Six Ancient Kilns of Japan
Echizen Town, Fukui
Echizen ware has been made since the late Heian period in Echizen Town, Fukui Prefecture — the only one of the Six Ancient Kilns of Japan facing the Sea of Japan. Shipped from Sea of Japan ports as far as Hokkaido in the north and Shimane in the south, it grew into the largest pottery centre in the Hokuriku region. Drawing on the official Six Ancient Kilns materials, this page outlines how Echizen ware developed and what sets its clay and techniques apart, along with the Echizen-connected potters, exhibitions and shops that megu knows about.
Sue stoneware was made in Echizen from the Nara period into the early Heian period, but it has no direct technical link to Echizen ware. Echizen ware itself began in the late 12th century (the end of the Heian period) with techniques brought from the Tokoname kilns, and early pieces closely resemble Tokoname ware. More than 200 kiln sites from the medieval to the modern period have been found, and production centred on everyday wares such as storage jars, pots and grinding bowls.
The wares travelled by river and overland to coastal villages, and from the major ports of Tsuruga and Mikuni were shipped all along the Sea of Japan. In the Warring States period, as castle towns were built, the kilns moved toward mass production and grew enormous — the Takenotani kiln sites include a kiln some 25m long. From the mid-17th century the kilns also made Echizen red roof tiles, coloured reddish-black with a glaze of iron-bearing earth dissolved in water. They have been excavated at Kanazawa and Fukui castles, and some 35,000 of them roof the Hakodate Magistrate's Office in Hokkaido.
In the Meiji era, as piped water and porcelain spread, demand fell and the kilns declined for a time. Excavations and research by the local kiln-site researcher Mizuno Kuemon and the ceramics scholar Fujio Koyama brought renewed attention, and in 1948 Echizen was counted among the Six Ancient Kilns. Wares previously known by village names such as Osohara ware and Kumatani ware were brought together under the name "Echizen ware" in 1965, and in 1986 it was designated a national Traditional Craft.
Echizen ware is known for plain, sturdy forms and the warmth of its clay and ash glaze. Echizen clay contains iron, withstands high temperatures and fires very hard. Its fine grain and strong plasticity allow delicate forming, and because it is rich in quartz and other glassy minerals, glass fills the spaces between the clay particles during firing, leaving the body hard and dense.
This clay suited large jars and vats, and in the Kamakura period potters developed a technique for building them — walking around the base while stacking coils of clay — that is still practised today. When you pick up a piece, look at the colour of the clay and at the ash glaze left by the firing.
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The Six Ancient Kilns of Japan (Nihon Rokkoyo) is the collective name for six representative pottery-producing areas whose production has continued from the medieval period to the present day: Echizen, Seto, Tokoname, Shigaraki, Tamba and Bizen. The name was coined around 1948 by the ceramics scholar Fujio Koyama, and in 2017 the six were recognised together as a Japan Heritage under the story "Kitto Koisuru Rokkoyo" (roughly, "You're sure to fall for the Six Ancient Kilns: pottery towns born and raised in Japan").
Of the six, only Seto made glazed ware; the other five are known for yakishime — unglazed stoneware fired hard at high temperatures.
3 people. Potters who have exhibited at a shop or gallery in Echizen, or whose profile mentions Echizen. This is not a complete list of the area's potters.
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