Ushinoto Ware (Ushinoto Yaki) is pottery fired at a kiln in Ushito, Kawahara Town, Tottori City. The kiln began in the late Edo period, and some sources date its founding to the Tenpo era (1830–1844). It originally fired everyday wares such as tokkuri (sake bottles) with plum-blossom patterns from local clay, but by the early Showa period it had declined. In 1931 (Showa 6), the fourth-generation potter 小林秀晴 received guidance from Yoshida Shoya, an activist of the Mingei movement, and went on to make 'somewake-zara' (two-glaze division dishes) with green and black glazes each applied to one half. Yanagi Muneyoshi, who was present when the pieces were taken out of the kiln, praised them highly, and Ushinoto Ware became the starting point of the Shinsaku Mingei (new folk craft) promoted by Yoshida. It is characterized by simple, thick and sturdy vessels for everyday use, and it is still fired in the climbing kiln handed down through the generations. It is designated a Tottori Prefecture Local Craft, and today the sixth generation, 小林孝男, and the seventh generation, 小林遼司, continue making pottery.
Origin
Ushinoto Ware is said to have begun in the late Edo period, and some sources date the kiln's founding to the Tenpo era. Tradition has it that it started when 小林梅五郎, a potter from Iwami (present-day western Shimane Prefecture), brought craftspeople along and settled in Ushito in search of good clay. At its peak, about 60 craftspeople are said to have worked there, firing roof tiles as well as vessels. The products were carried by boat along the Hiketa River to Karo Port and shipped to various regions by Kitamae-bune (trading ships).
History
By the early Showa period, Ushinoto Ware had declined. The turning point came when Yoshida Shoya came across an Ushinoto Ware 'gorohachi-jawan' bowl at a crockery shop in Tottori City. In 1931, under Yoshida's guidance, the fourth-generation potter 小林秀晴 made green-and-black somewake dishes. Yanagi Muneyoshi was present when the kiln was unloaded on May 11 of that year and described the pieces as 'extremely beautiful in form'. Yoshida went on supporting their sales afterward, and Ushinoto Ware became the representative kiln of Shinsaku Mingei in Tottori.
Features
Its wares are mainly simple, thick and sturdy everyday vessels in a rustic folk-craft style. The signature somewake dish was originally divided between a brownish glaze and a green glaze, and was changed to green and black on Yoshida's advice. The 'Leach cup', a handled cup first made under the guidance of the British potter Bernard Leach, is also well known. 小林孝男, the sixth generation, describes the pieces as 'not works of art, but crafts for daily life'. Today the kiln makes interior items such as clocks as well as tableware.
Techniques
Somewake (two-glaze division)
A technique in which a dish is dipped halfway into glaze held in a large jar (kame), so that green glaze and black glaze are divided on a single dish. Dipping too deep or too shallow leads to failure, so the craftsperson repeats the work by hand, one dish at a time. It was born in 1931 under Yoshida Shoya's guidance and remains Ushinoto Ware's representative work today.
Firing in a climbing kiln
The wares are fired in a multi-chamber climbing kiln (noborigama) with firing chambers lined up along a slope. The first unloading of Shinsaku Mingei pieces in 1931 also took place in this climbing kiln. Firewood for fuel is neatly stacked under the eaves of the kiln, and the climbing kiln and workshop are still handed down from generation to generation.
Clay preparation
Ushinoto Ware is said to come from a kiln opened in search of Ushito's clay. Turning the raw clay dug from the ground into potter's clay takes a great deal of work and time. The kiln still makes its pottery with careful attention to clay.
Materials Used
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Artisans & Workshops
牛ノ戸焼窯元（小林孝男・小林遼司）
A kiln at 185 Ushito, Kawahara Town, Tottori City. It is the kiln where the fourth generation, 小林秀晴, created the somewake dish under Yoshida Shoya's guidance, and today the sixth generation, 小林孝男, and the seventh generation, 小林遼司, make pottery here. While preserving tradition, it also makes tableware suited to modern life and interior items such as clocks.
Official site →How to Buy
- 牛ノ戸焼窯元
- Vessels can be purchased at the kiln at 185 Ushito, Kawahara Town, Tottori City. It is open from around 9:00 to 17:00 and closes on irregular days, so a reservation by phone (0858-85-0655) is required before visiting.Where to buy →PR
- 鳥取たくみ工芸店
- A mingei shop opened in Tottori City in 1932 by Yoshida Shoya, said to be the first of its kind in Japan. It is now located at 栄町651, Tottori City, about a 5-minute walk from JR Tottori Station. It handles Shinsaku Mingei items from Tottori, and Ushinoto Ware vessels are sometimes on display in the shop. Open from 10:00 to 18:00, closed on Wednesdays.Where to buy →PR
FAQ
Q. What is Shinsaku Mingei?
A. It is an initiative by Yoshida Shoya, who sympathized with the Mingei movement, to create new folk craft items suited to modern life by making use of local craftspeople and materials. The somewake dish of Ushinoto Ware in 1931 is said to be its beginning. Besides pottery, Yoshida also reached out to craftspeople in woodworking, dyeing and weaving, washi and other fields.
Q. What is the relationship between Ushinoto Ware and Nakai Kiln?
A. Nakai Kiln is a kiln in Nakai, Kawahara Town, opened in 1945, and in 1952 it received the name 'Ushinoto-yaki Waki-gama' (branch kiln of Ushinoto Ware) from Yoshida Shoya. Both are kilns that worked on Shinsaku Mingei under Yoshida's guidance. However, a prefectural survey has been revealing that Yoshida guided the two kilns in different ways.
Q. Can I visit the kiln?
A. A reservation is required before visiting. The grounds contain the climbing kiln and workshop handed down through the generations, and you can sense the history in the kiln's atmosphere. Since it closes on irregular days, call to check before you go.
Q. Where can I see fine old pieces of Ushinoto Ware?
A. You can see them at 鳥取民藝美術館 in Tottori City. Yoshida Shoya founded it in 1949 as a base for the Tottori mingei movement, and its current building was newly constructed in 1957. It holds more than 5,000 items, including an Ushinoto Ware 'sanpo-kakezara' dish made in 1957.