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Pottery Spots in Japan

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  • Kominegama
    Travel / Tourism
    Tochigi Haga-gun Mashikomachi Mashiko 3169-1
    This pottery studio makes traditional Mashiko ware, which got its start in 1853. Its studio near the prefectural nature park Mashiko no Mori gives visitors the chance to try painting pottery or making it with or without a potter's wheel. The popular potter's wheel workshop takes about two hours and lets you make more than two items. Rotating the clay with the electric potter's wheel is ideal for creating well-formed pieces. The staff provides careful guidance and will let you use an apron at no extra charge, making the program great for kids and adults alike.
    Kominegama image
  • Aizu Keizanyaki Pottery
    Travel / Tourism
    Fukushima Aizuwakamatsu-shi Higashiyamamachi Tennei 67
    "This is the only kiln in Aizu Wakamatsu. It is said that in 1592, Ujisato Gamo, the lord of the Aizu domain at that time, invited a potter from Karatsu in Hizen (now Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture) to make roofing tiles for Tsuruga Castle and had him fire the tiles here. It is called ""Aizu Keizan ware"" and continues to make until today. After that, he fired melting pots for silver mines in Aizu Karuizawa (today's Yanaizu Town) and kiln flourished, but there is only one kiln at present. Pottery works made using a traditional potter's wheel or formed by hand, and pieces made with the ""tatara"" (slab-building) technique are well known for their natural beauty and warmth."
    Aizu Keizanyaki Pottery image
  • Suigetsugama
    Travel / Tourism
    Fukushima Onuma-gun Aizumisatomachi Setomachi 3174
    A potter producing Aizu-hongo ware that was founded in 1870. They continue to create durable pottery featuring hand-drawn designs made with locally sourced materials including the clay, gosu (asbolite), and glaze. The symbol design of the kiln is a motif of the local Aizu Mishirazu persimmon. The pottery from Suigetsu kiln is sturdier than other pottery product and is known for suited in microwaves and ovens. They also hold hands-on experience classes at the workshop including a hand-build pottery class where you can form and color your own clay creation, and a ceramic painting class where you choose a mug or plate from three colors; black, blue, or pink, and then decorate it.
  • Irori Pottery Studio
    Travel / Tourism
    Fukushima Onuma-gun Aizumisatomachi Kawaracho Ko 1868-1
    A pottery studio creating Aizu-hongo ware founded by a couple in 2007. Using nearly 10 different glazes including white and black glazes they have been creating works which feature a gentle atmosphere and serve to color your everyday life. Their Akabeko Series, decorated with the face of Aizu' traditional Akabeko red cow, is very popular with female customers. A cup, sake cup, or mug decorated with the adorable face of the Akabeko makes for the perfect Aizu souvenir. They also hold hands-on classes including forming pottery using a wheel or by hand as well as ceramic painting.
    Irori Pottery Studio image
  • Munakatagama Pottery
    Travel / Tourism
    Fukushima Onuma-gun Aizumisatomachi Hongokamiko 3115
    A pottery studio of Aizu-hongo ware is said to have been first founded in 1719. They produce carefully made pieces of Aizu-hongou ware using local ingredients gathered from Hakuho Mountains, an area blessed with an abundance of nature. Each piece possesses its own unique characteristics and presence and is finished in the oldest climbing kiln in the Tohoku region which is said to have been built in the mid-Edo period. It's a massive climbing kiln that was gravely damaged in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, but was restored thanks to the Munakata Climbing Kiln Repair Project. It is also known as a kiln visited by Yanagi Soetsu, Hamada Shoji, and Kawai Kanjiro, three of the leaders of the Japanese Folk Craft Movement.
    Munakatagama Pottery image
  • Kanzan Gama Pottery Workshop
    Travel / Tourism
    Fukushima Onuma-gun Aizumisatomachi Matsubarakiwa 2195
    This long-standing potter has been making pottery for over 280 years since their founder started it during 1751 to 1764. The studio is famous as the first kiln in Japan to incorporate the strainer into the teapot. They make a wide variety of pottery products including celadon porcelain, white porcelain, carbonization pottery, and more, and are known for their wide range of products from daily use items to matcha green tea bowls. They also have a large number of innovative designs from pieces decorated with a number of holes to those with intentional chips. With prior reservation they offer classes in forming pottery by hand and using a potter's wheel.
