is a type of

Ryukyuan pottery Ryukyuan pottery (琉球焼, or Okinawan language: 焼物; ''Yachimun'') include earthenware and stoneware items that are traditionally made on the Ryukyu Islands in east Asia. History Ryukyuan pottery first appeared during the Gusuku period ...

traditionally produced in Tsuboya, a pottery district in the city of

Naha is the Cities of Japan, capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 people per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). ...

, in the prefecture

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. Okinawan craftsmen began engaging in this form of pottery in 1682, and have since passed down the craft for generations. The most notable feature of this ware is its enamel decoration, unique to Okinawa. Originally, ceramics produced in this style were used primarily by common, middle-class people. However, during the Taisho period (1912–1926), the style was popularized by folk art proponents like

Muneyoshi Yanagi Muneyoshi is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese agricultural scholar *, Japanese sumo wrestler See also

*, Japanese samurai under the Tokugawa clan, whose name was misre ...

. Tsuboya ware is categorized into two types: and . While arayachi is a more simple style and takes the form of vessels for water or alcohol, jōyachi can be recognized by its rich enamel decoration.

History

According to Okinawan history, Tsuboya ware originated during the 17th century after the

Ryukyu kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a Tributary system of China, tributary state of Ming dynasty, imperial Ming China by the King of Ryukyu, Ryukyuan monarchy, who unified Okinawa Island t ...

was replaced by a feudal military government ruled by the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. At this time, Ryukyu's prosperous trade with China and other southeast Asian countries was brought to an end. As a result, ceramics from those countries were no longer imported to Ryukyu. In order to fill the continuous need for ceramic vessels, foreign potters primarily from Korea were summoned to Ryukyu to create pottery for its occupants. These Korean ceramicists brought a more advanced pottery production technology to the region and formed the Tsuboya pottery district in order to produce traditional ceramic vessels. During the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

(1868–1912), ceramics were mass-produced using industrial techniques, and the more traditional handicrafts such as Tsuboya ware declined in popularity, However, the folk craft movement known as the Taisho period (1912–1926) brought public recognition back to the traditional arts, and Tsuboya ware was embraced as a significant part of Okinawan cultural heritage.

Production

Tsuboya ware is produced by casting the clay either by hand or by using a mold. After the desired form is produced, the surface is applied with a

slip Slip or The Slip may refer to: * Slip (clothing), an underdress or underskirt Music * The Slip (band), a rock band * ''Slip'' (album), a 1993 album by the band Quicksand * ''The Slip'' (album) (2008), a.k.a. Halo 27, the seventh studio al ...

which is made by dissolving a type of clay unique to Tsuboya known as gushitou. While the enamel dries, the pottery is engraved with decorative patterns. Then, an enamel

overglaze Overglaze decoration, overglaze enamelling, or on-glaze decoration, is a method of decorating pottery, most often porcelain, where the coloured decoration is applied on top of the already fired and glazed surface, and then fixed in a second firi ...

is applied using natural materials from Okinawa such as coral or rice husks, which overlay the pottery with various natural colors. The pottery is then fired once. Traditionally, a

climbing kiln The ''anagama'' kiln (Japanese Kanji: 穴窯/ Hiragana: あながま) is an ancient type of pottery kiln brought to Japan from China via Korea in the 5th century. It is a version of the climbing dragon kiln of south China, whose further deve ...

would have been used for firing Tsuboya ware, but today this type of kiln is restricted due to the smoke pollution it creates in nearby residential areas, so gas kilns are primarily used.

Notable potters

* Jirō Kinjō, first Okinawan Living National Treasure * Kobashigawa Eishō * Aragaki Eisaburō

References

External links

*http://www.tuboya.com *https://kogeijapan.com/locale/en_US/tsuboyayaki/ {{Japanese pottery Japanese pottery Naha Okinawan culture