What is Shigarakiyaki?
Pottery lovers say "Pottery starts from Shigaraki and ends in Shigaraki." Shigarakiyaki is amongst the most famous pottery producers in Japan. Shigaraki, the birth place of Shigarakiyaki, is located in Shiga prefecture where is well-known as the sightseeing spot for its natural beauty.
Shigarakiyaki has a long history. It originated in the period of the Emperor Shomu (about 1200 years ago) when he started to build the Imperial Palace of Shigaraki. One of the characters of Shigarakiyaki is its unique touch because of non glaze. Shigarakiyaki is fired in more than 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, so the ash of firewood clings to the pottery. The ash plays the roll of glazing and produces various colors such as light green, brown and light yellow.
In the 16th century, people who established tea ceremony loved
Shigarakiyaki. This is because it has a unique taste which is similar to the aesthetic sense of tea ceremony. During the Edo period (16th to 19th century), Shigarakiyaki has spread widely into peoples' life, establishing the present styles of Shigarakiyaki. Many people who hold tea ceremonies like to have the well known Japanese Shigarakiyaki products. Nowadays, they produce varieties of Shigarakiyaki, not only tea ceremony products but also Japanese garden ornaments such as pots, garden basins, jugs and statues of a raccoon dogs.
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