Walking in Tajimi
3 - Suigetsu kiln
The Suigetsu Kiln is embedded in lush greenery. Imagine the cicada summer chorus and the picture is complete.
In part two of our walking course series we explored a pleasant relaxation area and a sacred waterfall. This time we add a bonus stop located on land adjacent to Onada, owned by the Zen temple Eihoji. It is the Suigetsu Kiln, a treat for any pottery lover. You may visit to explore the unique, ancient style kilns if you make an appointment. Please contact us for details.
The Suigetsu ascending kiln (Noborigama).
If you get off the bus from Tajimi station at the Takataguchi stop and walk back up the long curve, past an udon noodle restaurant on the right hand side, you will soon arrive at a sign on the same side that says 水月窯 (literally “Water Moon Kiln”) [Map]. A short walk into the woods will take you to the kiln, which sits in a little flat area surrounded by the forest. Shigeki Mizuno, the fourth generation kiln master, is a fast-talking man with a moustache and a friendly smile. He greets us in his workshop. He is clearly an original character, much like other potters in Tajimi. Although he is now in his seventies he still has the aura of a frolicsome schoolboy.
Kiln master Shigeki Mizuno
We sit down in a small but cozy room with a suzudake (篠竹) bamboo ceiling, blackened from decades of smoke. There are three rokuro (potter’s wheels) along the wall, of the type that are spun by hand with a short stick. Indeed, everything in this kiln is done by manual labour. The production method is essentially the same since ancient times. Mizuno explains that the designs have also remained the same as when the kiln was founded.
The Suigetsugama sits on a small plain area in the woods, a few minutes walk from the main road
“I started working here in the 45th year of Emperor Showa (1970), when I was twenty years old,” Mizuno says. “I quit once but was asked by the Eihoji Temple, the land owner, to come back. At my age I am allowed to go slow, and only work from 10 - 16 every day,” he smiles. “The whole production process is conducted by hand. We dig the soil on this land, let the water settle in a tank, mold the clay, dry it, paint it, add glazing, and fire it using traditional wood fired kilns.”
The Suigetsu Kiln was founded in 1948 by the Toyozō Arakawa (1894 - 1985), a man of tremendous legendary stature in Japan. Arakawa was recognized by the government as a living national treasure for discovering that Shino and Oribe glazed work of the Momoyama and early Edo periods in Japan had been manufactured in Mino rather than in the neighbouring Seto area. Mino is the historic name of the province where Tajimi is located, now part of Gifu Prefecture. To learn more, you can read our series of articles on the history of Mino ware.
The Suigetsu Kiln was founded in 1948 by the Toyozō Arakawa (1894 - 1985), a man of tremendous legendary stature in Japan. Arakawa was recognized by the government as a living national treasure for discovering that Shino and Oribe glazed work of the Momoyama and early Edo periods in Japan had been manufactured in Mino rather than in the neighbouring Seto area. Mino is the historic name of the province where Tajimi is located, now part of Gifu Prefecture. To learn more, you can read our series of articles on the history of Mino ware.
“Arakawa-sensei started by recreating an ancient style Anagama [single chamber] kiln in neighboring Kani city”, Mizuno says, “to make traditional tea bowls. He founded this kiln so that his sons could produce pottery for everyday use. But let’s go and have a look at the kilns”
We pass a room with shelves full of unfired cups. “I fire about 1,200 at a time,” Mizuno says. “Look at the pattern, how do you think I painted it? I use my finger tips, it’s the easiest way to paint these dots. When I fire them the cups shrink by 20% - it’s the opposite of baking bread, which swells” he laughs.
The Suigetsugama Kiln has played an important role in maintaining traditional ceramic production. In February 2010 it was designated as an intangible cultural property of Tajimi City, as it is an extremely rare example of a kiln that still uses the ancient methods for producing Mino ware all by hand.
The Suigetsugama Kiln has played an important role in maintaining traditional ceramic production. In February 2010 it was designated as an intangible cultural property of Tajimi City, as it is an extremely rare example of a kiln that still uses the ancient methods for producing Mino ware all by hand.
The Suigetsu Kiln has the traditional structure of a Mino kiln, including the Moro (workplace), Engoro (a saggar - a ceramic boxlike container used in the firing of pottery to enclose or protect ware being fired inside a kiln), storage for firewood, a multi-chamber ascending kiln (Noborigama), a single-chamber kiln (Anagama), and a Nishikigama (a kiln for firing overpainted pottery).
Mizuno shows us the ascending kiln, and how he throws in the firewood from the opening to each chamber - the fire must be fed in short intervals across several days. There are small holes where he inserts test samples to gauge how far the firing has come. And in each chamber there are holes near the floor for the heat from below to enter and exit to the next, higher chamber.
Next we walk over to the single-chamber Anagama, where Mizuno fires Shino pottery. “This is a very strange kiln,” he says. “For some reason the pottery comes out with a different colour, depending on when I pull it out. I can only fire about two hundred tea bowls at a time in this one, he says. It takes three days and the volume is small, so it’s inefficient. And you have no idea how the pieces will come out. Only 10% of them are good enough to sell”.
“But here is the strange thing: When you pull out the pieces while the kiln is still hot they come out grey. But when you stop the firing and let it cool down, then pull out the pieces they have a pink colour. I have no idea why,” he laughs.
In this short piece we could cover but a fraction of what the potter told us. Why not pay a visit yourself to find out more?
In this short piece we could cover but a fraction of what the potter told us. Why not pay a visit yourself to find out more?
directions
By Toutetsu bus [東鉄バス] from Tajimi Station:
Onada Line [小名田線] for [小名田小滝方面]. Get off at Takataguchi [高田口] [Bus route (Japanese)] . At the time of this writing there is one departure/hr from the station, five departures/day on weekends and holidays.
Walk back up the curve, past the noodle restaurant (see below) and turn to the right into the forest to arrive at Suigetsugama [Map]
Onada Line [小名田線] for [小名田小滝方面]. Get off at Takataguchi [高田口] [Bus route (Japanese)] . At the time of this writing there is one departure/hr from the station, five departures/day on weekends and holidays.
Walk back up the curve, past the noodle restaurant (see below) and turn to the right into the forest to arrive at Suigetsugama [Map]
