Ancient Tradition, Ontayaki, Kyushu Island, Japan
How can a 300-year-old tradition survive in modern times?
Ontayaki was formed in the mid-Edo period by two Kyushu potters, Sanemon and Jyuubi, influenced by the climbing kiln brought to Japan from China. The ceramic gained popularity with Yanagi Soetsu, the philosopher and founder of the Mingei folk craft movement (1926-45). One of the most significant achievements of the Mingei movement was to establish a revolutionary new style for middle-class living, combining old and new, east and west, rural and urban in a compelling hybrid that sought to meet the new economic and social conditions of early 20th-century Japan.
In the 1950s, world-renowned potter Bernard Leach worked in the village, studying Ontayaki and putting it on the international map. Although each piece is handmade and unique, the whole pottery-making process remains very reasonably priced and truly one of a kind.
Mr. Sakamoto has passed his trade on to his son, and the village has long established a rule to ensure the tradition endures, allowing only two wheels per workshop. In modern-day Japan, a father and son quietly carry on the business exactly as their ancestors established it.
Visit
Onta Village / Mr. Sakamoto / Tel +81 (0)993-29-2467