  • Taizan-gama
    Travel / Tourism
    Fukushima Minamiaizu-gun Shimogomachi Yagoshima
    A pottery studio creating one by one carefully made pieces with black and brown color variations that give the impression of metal due to yohen (firing-denaturation). Their Tetsujiyaki (iron colored pottery) uses far-infrared rays and minus ions to produce an iron appearing finish without the use of glaze and each piece sports an original shape, size, and color. They offer a hands-on class that requires reservations to be made at least one week prior.
  • Sansuke-yaki Kiln
    Travel / Tourism
    Toyama Tonami-shi Fukuyama 326
    This kiln in Tonami city, which is known as a city of tulips and dispersed settlements, has been firing pottery for 150 years. They use locally sources clay, and glaze it with oils from local vegetation, for all their pottery. The pale but deep green glaze, made with generations of tradition, is a unique one. They also offer pottery classes on request. Reservations are required, so please call in advance.
  • Seiryugama
    Travel / Tourism
    Yamagata Yamagata-shi Hira Shimizu 50-1
    This kiln is in Hirashimizu, Yamagata City. It has created Hirashimizuyaki pottery for five generations in a tradition going back 200 years. They use clay sourced locally from Mt. Chitose, and finish it in two different glazing styles: Zansetsu, which resembles the snows of Yamagata, and Nashiseiji, which brings out the iron content of the clay.
  • Narushima-yaki Pottery Wakui-gama Kiln
    Travel / Tourism
    Yamagata Nagai-shi Imaizumi 1812
    This pottery kiln is in Imaizumi, Nagai City. It has restored the Narushimayaki style of pottery established by the 9th lord of the Yonezawa domain, Uesugi Yozan, as royal kiln. The skill, developed over long years of study, is now a municipal registered Intangible Cultural Property. In addition to displaying and selling tea ware and dining ware, they also offer a variety of pottery activities.
  • Kazuwa-yaki Kamamoto
    Travel / Tourism
    Tottori Kurayoshi-shi Funioka 395
    This Kazuwa ware pottery studio is located close to the Kurayoshi Interchange on National Route 313. The original head, Otokichi, created pottery in the Kyoto style; the second generation head, Saburo (Funyu), added local color; the current, third generation head of the studio, Shin (Hakuga), inherits these traditions while making pieces utilizing new techniques. The area where the studio is located on the west side of the city is also known for the many Jomon period pottery pieces which have been excavated there. The area has an abundance of rough textured clay, and since ancient times it has been known for its production of everyday items. The studio's gallery has an irori sunken hearth, and numerous examples of Kazuwa ware are displayed in its old fashioned confines; all are welcome to view them with an advance reservation. The studio also offers a pottery making activity in which you can make a mug or Japanese tea bowl.
  • Hosshoji yaki Kaike Gama
    Travel / Tourism
    Tottori Yonago-shi Kaike Onsen 2-19-52
    A kiln making Hoshoji-yaki pottery, a traditional craft that's been handed down in the area since the Edo period. The studio was passed on to the current artisans in 1961. They make the pottery with white sand from the Kaike Coast and iron sand from the Hino River. The pieces are simple and warm yet sophisticated and make ideal gift for friends and family. They feel great to hold and you'll want to use day-to-day. They also have pottery making workshops available for up to 30 people. Advanced reservation is required.
  • Miyauchi Gama Pottery
    Travel / Tourism
    Shimane Gotsu Ninomiyacho Kannushi 2211-3
    "A pottery studio that has operated in western Shimane's Iwami area since the 1970s. They make Iwami-yaki pottery, a traditional Gotsu handicraft known for large and sturdy earthenware jars and water jugs. This area is called ""Sekishu,"" and pottery making has thrived in the region since ancient times. According to the Iwami region's pottery lore, the district where Miyauchi Pottery is located is said to be the oldest in the tradition. They also hold pottery workshops where you can make items like teacups and bowls under the careful guidance of a traditional craftsman. The methods traditionally cultivated for making larger items has been passed down to the present day where they make practical pottery for modern living like tableware, umbrella stands, and garden sets."
