Kyo Kiyomizu yaki ware / 

Japanese Matcha Tea bowl Chawan Pine Hand-drawn Japan

Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki are ceramics made in and around Kyoto City. Originally, Kyo-yaki was a general term for pottery made in Kyoto, and Kiyomizu-yaki was the name for pottery made on the approach to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Currently, the main production areas are Hiyoshi, Gojozaka, Sumiyama in Uji, Sennyuji, Hebigatani, and Kiyomizu Danchi in Yamashina, and pottery produced in these kilns is called Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki.The distinctive feature of Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki is that, unlike other production areas, a wide variety of pottery is fired using a variety of techniques. Each kiln has its own unique characteristics, and a wide variety of pottery is fired, including colored pottery, blue and white porcelain, Tenmoku, celadon, and powdered pottery.In addition to "Chanoyu" and "Ikebana," Kyoto is home to a variety of traditional arts and cultures, such as "Kodo," which involves burning fragrant wood and appreciating the aroma that rises from it, and there is also a wide variety of Kyoto cuisine and Japanese sweets that are unique to Kyoto. Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki have developed alongside these ancient Japanese traditional cultures.Even now, when mass-produced products have become mainstream, Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki maintain the tradition of being made by hand, and have established an unshakable position as representative Japanese ceramics.

Pottery in Kyoto has a long history, dating back to the Nara and Heian periods, and pottery production flourished during the Azuchi-Momoyama period as the tea ceremony became popular. Many kilns produced Awataguchi ware, Raku ware, Oshikoji ware, and other types of pottery, which are said to be the beginning of "Kyoto ware."In the early Edo period, excellent master craftsmen appeared, and early modern Kyoto ware developed dramatically. Nonomura Ninsei, a potter from Tanba, perfected gorgeous overglaze pottery, and Ogata Kenzan, the younger brother of painter Ogata Korin, collaborated with his older brother to create masterpieces using unique designs.Furthermore, in the late Edo period, Okuda Eisen succeeded in firing porcelain. Following this, master craftsmen such as Aoki Mokubei, Ninnam Dohachi, and Eiraku Hozen appeared, and produced many masterpieces.In the Meiji period, they adopted European pottery techniques and expanded overseas. While preserving the traditional techniques of the past, "Kyoto ware and Kiyomizu ware" have added new appeal and continue to produce a wide variety of high-quality ceramics to this day.

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