Background Hidehira lacquer (秀衡塗) craft really began when Ohshu Fujiwara (奥州 藤原) wielded power over Hiraizumi (平泉町)in Iwate Prefecture (岩手県)toward the end of the Heian period （平安時代）(794-1185). It was he who lent this support to the building of the temple, Chusonji （中尊寺）with its famous Konjikido （金色堂）and many fine pieces of Buddhist art in general. Although...
Olympic Medals The 1998 Winter Olympics held at the Nagano Prefecture (長野県)venue had a special surprise for medal winners. Competition medals were made with three processes: cloisonné which is found both in the Orient and Occident, the decorative lacquer technique known as maki-e（蒔絵）, an intricate metal processing technique. The Kiso area of Nagano Prefecture is one of...
Background The origins of this ware date back to an earthenware called sueki that was made about 700, during the Nara period (710-794), although the traditional skills, techniques and nomenclature of Akazu ware that are still in use today were established during the early years of the Edo period (1600-1868). It was the period slightly...
Background Kasama pottery(笠間焼) started in the middle of the Edo period (1600-1868) and was influenced by the feudal system until the abolition of the clans and the establishment of prefectures in the Meiji period (1868-1912). Many kitchen utensils such as mixing bowls and jugs were produced from the outset up until about 1945. The type...
The origins of Satsuma ware (薩摩焼)date back to the 16th century. The local feudal lord, Shimazu, returned from the Korean peninsular with some potters who helped to get things started. The wonderful surroundings of Kagoashima have contributed greatly to the development of this ware during its long history spanning some 400 years. During this time,...
Background It seems likely that the making of this distinctive style of paulownia chest was begun in Nagoya by craftsmen who, having been involved in the building of Nagoya castle some 400 years ago, settled there and began making chest of drawers and chests. After the country was unified by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the economy...
Background This craft began during the 18th century with the emergence of three kinds of skilled workers of precious metals. First there was the shirogane-shi, who fashioned articles that were then skillfully chased by masters of this technique; and then there were skilled metal workers who made such things as combs, hairpins (kanzashi) and the...
In the middle of the Heian period (794-1185), Minamoto Yoriyoshi fought a number of battles in the Yamagata area in an effort to quell various uprisings. The metal casters, who were part and parcel of the army and operations, discovered that the quality of the sand in the river flowing through Yamagata city and the...
Present-day Morioka is at the center of an area which was controlled by the Nambu clan at the beginning of the 17th century. It was then that craftsmen practiced in the art of making chagama or pots used to heat water for the tea ceremony were invited to Morioka from Kyoto. Many more casters were...
The history of Mino ware goes back some 1,300 years. The techniques of making a Sueki ware （須恵器）were introduced from Korea and then in the 10th century, an ash glaze called shirashi started to be used. This simply amounted to the glazing of the Sue ware with the glaze. It was about this time that...
Indications are that the origins of Obori Soma（大堀相馬） ware go back to toward the end of the 17th century. Under the patronage and protection of the local Soma clan the kilns flourished and by the middle of the 19th century, there were more than 100 at work, making it the largest production center in the...
I Overview Pieces representing the beginnings of Tokoname ware were made at the end of the Heian period (794-1185) and it is now counted among Japan’s six old kilns. During the Heian period, Kyozuka urns were made in which to put Buddhist sutras before burial in the ground as a way of asking favors of...
