Facility Name: NARAOKA TOEN
Prefecture: Akita Prefecture Area name: Daisen City Vivid pottery of blue of the group burnt in the north Located in the outskirts of Daisen city in the inland part of Akita prefecture, surrounded by idyllic mountains sits Naraoka Toen, a famous workshop for Naraoka ceramic pottery wares. The beginning was the end of Edo, more than 150 years ago.I started making pottery using local clay, but at first it didn’t work out well.The pottery that I think does not burn when the crack enters when drying and it is deformed when baking.When we finally find a way to deal with the trial and error, and when the product making begins to go on track, a cheap instrument is hit by the improvement of the domestic transportation network, and Naraoka Wares suffered an economic blow. Over time, production gradually decreased, leaving NARAOKA TOEN as the only studio still standing.   Naraoka Ware continued to make pottery that closely adheres to People’s lives
Naraoka Ceramics bare the longest history of potteries in Akita Prefecture. There were some pottery makers that started before Naraoka, but unfortunately there are no kilns in existence.It might be one of factors that the Naraoka wares continued for a long time until today that the pottery which made with the age was changed flexibly, and the pottery with a beautiful, blue shine was piled up especially the beginning of the Showa era and the technology improvement. The Hai glaze (sea cucumber yu) that the blue stands out is generated by a complex emulsion during glaze and markings.It came to be called a Hai glaze some day because it resembled the sea cucumber of the living thing of the part. A rare pottery that is still burning with a climbing kiln currently, Many of the pottery are baked using electric kilns and gas kilns.However, in the Naraoka ware, it uses the climb kiln which consists of four rooms though the gas kiln is used, too and the pottery is made. The climbing kiln is a typical kiln of “firewood kiln”, and the improvement has been piled up in the history of thousands of years.However, the use of a large amount of firewood and the fact that the fire is not stable and there are a lot of loss of the product, the pottery using gradually has decreased.Still, there is a peculiar texture which cannot be put out without the climb kiln, and Naraoka has defended the tradition in importance. A variety of assortment unique to the pottery.A souvenir of the traditional Hai glaze Naraoka The Naraoka Pottery Garden sells a variety of Naraoka-yaki products, decorated with Hai glazed Blue. Guinomi and teacups, from the small items that can be used everyday, such as coffee cups, the lineup of many products to big shots such as pots and platters, bottles. We also have a pottery experience by appointment.Let’s touch the world of the history pottery while enjoying the pottery experience willingly in the workshop of Naraoka-yaki only in Akita Prefecture.

Facility Name Naraoka Toen
Location 344-1 South Private character nashinoki, Daisen city, Akita Prefecture Phone number 0187-73-1018 Opening hours 9:00 ~ 17:00 Closed on 2.4 Tuesday Price pottery experience is 2500 yen per person (3,000 yen for one person) shipping.Reservations required over a week Access to Akita expressway, a 10-minute drive from the Masterpiece IC URL http://www.naraokayaki.jp/