Bizen ceramics

Published on : 03/07/2018
by : C.L

Age-old craftsmanship

Bizen City in Okayama Prefecture specializes in ceramics. A ceramic recognizable by its ocher and earthy color. A millennial know-how that the city does not fail to highlight.

If there is one country particularly renowned in the art of ceramics, it is Japan. If Japanese ceramics emerged in the 13th century , thanks to techniques imported from China, many Japanese kilns are still in operation today.

Smooth, bumpy, rough, white, patterned or rougher, ceramic takes on a variety of forms depending on where it is made. The city of Bizen, located in Okayama prefecture west of Kobe is one of the six historical centers of ceramic production in Japan .

To read: Choosing and buying ceramics in Japan

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Céramique de Bizen — Bizen ceramics
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Objects marked by the flames

The production of Bizen ceramics, in ochre, brown and red tones as if licked by flames, experienced a particularly significant boom thanks to the development in the archipelago of the tea ceremony during the Momoyama period ( 14th century). Even today, ceramists do not use any color to tint their productions. It is thanks to the heat of the ground and the movements of the flames in the oven that the objects are tinted and adorned with dancing patterns.

It is in the Imbe district of Bizen that you will find hundreds of potters' workshops and galleries . The ovens that dot the city still cook almost daily cups, bowls and other plates, in the color recognizable among a thousand. Thus, when you walk through the Imbe district, you have the impression of stepping back in time thanks to the red brick chimneys, witnesses of the ceramist activity of the city, still broken with traditional techniques.

For further :

Push the door of museums

If you want to know more about this recognizable ceramic among a thousand, do not hesitate to push the door of the Fujiwara Kei art museum , where nearly 250 objects are exhibited, both ancient and contemporary. Workshops are also organized to allow visitors to try their hand at making a small ceramic object. The Bizen ceramic house houses the work of contemporary potters. A fair dedicated to ceramics is organized in the city every 3rd weekend of October.