Arts & Crafts - Kyoto - page 375

» Takashimaya ( CLICK HERE ) The 6th floor of this department store has great lacquerware, pottery, wood crafts
and so on.
» Kyoto Handicraft Center ( CLICK HERE ) The quality of goods at this one-stop handicraft shop is excellent and
the English-speaking salespeople make shopping a breeze.
» Kōbō-san ( CLICK HERE ) This flea market, held on the 21st of each month at Tōji, is a great place to find a wide
variety of used craft items.
» Tenjin-san ( CLICK HERE ) Held on the 25th of every month, this is another brilliant flea market.
Pottery & Ceramics
Evidence of the first Kyoto wares ( kyō-yaki , the yaki meaning, in this case, 'ware') dates
from the reign of Emperor Shōmu in the early 8th century. By the mid-1600s there were
more than 10 different kilns active in and around the city. Of these, however, only
Kiyomizu-yaki remains today. This kiln first gained prominence through the workmanship
of potter Nonomura Ninsei (1596-1660), who developed an innovative method of apply-
ing enamel overglaze to porcelain. This technique was further embellished by adding dec-
orative features such as transparent glaze (sometsuke), as well as incorporating designs in
red paint (aka-e) and celadon (seiji) . Kiyomizu-yaki is still actively produced in Kyoto
and remains popular with devotees of tea ceremony.
During the Edo period, many daimyō encouraged the founding of kilns and the produc-
tion of superbly designed ceramic articles. The climbing kiln (noborigama) was widely
used, and a fine example can be seen at the home of famed Kyoto potter Kawai Kanjirō
( CLICK HERE ). Constructed on a slope, the climbing kiln had as many as 20 chambers and
could reach temperatures as high as 1400°C.
During the Meiji period, ceramics waned in popularity, but were later part of a general
revival in mingei-hin (folk arts). This movement was led by Yanagi Sōetsu, who encour-
aged famous potters such as Kawai, Tomimoto Kenkichi and Hamada Shōji. The English
potter Bernard Leach studied in Japan under Hamada and contributed to the folk-art reviv-
al. On his return to England, Leach promoted the appreciation of Japanese ceramics in the
West.
Those with an interest in Kyoto wares - and Kiyomizu-yaki in particular - should
check out the streets below Kiyomizu-dera in Southern Higashiyama ( CLICK HERE ). You'll
find all manner of shops here selling Kiyomizu-yaki and other types of Japanese pottery.
Nearby, on Gojō-dōri, between Higashiōji-dōri and Kawabata-dōri, the Tōki Matsuri