Glaze Your Own Ceramic Tableware at a Takatori Ware Studio

Overview

Visit Takatoriyaki Souke to discover the rich history of the simple but elegant Takatori ware, one of Fukuoka’s homegrown ceramic wares. You'll not only tour this historically significant studio, but also try glazing your own Takatori ware.

Highlights

Key Information

Description

Takatori ware, or ‘Takatori-yaki’ in Japanese, is one of Fukuoka’s homegrown ceramic wares. This type of ware is characterized by its simple yet refined and elegant appearance. Despite their thin surface, these pieces of earthenware are coated with multiple layers of colored glaze. When flicked, they create a high-pitched sound, like that of porcelain. With over 400 years of history, Takatori ware traces its origins to 1600, when the Korean potter Palsan (read as ‘Hachizan’ in Japanese; later changed to Hachizo) established a kiln at the foot of Mt. Takatori. Brought to Japan by the warlord Kuroda Nagamasa, Hachizan made bowls and other utensils for tea ceremonies. Under the patronage of the Kuroda clan, Hachizan and his descendants continued to establish kilns and to create beautiful tea ceremony utensils. These works were named ‘Takatori ware,’ after the location of Hachizan’s first kiln, as well as his newly bestowed family name, Takatori. Takatori ware’s style became more elegant and refined over time. As such, not only was it the Kuroda clan’s official ceramic, but, until the feudal system was abolished, it was the leading ceramic of the clan’s domain. Even Kobori Enshu — the famous tea ceremony practitioner who helped refine Takatori ware’s style — named one of Hachizan’s kilns as one of his seven favorite kilns. Today, Takatori ware is largely known among tea-ceremony practitioners and enthusiasts. The techniques that Hachizan established in his latter years have been passed down to his descendants, who continue to preserve Hachizan’s legacy. His descendants run the Takatoriyaki Souke studio — the current patriarch, the 13th-generation head, is even named after Hachizan! In this activity, you’ll visit Takatoriyaki Souke to not only look around the studio, but also to try glazing Takatori ware yourself. Learn about the history of Takatori ware, Takatoriyake Souke, and more. You’ll also have a look at rarely seen items such as a ‘karausu,’ a traditional, water-powered mortar used to smoothen clay. Then, choose a piece of tableware and your preferred glazes. While most other workshops only offer two glazes, at Takatoriyaki Souke, you can choose up to three glazes from a range of 12 — all made with the Takatori family’s secret techniques. When you’re done, Takatoriyaki Souke’s skilled artisans will then fire your piece in a wood-fired kiln. To take your work home, have your ceramic delivered to your doorstep. If you wish, end the activity on a relaxing note by enjoying matcha tea and Japanese sweets in a tearoom where the famed Sun Yat-sen, the founder of modern China, once stayed. Visit Takatoriyaki Souke for a day’s worth of history and art!