Kasama ware is a style of pottery that has been made in the city of Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, for some 250 years. Known for producing kitchen utensils of folk-craft quality, such as mortars, water pots, storage vessels and bottles, Kasama once prospered as one of the most vital ceramics production centers in Eastern Japan. After World War II, potters in other regions began mass-producing their wares, but those in Kasama continued to make theirs by hand on the wheel or by the slab building technique, as the sticky local clay was not suitable for mass production. Consequently, Kasama ware went into decline for a while, but it is now enjoying a resurgence due to renewed appreciation for handmade tableware.
The workshop we work with in Kasama has about twenty artisans, all working as individual ceramists who produce a diversity of pieces. This flat board with feet, which would look at home on a sushi restaurant counter, was created by a craftsman from Australia. The clay was cut into a flat plate using the slab building technique, with feet attached to the slab. Processes at a large workshop are typically divided up, with different artisans forming, glazing, painting, or firing the clay. Here, however, all processes are handled by each of the artisans as they produce their own handmade pieces.
