodai yaki comes from Arao city in Kumamoto prefecture. From the Meiji era the pottery
lost favour to the more popular Arita yaki. The ware has been 're-discovered' since
the Showa period. Shodai pottery is renowned for its use of rough clay and brown
iron glazing, characterized by white 'splash' glazing techniques.
Tobe yaki
Tobe yaki originates from Tobe town, Ehime prefecture. The early Tobe ware were
rough clay, earthenware-like articles. Known for porcelain manufacture since the middle
of the Edo era, the porcelain-making techniques being introduced form Hasami & Mikawachi.
In the Meiji era the Tobe pottery was made from local clay deposits and the ware
developed its own styles, including faint-yellow porcelain & iroe or painted colour patterns, which
were exported in the Taisho era. There are about 90 kilns
today making a range of blue on white porcelain, Sometsuke ware & some earthy
stoneware.
For further information on
regional Japanese pottery
contact Gray & Seddon
JAPANESE POTTERY ENQUIRIES
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Arita yaki
Arita porcelain made at Arita town, Saga prefecture, is very well known to many
collectors of the finest handmade porcelain. However, many people are unaware of the difference
between Arita and Imari porcelain. Arita being internationally famous for a very
wide range of fine porcelain designs. Since the Edo era much of Imari's porcelain
has been manufactured at Arita kilns. A distinct Arita yaki became known to the
world only in the Meiji period, when new designs distinguished the Artia porcelain
from the 'Imari' name. The connection between Arita & Imari, is of course the port
at Imari, where porcelain shipments were heavily exported at one time to Europe &
North America. The Arita/Imari porcelain trade can be traced to the early years
of the seventeenth century, and many of the traditional styles are still made at
Arita today. The designs to look out for if collecting Arita are; Shoki style,
an early type of Imari porcelain, Kokutani, Kakiemon & Nebeshima designs, and
the very distinctive blacks and golds of the Iroeko Imari, or Old Imari style.
Mikawachi yaki
The kilns at Mikawachi village in Nagasaki are respected all over the world for
their manufacture of white china and the exquisite nature of their hand-painted
blue & white wares. The most famous of all the Mikawachi artwork is the Karako
pattern. This pattern is so famous that wares bearing the design have become
generally known as Karako-yaki (Karako Porcelain). The Karako pattern is a simple
idyll. Chinese children are portrayed chasing butterflies with fans, while playing
under pine trees with peonies in the foreground. Karako pottery art is now
internationally recognized and has become a symbol and modern trademark for all
Mikawachi porcelain.
Hagi yaki
Tea-pottery making at Hagi in Yamaguchi prefecture has a 400-year history,
being originally revered for its manufacture of fine maccha cups. Hagi yaki still
enjoys a considerable depth of popularity today because of the unique characteristics
of its pottery. Hagi ware is made from very light & textured clay types, that
render light & soft pottery. The ware is also noted for its many crazed glazing techniques
as well. An important feature of Hagi yaki is its colours. The pottery body
can be fired to form many shades of white to many kinds of red. It is also well
known that the colours of the Hagi pottery change over the course of time,
giving rise to the 'myth' of 'The Seven Changes of Hagi Pottery'.
Onta yaki
Onta yaki is made at Hita city in Ooita. Onta's kilns are located in a mountainous
region near to the boarder with Fukuoka prefecture. The techniques used at Onta were
originally brought from nearby Koishiwara. There are three basic designs of Onta
yaki: 1. Tobikana, using of the wheel & knife to carve shapes into slip & body. 2.
Kushigaki, literally comb painting, and 3. Hakene, which are brush painted white
clays. Onta yaki is noted for its bold use of bright blue and green glazing.
Bizen yaki
Bizen yaki is made at Bizen city Okayama prefecture. Bizen ware is very popular
because of its beautiful surface appearance. A pottery that is altered
'in mysterious ways' during firing. No glazing is used for the manufacture
of Bizen yaki. The clay, called Tatsuchi, is found at the bottom of rice fields.
This clay is taken during winter, & stored for a period of time before reforming.
The particles of the Tatsuchi clay are fine with a high iron content. After firing
this clay produces hard wares in a variety of red colours, depending on the ware's
position in the kiln. Several firing techniques have been perfected at Bizen.
1. Tamadare, meaning jade drop. Here, wood ash added to the kiln burns & melts
over the ware leaving marks (drops) on its surface. 2. Goma 'sesame' technique
induces bloch-like marks on the pottery surface, again produced from wood ash during
firing. 3. Bota-mochi techniques also create the red bloch-like patterns.
4. Sangiri. In this technique the kiln floor is layered with wood ash. The
pottery resting in the ash layer is heat at lower temperature & smoked, rather
than fired, as with the rest of the body. The result is that wares are created
with various colours, typially grey-blues and dark greys owing to the reducing environment.
5. In the Hidasuki
technique, reddish-brown lines or string-designs are created in the body.
This is induced when pottery is fired with stacks of straw, which is packed
around the ware so that the pots do not adhere. The straw generates an alkaline
environment, while the clay contains iron. These components react and give rise to the some
very strange kiln patterns.
Ootani yaki
Ootani yaki is made at Naruto city, Tokushima, Shikoku prefecture. Naruto commenced
making pottery in the middle of the Edo period. Kilns here have a unique way of shaping there
wares. They
use what is referred to as a 'sleeping wheel', i.e a potters' wheel (usually gigantic)
driven by manpower (usually the strong legs of a second potter!). Ootani yaki is known
for its size. Naruto still make big pottery items
including dyeing vats measuring over a metre tall & capacity exceeding 500L.
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