A trip to Hasami, the town of pottery, to "discover pottery"

Arrange food, arrange flowers. Why not upgrade your daily life with new tableware? In this article, we will focus on "pottery" in particular. We will introduce Hasami Town, known as the "town of pottery."

The Hasami Pottery Museum (Tourist Exchange Center) where you can learn about the history of Hasami ware

About 40 minutes by car from Nagasaki Airport. A small town in the mountains with a peaceful landscape of rows of brick chimneys. A clear river, narrow alleys and Showa-era streetscape. Hasami Town has a 400-year history as a pottery production area.

The first place you should visit is the Hasami Pottery Museum (Tourist Exchange Center) in the center of town. Hasami is an area that made mass production of pottery possible, and the production of everyday tableware has been active since the Edo period. You can learn about that history at the historical museum on the second floor of the Hasami Pottery Museum.

So, what does "kurawan" mean?
During the Edo period, there was a boat on the Yodo River in Osaka that sold prepared foods, and people could eat on board. The boat was called "Kurawankaa," meaning "Would you like to eat?", and so this boat was called the "Kurawanka boat." Many of the porcelain dishes used were fired in Hasami, and were highly rated as dishes for everyday use, being thick and sturdy with a firm base, and unlikely to tip over even on a rocking boat. It seems that these dishes came to be called "Kurawanka bowls."

Hasami was mainly home to these "Kurawanka bowls" and "Compliance bottles," which were used as bottles for sake and soy sauce exported from Dejima to overseas markets.

After learning about history, we went to the experience studio (advance reservations required). The pottery experience includes a potter's wheel and tatara mold making. "Tatara" is a flat slab made of clay, which is shaped by hand. This time, we tried the less familiar tatara mold making experience.

The instructor was Yoichi Nagayama, a traditional craftsman. His words, "It's not difficult. Just have fun," motivated me.

First, gently place the tatara on a mushroom-like mold and use your palm to shape it into a hemisphere so that there are no gaps. To smooth out the edges, cut the ends using a string called a "yumi" (a bow), then turn the tatara upside down to remove it from the mold. Then, a round cone is created.

"It's not finished yet. It's round now, but you can make the shape of the dish to your liking by adding waves to the edges or making it square," says Professor Nagayama. I was worried about what to do, but I decided to leave it round so it would be easy to store, imagining it lined up in a cupboard.

"Many people choose the round shape because it is easy to use later. If you want an artistic finish, you can have a variety of edge shapes. It's really a matter of personal preference," says Professor Nagayama.

The next step is to draw a pattern or press flowers. Some people take their time with this process.

The last step is to choose a glaze. Choose from four types: black, white, green, and brown, and you're done. It takes about an hour. It was a quick experience. After this, the teacher will make some fine adjustments, finish it, fire it, and it will be shipped to you in about a month.

After the experience, we went to the Kurawankan shop on the first floor to look for a piece that will add a new color to the dining table.

Ichiryu Touen's works are characterized by their edgy form and gentle blue color. They are characterized by a design called "Shinogi," and come in a variety of types, including flat plates and cups.

The "OVEN WARE" series by Saikai Toki is perfect for gratin and other dishes. The deep colors are also popular.

The "cocomarine" series by natural69 features motifs of large and small fish and sea creatures. Just looking at the expressions of the fish is soothing. There are 10 types of teacups, cups, bowls, etc.

I'd love to take home some new Hasami ware that will make me look forward to tomorrow's meals.

Ceramic Art Museum (Tourist Exchange Center) / Kurawankan

Nishinohara: Home to 9 unique shops

About a three-minute walk from the Kurawan-kan pottery museum is an area called Nishinohara, which is home to nine shops, including cafes, restaurants, and general stores. Originally the site of a large pottery factory that had been in operation since the Edo period, the building was used for a climbing kiln, a wheel studio, a painting studio, and a shipping office, and has been gradually renovated. It all started when a potter from Yamagata Prefecture opened a kiln here.

Then, chefs joined in and opened cafes and restaurants, then artists showed up and opened galleries, and then general goods stores, coffee shops, ice cream shops, etc. opened one after another. The unique storefronts attracted attention, and it became a popular spot visited by many people from inside and outside the prefecture.

Nishinohara, which has made a significant contribution to the town development of Hasami, was registered as a prefectural town development landscape asset in 2012.

Nishinohara

From here, we will introduce three selected shops from the nine shops in Nishinohara.

Enjoy a homemade lunch using Hasami ware

With its nostalgic wooden house, bare light bulbs visible in the windows, and a wood stove inside, it's hard to believe that this used to be a pottery factory's office; it has been renovated into a wonderful cafe and restaurant called "monné legui mooks."

