Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns

The pottery that comes from these is simply breathtaking, but you have to give the kilns a little bit of the credit. What happens in there is simply magical. They produce a unique gem with each firing. Whether it be a kiln derived from a hole in the side of a hill or one of the popular climbing kilns, the kiln takes the clay mold and creates the final masterpiece.

The variety and history behind Japanese kilns is nearly indescribable  There are most likely nearly a hundred villages still in existence even now.  The kilns to take special note of, however, are the six ancient kilns. They would include Seto, Echizen,  Tokoname, Shigaraki, Tamba (Or Tanba), and Bizen. 

These kilns date back far to the prehistoric Jomon period and represent a huge contribution to the world that is pottery. 

BIZENWARE

Bizenware is one of Japan’s oldest forms of pottery and can also be recognized as Imbe or Inbe. It was introduced during the Heian period. It is characterized by its signature iron-tough hardness.  It is rustic, reddish brown in color with no glaze. It’s markings come about through the wood burning at high, intense heat with the firing process. There are also decorations created by wrapping the piece in straw before firing or splattering it with ash to resemble sesames. The people found the uneven surfaces good for sakes, alcohol…made it taste better, and also for food preservation. The uniqueness with Bizenware is that it improves over time and the more that it is handled. It ages very well.

Echizenware

This pottery was produced around the same concept, with natural ash.  The kiln captured the dynamic of the fire and the air to create the beauty of the pieces. Echizenware was known for their jars both large and small. They were particularly known for the fact they did not leak. Folks used them in the beginning for water, grains, moving into agricultural purposes and then for ashes of loved ones as time moved on.  At the height of its popularity there was a huge facility built in Echizen that was the largest pottery facility along the western coast of Japan. When Setoware came along, it diminished the popularity of Echizenware.

Setoware

Setoware was strongly influenced by the Southern Sung Dynasty in China, specifically green celadon.  The glazes used were generally an ash brown or an iron black or feldspar white or copper green  It was first produced near the Kamakura period. It became so widely used that ‘seto mono’ became a generic term used for ceramics.  It was seen in both functional and decorative pieces with renderings on some of animals, e.g. badger to cocks all the way to oxen to the stork and quail to the hare.  It’s expanded its uses further on the market to being used for things including bricks and drain pipes.

Tokoname

Tokoname was produced later in the Heian period.  It was made for function for pieces including rice bowls, plates, larger pots, jars and sake bottles. It is not only famous for pottery but also building materials, e.g. roofing tiles, ceramic-made pipes. They’re especially famous for their little red iron teapot. It comes in other colors but the red is most common. This is the most widespread of the six ancient kilns. The beautiful brownish-red shine gets deeper and more pronounced as time goes on 

Tamba or Tanba ware also Taichikui

This pottery in the very early stages was actually known as Onohara. It came on the scene at the end of the Heian or the beginning of the Kamakura period. The piece would be covered in ash and fired in the kiln for sixty hours at 1300°c giving it the unique color and pattern. Also unique with Tambaware, the potter would turn the lathe counterclockwise as opposed to clockwise. These were made for mortars used to grind grains, sake bottles and pails. 

Shigarakiware

The Japanese raccoon dog (Tanuki) is a synonym of Shigarakiware  Some of us need one of these.  This started out being used for water jugs but quickly graduated to tea utensils with the development of the tea ceremony popularity. They then went on to sake bottles, earthenware and hibachi pots. They were responsible for 80% of the country’s hibachi sales. They’re used in interior designs today from everything from ornaments up to tiles. The really cool thing about this pottery is it uses a coarse soil which becomes fire resistant. During the actual firing process, it develops a pink or some other reddish color and becomes red with scarlet or brown overtones. So the white clay has what they call ‘kamaaji’ which is a scarlet glow. That’s pretty awesome. 

It’s amazing what talent these potters have in controlling the heat and using the ash from the wood burning fire to create these pieces. The imaginative thought process that you would have to have. It blows my mind with each piece I study.