Tōjiki (陶磁器)

Earthenware is one of Japan’s oldest heritage crafts, with an extensive history dating back to Neolithic times.  Also known as tōjiki (陶磁器) or yakimono (焼き物), pottery was created as far back as Japan’s earliest historical era, the Jōmon period (10,500–300 BC), making it one of the oldest craft traditions in the world.  Hundreds of different earthenware styles have been developed across pottery and porcelain over the centuries, with some roots in Chinese and Korean influences that have been adapted into iconic Japanese aesthetics and culture, such as the tea ceremony.

Here’s our quick round-up of five of the most treasured, traditional wares in Japan:

Style

Region

Most well-known for…

Arita ware

Porcelain

Saga Prefecture

 

Beautiful white finishes and colourful designs, most notably blue and red

Seto ware (one of the Six Ancient Kilns)

 

Stoneware, pottery and porcelain

 

Aichi Prefecture

A wide variety of glazes and tea ceremony bowls

Kutani ware

Porcelain

Ishikawa Prefecture

 

Vivid shades and elegant patterns

 

 

Shigaraki ware (one of the Six Ancient Kilns)

 

Stoneware pottery

Shiga Prefecture

 

Tanuki figures, tiles, clay pots, tea bowls

 

Kyō ware

Ceramics, porcelain

Kyoto Prefecture

 

Fusion patterns and techniques that flourished alongside artistic disciplines, such as the tea ceremony and flower arranging

 

Image: The Japan Times

Back to blog