    Miyauchi Gama Pottery image
  • Unzengama
    Travel / Tourism
    Shimane Matsue-shi Tamayucho Fujina 428-8
    "This pottery kiln with a history of nearly 250 years began as an old kiln for the Matsue clan in the Edo period (1603-1868). It is located about a four-minute drive from JR Nogi Station, and continues to produce traditional Fujina ware and pottery with modern designs that blend in with modern life. It once worked on tea utensils favored by Fumai-ko, the clan leader who was a master of the tea ceremony. Because he liked replicas of masterpieces of the time, they are characterized by having a delicate and elegant appearance reminiscent of Kyoto. In recent years, the kiln has been working on things such as warm and gentle blue containers using Izumo celadon and ""namakoyu"" glazing, as well as containers with exotic patterns."
    Unzengama image
  • Tsubakigama
    Travel / Tourism
    Shimane Oda-shi Yunotsucho Yunotsu I665-30
    "This kiln first opened in 1969. The name is based on the Japanese camellia, Tsubaki no Hana, which has long been admired in Japan. Yunotsu on the Sea of Japan has long been home to many climbing kilns, and was once a prosperous producer of water jugs called ""hando."" Now, the father and son Arao family make items glazed with a camellia pattern that has been considered lucky as auspicious omens motif since the Heian period. Their work is marked by their five colors of overglazing, which include light blue, indigo, and three traditional colors going back generations: celadon (white), cinnabar (red), and gosu (green)."
    Tsubakigama image
  • Issui Pottery
    Travel / Tourism
    Okinawa Nakagami-gun Yomitanson Nagahama 18
    "Issui Pottery is located in the Nagahama Yomitan Village, Nakagami Counry. It is the workshop of Takahata Shinya, an up-and-coming potter who has learned the technology of traditional Okinawan ""yachimun"" pottery, Tsuboya ware in Yomitan Village. Adjacent to the workshop is a gallery, where tableware decorated with lattices, dots, and modern use of color are on display and available for purchase."
    Issui Pottery image
  • Takahama-yaki Juho-gama
    Travel / Tourism
    Kumamoto Amakusa-shi Amakusamachi Takahamaminami 598
    A leading pottery studio using Amakusa toseki, lauded in the Edo period as the best ceramic material in the land. Said to have been started by Dengoemon, the sixth head of the Ueda clan in 1762, they make Takahamayaki pottery to this day. White and translucent, Amakusa pottery stone is still renowned as Japan's highest quality raw material for white porcelain and it is used for Arita ware, Seto ware, and other top-grade styles. The adjacent museum displays antique Takahama ware and old Amakusa documents, as well as world famous Amakusa pottery stone and information about its background for up close viewing.
    Takahama-yaki Juho-gama image
  • Choshun Celadon Kiln
    Travel / Tourism
    Saga Imari Okawachicho Okawa Uchiyama
    The kiln is located in the Okawachiyama district of Imari City, surrounded by deep nature, and continues to produce Nabeshima celadon porcelain of a translucent pale blue color using glazes made from pottery stones produced in Okawachiyama, with a soft luster and rich celadon of incomparable beauty. Although there are artificial glazes that can produce a similar blue color, the Changchun celadon porcelain kiln continues to produce porcelain by following the method inherited from the feudal era.
    Choshun Celadon Kiln image
  • Shingama Seika
    Travel / Tourism
    Saga Nishimatsuura-gun Aritacho Kuromuta Hei 2788
    "Arita-yaki pottery founded in 1830, Arita-yaki pottery has maintained the traditional ""handmade and hand-painted"" style under the credo of ""Talking with vessels, vessels are people,"" and continues to produce vessels that live in our daily lives, mainly in the ""Sometsuke"" style. The studio also offers hands-on workshops such as pottery making, painting, and hand-binning."
  • Imaemon Kiln
    Travel / Tourism
    Saga Nishimatsuura-gun Aritacho Akaemachi 2-1-15
    A pottery studio with a roughly 370-year history reaching back to 1644. They maintain the tradition of the official glazers of iro-nabeshima ware for the Nabeshima clan as gifts to the shogun during the Edo period. They've been certified as purveyors of a nationally Important Intangible Cultural Property. The kiln's pieces are housed in many museums, including the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
Travel / Tourism Factory / Workshop Pottery Pottery

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