Kasama Pottery — Climbing Kiln Heritage

Kasama-yaki pottery has been produced in this hillside town for over 250 years. Unlike the aristocratic refinement of Arita or the rustic wabi-sabi of Bizen, Kasama ware occupies a middle ground — practical yet artistic, rooted in folk craft traditions but open to contemporary experimentation. The local clay is iron-rich and plastic, ideal for throwing functional vessels, which is why Kasama became known for water jars, sake bottles, and teapots during the Edo period.

Today, Kasama hosts over 200 working potters, from conservative craftsmen maintaining Edo techniques to avant-garde ceramic artists pushing material boundaries. The town's annual Himatsuri (Fire Festival, late April) features nighttime firings of noborigama (climbing kilns) — multi-chambered wood-fired kilns built into hillsides where temperatures exceed 1200°C and flames roar through connected chambers. Visitors can tour active workshops, try wheel-throwing, and purchase directly from artists whose work ranges from ¥1,000 rice bowls to ¥100,000 sculptural pieces.