FUKUOKA JAPANSTORIES & GUIDE

Onta pottery

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Culture

As more and more people have come to value beauty in their daily lives, Onta Ware pottery has attracted attention not only for its craftsmanship, but also for the rustic environment in which it is produced. The first kilns were opened in this area around 300 years ago, and all nine of the remaining kilns are family operations that continue to protect and pass down the traditional pottery techniques.

Onta Ware started to develop a name for itself both at home and abroad in the 1930s thanks to the promotional efforts of Muneyoshi Yanagi, the founder of the mingei (“folk craft”) movement in Japan, and Bernard Leach, a world-renowned ceramic artist. Today, the entire area, including pottery and even the sound of the mortar grinding the clay, has been recognized as an Important Cultural Landscape, and it has been selected as one of the 100 Best Soundscapes of Japan.

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