Onta Pottery History

Finely crafted pottery has been made in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, for hundreds of years. In the late 1500s, immigrant Korean potters brought new techniques such as kiln designs and ash glazing to the island. Many of these techniques in their original form are still evident in the local potteries today.

In the mountains of north-central Kyushu, near the town of Hita, you’ll find Onta, a small village where such unique pottery is made. This type of pottery is perhaps the best example of true folk art in Japan and is well-known for being both beautiful and useful. As well as producing wonderful organic ceramics, the pottery itself is of great interest.

Onta Pottery production is community-based and most people in the village are engaged in this craft. There are only 10 households in the village of Onta, all making traditional ceramics. Special permission from the cooperative is needed to establish new pottery, and pottery-making skills are passed down to the eldest son of each family by his father. The ceramics are marked with Japanese characters for Onta and not with each potter’s name.

Onta’s soft clay is dug locally from the mountainside near the village and then is pounded into powder by a wooden hammer (called Karausu in Japanese) powered by a water mill in the river running through the village. The clay is then filtered in the pools and dried before it is kneaded and formed using a traditional kick-wheel. Following another drying, it is color-glazed. Onta favors simple designs and earthy colors.

All glazed are prepared from natural materials such as straw, ash, wood, copper, and iron. The colors are mainly Seiji (green), Ame (brown), and Kuro (black).

Finally, dried ceramic pieces are fired in a wood-fed kiln at around 1250C for 30-40 hours. This type of kiln is called a Noborigama and contains four or five separate firing chambers. During this time, to regulate the temperature, each potter tends the kiln fire without sleep. They fire their kilns only four or five times a year. Such is the ancient technique of Onta pottery.

Onta Pottery became internationally recognized when the famous British potter Bernard Leach visited and worked there in the 1950s. Here, he learned and shared his skills with local potters. Many other renowned Japanese artists have also visited Onta and collaborated with local artisans.

In 1970, Onta pottery was designated an Intangible Cultural Property of Japan and upgraded to an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1995. This achievement means that the local potters must continue using traditional methods without modern machinery and materials.