[Accompanying Tokoname ware potters! What are the unique benefits of wood-fired kilns?]

The history of Tokoname ware

Tokoname ware is one of Japan's six ancient pottery kilns, produced in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture , and has a history of 1,000 years, dating back to the end of the Heian period. In the Middle Ages, many large pots and jars were produced, but from the Edo period onwards, teapots and everyday items became the main focus. It is particularly famous for its red clay teapots, and a wide variety of pieces are still produced today, carrying on the tradition.

Tokoname ware baked in a wood-fired kiln

This time, we were fortunate enough to be able to see the process by which Tokoname ware potters fire their works in a wood-fired kiln!

While you can witness the moment when a potter turns the wheel, it is rare to get the chance to see the process of loading a piece into the kiln. The wood-fired kiln that will be used this time has been in use for about 40 years and was located in the mountains of Tokoname City. Due to the burden on the environment, it seems difficult to build a new wood-fired kiln, so the potters of Tokoname have been carefully using the existing kiln. It is a very rare experience to be able to witness the loading of a wood-fired kiln like this!

Seven potters brought their pieces and spent half a day maintaining the kiln before starting to load it. Each potter owns their own kiln, but most are gas or electric. "Unlike electric kilns, wood-fired kilns are affected by humidity and other natural elements, so the finished product is unpredictable, in a good way, which is what makes it interesting," the potters said, their excitement palpable! With a gas kiln, you can roughly predict how your piece will turn out once you load it into the kiln. However, with a wood-fired kiln, ash from the firewood adheres to the piece, and as it is fired, the finished product can be completely unexpected, even for the potter! While you might expect the kiln to be filled with clay-like objects before firing, some potters loaded small jars and plates that had already been fired. Some potters stacked pieces together, saying, "I'm going to fire this one again," and seemed to enjoy watching the changes in their appearance as the pieces changed.

With a light shining inside the kiln, the pieces are packed in from the Oku, but because it is small inside, one experienced person is in charge of arranging the pieces, while the others take turns passing the pieces along. As we are handling important pieces, this is a job that requires concentration. It took one day to pack the pieces to the Oku, another day to pack the pieces at the front, and on the final day we carefully worked to block the door with bricks. I felt embarrassed at myself for assuming that this was a job that could be completed in a few hours, just like putting bread in an oven.

Later, I was also able to watch the kiln being fired! Since a wood-fired kiln cannot maintain a constant temperature without constantly adding firewood, the people took turns providing the firewood from morning to night for three days after lighting the fire! They placed a thermometer inside the kiln to check the temperature, and placed a mirror at just the right angle so they could see the smoke coming out of the chimney, and added firewood while watching the color of the smoke. It was so primitive and fascinating! I'm sure our ancestors did the same... I learned that the process of creating potters' works is not just about shaping the pieces, but also about the firing process, which takes so much time and effort. One thing that was particularly impressive was the way the potters enjoyed themselves, having a BBQ together in front of the kiln after firing!

The charm of Tokoname ware deepens as you learn more

Knowing this process, looking at Tokoname-yaki teapots and tableware reminds me of the time and effort that went into each one, and I feel their value even more deeply. When you're choosing a teapot or tableware in Tokoname, try imagining what kind of kiln it was fired in and enjoy your shopping!