You can choose from three different daily lunch options, which use plenty of Hasami-cho vegetables, with the most popular being "Chicken, fried eggplant, and pumpkin coconut milk curry." The aroma of coriander adds an accent. From homemade sweets to freshly ground, aromatic coffee, it's so cozy that you'll find yourself staying for a while.

monné legui mooks

A select shop filled with artistic elements

This large, spacious building, which had previously been used as a potter's wheel workshop, was renovated to retain as much of its original features as possible, such as the wooden-framed glass windows and the washroom, and opened as a gallery space and shop in 2006 as "monné porte."

The shop mainly sells art supplies, but also offers a wide range of art-related goods, including stationery and imported goods. You'll be excited by the items selected by the owner to stimulate your expressiveness and imagination. In the adjacent gallery space, live performances, exhibitions, workshops, and more are held on an irregular basis.

monné porte

A shop where you can get unique Hasami ware

Minami Souko, located a little way back in Nishinohara, was used as the shipping office for the pottery factory. Seven Hasami ware brands produced by Saikai Toki are on display and for sale here: "essence of life," "Sabato," "HASAMI PORCELAIN," "The Porcelains," "Common," "NUPPU," and "Ha'."

From colorful to chic, subdued colors, you can find tableware for everyday use with playful designs and the warmth that can only be achieved through handcrafting.

Minami Souko

Take a stroll through "Togo Nakaoyama," the home of Hasami ware that has survived since the Edo period

Next we visited Nakaoyama, the birthplace of Hasami ware. A seven-minute drive from Nishinohara brings us to a pottery town lined with 16 kilns nestled in the mountain valley.

Hasami ware was first produced by potters who came from the Korean Peninsula during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. At first, clay pottery was the main focus, but when pottery stone was discovered in Mitsumata in the southeastern part of Hasami Town, full-scale porcelain production shifted. There is a mountain route connecting this Nakaoyama to Mitsumata, and pottery stone was transported over the mountain.

The demand for porcelain increased due to the civil war in China in the mid-17th century. During this period, the export of pottery produced in China was halted. Instead, pottery from Hizen, including Hasami ware, was chosen and exported overseas from Dejima in Nagasaki. The number of Hasami ware kilns and artisans increased dramatically.

Exports decreased when the civil war in China subsided around 1690. The company then shifted its focus to selling tableware for the domestic market, and began mass production.

Large kilns are needed for mass production. Nakao Mountain is home to the world's top three largest climbing kilns. First place is the Oshin Nobori Gamato, the world's largest, with a length of 170m and 39 kiln rooms. Second place is the Nakao Wa Nobori Gamato, 160m long and with 33 rooms. This kiln was built in 1640 and continued to be used for as long as 300 years. Third place is the Nakao Shita Nobori Gamato, 120m long and with 26 rooms. This kiln was also used for about 280 years from 1661. Currently, the world's second largest, the Nakao Wa Nobori Gamato, has been restored and is open to the public.

Because it is a climbing kiln, it is located on a slope, but at the very back of the mountain, the geological strata are displayed as they were at the time. It's good exercise, but the view of the town of Nakaoyama that can be seen from there is beautiful, so it's recommended as a place to take a walk and rest.

I took a walk around the village to get a feel for the atmosphere of Tokyo.

The Hasami ware production process is carried out through a division of labor and can be broadly divided into three steps:
・The "mold maker" who makes the plaster molds that become the prototypes of the vessels
- "Dough makers" who make dough by pouring liquid dough into plaster molds or using a mechanical potter's wheel to shape the dough using a rotating platform.
・The "potter" who paints, glazes, and fires the finished clay

Because of this division of labor, climbing kilns are also called "moyai kilns." "Moyai" means "everyone working together."

Currently, there are eight brick chimneys, which date back to the time when firewood was used for firing, and have been preserved to maintain the town's landscape. Fuel has changed from coal to gas, and the methods of making pottery have also changed considerably. However, what has remained constant is that it is "tableware for everyday use." From the "Kurawanka bowls" of the Edo period to the present day, tableware suited to the times may have changed in appearance, but this is what makes Hasami ware a major brand.

The small village of Nakaoyama still retains traces of the Edo period and continues to carry on the tradition of the division of labor known as "Moyai Kilns," which has continued since then. Not only can you visit the kilns, but even just strolling through the alleys can make you feel like you've traveled back in time.

Pottery town "Nakaoyama"

It has been about 400 years since the kiln was opened. Hasami ware continues to produce everyday tableware that continues to live on in our lives today. When the day comes when you are free to travel, why not visit Hasami Town to find your favorite piece of tableware? You will surely find a piece that will not only add color to your life, but that you will want to use for a long time.