Edo-period koishiwara sake bottle (tokkuri), stoneware with brown glaze and white slip, in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Koishiwara ware (小石原焼, Koishiwara-yaki), formerly known as Nakano ware, is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Koishiwara, Fukuoka Prefecture in western Japan.[1] Koishiwara ware consists of utility vessels such as bowls, plates, and tea cups. The style is often slipware.[1]

History

Pottery was first made in Koishiwara in 1682 as a result of the relocation of the Korean-founded Takatori workshop to nearby Tsuzumi.[2] A kiln for firing porcelain was built in Koishiwara, and porcelain wares were made for export there with local materials until the eighteenth century.[1][3] The Koishiwara style as it is known today had developed by the mid-eighteenth century.[1] Abandoning porcelain production, potters began to use dark-firing stoneware for their pottery.[1]

20th Century Developments

Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, technological advancements such as clay crushers, kiln shelves, and electric kilns allowed Koishiwara potters to work more efficiently and profitably than other potters in the surrounding area. As a result, Koishiwara potters were able to purchase land near their ceramic sites and develop it as tourist resorts and retail centers.[4] Modern Koishiwara ware pottery represents the success of the mingei or folk craft movement in Japan.[1][5][6]

Contemporary Koishiwara Style

Stylistic trademarks of Koishiwara ware include different types of slip decoration in which light-colored slip is applied to a leather-hard pot before a tool is used to create a pattern which reveals the dark clay underneath.[1][7] The characteristic double glazing style of Koishiwara ware uses an overall clear glaze and trailing or pouring copper green and iron glazes in spots over the clear base glaze.[1][8] The area still serves as a large ceramic production site for everyday wares, attracting tourists and selling large amounts of pottery every year.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Creuger, Anneliese; Creuger, Wulf; Itô, Saeke (2011). Modern Japanese Ceramics: Pathways of Innovation and Tradition. New York: Lark Books. pp. 87–89.
  2. ^ Maske, Andrew L. (2011). Potters and Patrons in Edo Period Japan: Takatori Ware and the Kuroda Domain. Burlington, VT: Ashgate. p. 45.
  3. ^ Maske, Andrew L. (2011). Potters and Patrons in Edo Period Japan: Takatori Ware and the Kuroda Domain. Burlington, VT: Ashgate. p. 48.
  4. ^ Moeran, Brian (1997). Folk Art Potters of Japan: Beyond an Anthropology of Aesthetics. Honolulu, Hawai'i: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 96, 125, 149, 198.
  5. ^ Maske, Andrew, L. (2011). Potters and Patrons in Edo Period Japan: Takatori Ware and the Kuroda Domain. Burlington, VT: Ashgate. p. 1.((cite book)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Moeran, Brian (1997). Folk Art Potters of Japan: Beyond an Anthropology of Aesthetics. Honolulu, Hawai'i: University of Hawai'i Press. p. 140.
  7. ^ Wilson, Richard L. (1995). Inside Japanese Ceramics: A Primer of Materials, Techniques, and Traditions. New York: Weatherhill, Inc. pp. 108–109. ISBN 0-8348-0346-1.
  8. ^ Wilson, Richard L. (1995). Inside Japanese Ceramics: A Primer of Materials, Techniques, and Traditions. New York: Weatherhill Inc. pp. 137–138.
  9. ^ Moeran, Brian (1997). Folk Art Potters of Japan: Beyond an Anthropology of Aesthetics. Honolulu, Hawai'i: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 140, 149.


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