Onta Pottery History

Onta Pottery production is primarily community-based, with a majority of the village inhabitants dedicated to this traditional craft. The village of Onta consists of only 9 households, all of which specialize in creating unique ceramics. In order to establish new pottery, permission must be granted by the cooperative, and the skills are typically passed down from father to eldest son in each family. Interestingly, the pottery is marked with Japanese characters for Onta, rather than the individual potter's name.

Onta's soft clay is sourced from the local mountainside and processed using traditional methods such as pounding with a wooden hammer. This natural clay is then carefully filtered and dried before being shaped on a traditional kick-wheel. The final touch is a color-glaze, in favor of Onta's signature simple designs and warm, earthy tones.

The natural ingredients used for glazing include straw, ash, wood, copper, and iron, resulting in colors such as Seiji (green), Ame (brown), and Kuro (black). The final step of firing involves drying the ceramic pieces in a Noborigama kiln, heated to 1250C using a wood-fed fire and separated into four or five chambers. This firing process occurs only four or five times a year, with each potter meticulously tending to the kiln without rest to ensure proper temperature regulation. This is the traditional Onta pottery method that has been passed down for generations.

Onta Pottery gained global recognition after British potter Bernard Leach visited and worked there in the 1950s. He shared his expertise with local potters, and since then, many renowned Japanese artists have also collaborated with them. In 1970, Onta pottery was designated as an Intangible Cultural Property of Japan, and was later upgraded to Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1995. This achievement requires the potters to continue using traditional methods, without relying on modern machinery or materials.