Mino yaki is the traditional style of Japanese pottery. Mino is the city located southeast of Gifu prefecture in Japan where this style of pottery is created.
Mino yaki has long years of history in the Japanese pottery style. Originating from China, it has been around since the Muromachi Era (which is in the 1300s), developing and evolving to the original style of Japan. The development derived it into multiple types, making "Mino yaki" the general term for this specific pottery.
Below is the information on making Mino yaki, cited from Kogei Japan.
We carry two beautiful Mino yaki matcha bowls. Enjoy your time with Matcha to the fullest with a little knowledge and the pretty bowls!
- Clay kneading
Clay with a sufficiently uniform hardness and moisture level is kneaded little by little while rotating. The rotation serves to remove the air bubbles from inside the clay. Because the kneading involves both large rough massaging and smaller careful massaging, the form of the clay ends up resembling a chrysanthemum while it is being kneaded hence its nickname, "chrysanthemum kneading".- Shaping
Mino ware is mainly produced by potter's wheel molding, hand rolling, or slab building. Mass production is carried out using a great variety of templates, from prototype models to working molds. Slip casting produces muddy clay inside a concave plaster mold. Pressure casting is a method of casting that uses compressed air to send clay mud to a plaster mold. Other molding methods that may be used include mechanical potter's wheel molding, fully-automatic molding, and press molding.- Drying
Once the pieces have been planed or shaved down, they are slowly dried before the bisque stage. They are dried in the shade or under the sun. The time required for drying varies depending on factors like the application of patterns, decoration, the thickness of the unglazed pottery on which patterns are drawn, as well as the size of the pieces.- Bisque firing
This process removes moisture from the raw material and increases durability by burning combustibles. The firing is carried out slowly at a temperature of around 700 to 800℃ (1292 to 1472℉). The bisque firing makes it easier to apply glaze.- Underglaze decoration
Underglaze decoration is a process carried out prior to glazing where patterns are drawn beneath the glaze. After the bisque firing, pigments of desired colors are used to decorate the pieces. Cobalt, iron, and copper are the most used pigments. Once the drawing is complete, transparent glaze is applied. When using zaffar which is a cobalt oxide, the color becomes indigo blue while pieces drawn with iron develop a dark reddish-brown or blackish-brown color.- Glazing
The glaze melts when it is fired and creates a glass-like coat on the surface, which reduces permeability and increases durability. This acts as a coloring and coating that shines and decorates the piece. There are three basic kinds of glaze: ash, feldspar, and lead. But iron, copper or metal can also be added to the basic ones, creating many different types of glaze. Some frequently used glazing techniques are drip glazing, spray glazing, and dip glazing.- Glost firing
Glost firing at a high temperature is carried out after the glazing. The pieces are carefully packed into the kiln to ensure that the density inside the kiln is uniform. Some major types of kilns are climbing kilns, gas kilns, and electric kilns.- Overglaze decoration
Figures and patterns are painted on the glost fired pieces with overglaze decoration brushes. The overglaze decoration painting techniques include red painting, colors other than red painting and five-color painting. The paints are a mixture of metallic components such as iron, copper, cobalt, or manganese with soda or lead. After the delicate lines are drawn, the pieces are sent to firing between 700 and 800℃ (about 1292 to 1472℉), which is lower than the glost firing to prevent colors from scattering.- Finishing
After the final firing, the surface of the piece is filed down and it is complete.
References
-
Pottery of Japan
-
Mino Ware, https://kogeijapan.com/locale/en_US/minoyaki/
-
Tokishi Mino-ware Tradition Industrial Hall, https://www.minoyaki.gr.jp/english_page