you spin me right 'round, baby, right 'round, like a record, baby, right 'round 'round 'round...
Last weekend one of Chaz's students took us out to Bizen so we could make some Bizen-yaki, this wickedly expensive pottery that is famous in Japan (seriously, one tiny little tea cup will run you about $25 US). Bizen-yaki is one of the six ancient potteries in Japan (the others are from Seto, Tokoname, Tanba, Echizen, and Shigaraki regions). It's is pretty simple; the pottery never gets glazed or painted. Instead, patterns appear on the pottery during firing, so no two pieces are ever alike.
The entire Bizen-yaki process seems to be quite the ordeal. First, the Bizen clay is put outside to dry for 2 years. Next Bizen clay is mixed with other kinds of clay and then it’s filtered to separate the stones from the clay. Once the pottery is made it is dried for about a month, and then it is placed in the kiln. Due to the nature of Bizen clay the temperature in the kiln has to be raised very slowly or the pottery will break (I’ve read that the 400 and 600 degree points are pretty critical, and if it is rushed the entire batch can be lost), so Bizen-yaki is fired for 13 days (that’s how long it takes to get the temperature to 2300 degrees F). They use a noborigama, or a climbing kiln, which has many different chambers and apparently the different chambers yield different colours (I’ve also read that some of the colours appear when the rice straw they use to protect the pottery during firing burns away and also that how quickly the wood is added to the kiln can also produce certain colours). After it’s been fired, they let the pottery cool for one week, remove it from the kiln, and, finally, they polish it. Now I understand why it costs so freakin' much!
Anyway, It was lots of fun, and I think I did pretty well considering the pottery-making lesson was taught entirely in Japanese and I didn't really understand a word. I enjoyed myself so much, in fact, that it made me want to take a pottery class when I get back to Canada. Below are some pictures of us in action and some pictures we took at one of the many Bizen-yaki stores we visited that day...
The entire Bizen-yaki process seems to be quite the ordeal. First, the Bizen clay is put outside to dry for 2 years. Next Bizen clay is mixed with other kinds of clay and then it’s filtered to separate the stones from the clay. Once the pottery is made it is dried for about a month, and then it is placed in the kiln. Due to the nature of Bizen clay the temperature in the kiln has to be raised very slowly or the pottery will break (I’ve read that the 400 and 600 degree points are pretty critical, and if it is rushed the entire batch can be lost), so Bizen-yaki is fired for 13 days (that’s how long it takes to get the temperature to 2300 degrees F). They use a noborigama, or a climbing kiln, which has many different chambers and apparently the different chambers yield different colours (I’ve also read that some of the colours appear when the rice straw they use to protect the pottery during firing burns away and also that how quickly the wood is added to the kiln can also produce certain colours). After it’s been fired, they let the pottery cool for one week, remove it from the kiln, and, finally, they polish it. Now I understand why it costs so freakin' much!
Anyway, It was lots of fun, and I think I did pretty well considering the pottery-making lesson was taught entirely in Japanese and I didn't really understand a word. I enjoyed myself so much, in fact, that it made me want to take a pottery class when I get back to Canada. Below are some pictures of us in action and some pictures we took at one of the many Bizen-yaki stores we visited that day...
posted by bag marla at 5:03 a.m.
9 Comments:
can I make one?
looks like fun...
good idea for december holidays...
-Rahi
if you can get to Bizen, Japan, you can make Bizen-yaki!!
we went to Inbe. check it out some time Rahi!
Will the pottery be ready for it to come home with you or do you just make some shape and leave it behind. All the timelines you describe seem to indicate you won't get the pottery before you leave. Am I dumb?
no, you're not dumb, don't worry! they're actually going to ship them to us in Canada, so they said in about 3 months, if all goes well, we'll have our Bizen-yaki safe and sound in Canada. yay!!!
Not a dumb question,Km, cause I was going to ask the same thing. I hope it gets to Canuckville safely....... I would hate for it to arrive as Bizen-bitsandpieces! When are you arriving and when are you coming to visit us? And when are you making your traditional gingerbread houses? Mr. Markus is making a candy castle right now and we could use some professional help!
yay buggy!! i've missed you, you're never online anymore!
i also hope we don't get bizen-bitsandpieces, but people here seem to be all about the excessive amounts of packaging, so i'm not too worried.
chaz and i get in on nov. 29th. look out saskatchewan!! i'm not sure when i'll be out your way for a visit, but you had better believe there will be some gingerbread house-making involved. i've been looking forward to it for a while now, so i hope the boys are game for some decorating! my people will call your people to make plans soon! :)
a candy castle sounds pretty exciting...it's probably for the best that i'm not there though, as i'd probably eat it all (unless there was decoy candy for me to eat, of course). please take lots of pictures!!
whoa, a candy castle? marlito, why have i never been introduced to these candy loving people? are you trying to keep me from them and their candy goodness? shame...
that's right, they're mine, all mine *muh-ha-ha*
get your own candy loving people *hiss*
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