Tonoyama Kiln – Naoto Yano

In order to see where our tea bowls come from, Joi-san visited Naoto Yano (Saga prefecture).

Tonoyama Kiln is located near the ruins of Nagoya Castle—a castle built in just a few months by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a base for his military campaigns to Korea in the late 1500s. This area, once bustling with warlords such as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune, still bears traces of their camps. According to Yano, countless ships once gathered in the inlet visible from this kiln.

At the top of a hill, we were greeted by a majestic climbing kiln.

Mr. Yano: “The kiln has five chambers, and the first one is called the Dōgima.”

All five chambers are filled with pottery in advance, and the fire is started in the first room. Once the Dōgima reaches 1200–1300°C, the heat naturally rises to warm the next chamber to around 1000°C. Firewood is then added to the side of the next chamber, transferring the heat even further upward. This process is repeated for each level.

Joi: “Do you place different types of ceramics in each room?”

Yano: “There are two main firing methods. Oxidation firing uses plenty of oxygen, producing soft, warm colors like yellowish reds. Reduction firing limits oxygen, creating incomplete combustion and resulting in cool, hard colors like blue and green—as seen in Arita ware or celadon. Since conditions differ by chamber, I place each piece strategically based on how I envision the final result.”

The firing time also varies by type. Bizen-style clay pieces may take three to four days, but glazed Karatsu ware finishes once the glaze melts—taking about a day in a kiln of this size.

Joi: “So you adjust time and temperature to match your creative vision. How many times a year do you fire the kiln?”

Yano: “Because of the heat and humidity, we avoid summer. We usually fire about 10 times a year.”

Now it was time to try our hand at decorating pottery.

Painting Our Own Karatsu Ware

Another goal of this trip was for Joi-san to paint a set of tea bowls to use in his tea gatherings.

Before beginning, we learned how the tone of iron glaze affects the finished design and techniques such as painting directly with the fingers. Rather than detailed realism, Karatsu ware values expressive abstraction and meaningful use of empty space.

He practiced on newspaper first, then began with simple cups.

The clay absorbs the glaze quickly unlike paper, so painting is more challenging than it seems.

Once he got the hang of it, the creative ideas flowed. Drawing inspiration from design books and classical Karatsu ware, he painted various motifs.

In total, twelve pieces were completed. After firing, they will shrink slightly, and the brush marks will also shift subtly. We can’t wait to see the vessels after firing!

Learning the History of Karatsu Ware

After the work, we sat in a gallery overlooking Nago Bay, enjoying tea while hearing Mr. Yano’s explanation. In addition to being a potter, Mr. Yano is also a collector of ceramic works—particularly old Karatsu ceramics.

Yano: “In the 1590s, when Hideyoshi set up his base here, ceramic techniques from Korea were introduced to Karatsu. At that time, Korea had just begun producing white porcelain. Glazed ceramics were cutting-edge technology. Until then, only the elite used lacquerware or glassy glazes. Most people used primitive vessels made from carved wood or earthenware. So the arrival of smooth, washable ceramics was a huge step forward—something like the arrival of flip phones in our own time.”

Tea masters of the era collaborated with Korean potters to create bowls tailored to their specifications—with particular attention to shapes, sizes, and motifs. This partnership produced ceramics that combined Korean techniques, Japanese aesthetics, and Karatsu materials, leading to their rapid popularity throughout Japan.

“I believe early Karatsu potters were likely aiming to create white porcelain,” Yano explained. “But the local clay wasn’t suitable for that purpose. Later, when they discovered porcelain-suitable clay in Arita, Karatsu ware was quickly superseded—similar to how smartphones replaced flip phones. As a result, Karatsu ware’s flourishing period lasted merely two or three decades, spanning from the introduction of Korean techniques to the emergence of Arita porcelain.”

Holding these historic pieces in our hands, we begin to imagine the lives of ancient potters and tea masters. A new world opens up through these vessels—a tangible connection to the past.

“It might sound a bit dramatic, but sometimes I feel that everything we need—air, earth, water, the food those elements bring forth—has already been given to us. I’m truly grateful to be able to make pottery from among these blessings,” echoed in my mind.

In Karatsu, we were able to touch the origins of Chanoyu through Mr. Yano’s words—his deep understanding of history conveyed through pottery. That experience will have a profound impact on Joi-san’s tea journey.

(Text: Masako Yamahira　Photo: Atsushi Yamahira)