Otagi-yaki Flying Plane Rice Bowl

Otagi-yaki, with a history of 300 years since its kiln opened in 1705, fully preserves the traditional techniques from its opening. The unique method of generational inheritance, passed down from father to son, has not only earned it praise from Soetsu Yanagi as "the world's finest folk pottery," but also, through the introduction of British ceramic researcher Bernard Howell Leach, made it a world-renowned pottery production area. It is further designated by the Japanese government as an important intangible cultural property for its craft techniques. Otagi-yaki's distinctive system of three families and ten kilns has seen ten kiln proprietors jointly maintaining traditional pottery production since the kiln's inception. Approximately once a year, the ten kilns jointly mine the clay from Saruyama, which is then divided equally among the kiln proprietors for use. The tools used in making Otagi-yaki, such as brushes and planes, are all handmade by the potters themselves. Rice ash is also obtained by the potters by steaming and burning straw. Although most pottery is now made using electric potter's wheels, Otagi-yaki still uses the traditional kick wheel. From material sourcing to the final firing, almost all processes are carried out collaboratively by the entire village. In Otagi, women are primarily responsible for the clay work. After thorough drying, the clay is crushed into particles using a traditional mortar (Karatusu). It is then mixed with water, repeatedly filtered, and dried again. This is a very strenuous and labor-intensive production process. The continuous pounding of clay in the Karatusu, 365 days a year, creates a sound that echoes throughout the village. This soundscape has even been selected as one of Japan's "100 Soundscapes of Japan." For centuries, the pottery-making life hidden deep in the mountains is like the world described in Thomas More's "Utopia," achieving such a pure and peaceful ideal state, untouched by the outside world. ------------------------------------------- Otagi-yaki Flying Plane Rice Bowl size: Diameter 13.5cm x Height 6.8cm *Hand-fired iron painted patterns, glaze colors, and dimensions may vary slightly.