The term “Chisan Chisho (local production for local consumption)” should apply not only to the world of agricultural products, but also to the world of pottery.
Japan is a country of active pottery production, but in pre-modern times there were probably many more ceramic production areas than we know of today. In the past, storage containers such as water jars and pots were all made from pottery clay. Therefore kilns were built where clay suitable for pottery could be earthed and supplied to the surrounding area according to local demand.

The Shiraiwa area of Kakunodate in Akita Prefecture, which is not known for pottery today, was once a major pottery-making area that served both as an official kiln for the Satake domain, and as a private kiln to meet the needs of the local community.
At the end of the Edo period, when pottery production was at its peak, there were six kilns and many potters working there. Yet, in the Meiji period, due to the dismantling of the domain that had protected them, and then a cataclysmic disaster in the form of a major earthquake, all the kilns were closed down in the 19th Century. This once defunct Shiraiwa pottery is now known as Ko-shiraiwa-yaki (old Shiraiwa ware).

After seventy years, Shiraiwa ware was revived by Waheegama, a kiln opened by a couple Sunao and Toshiharu Watanabe, descendants of the old Shiraiwa ware kiln. Now, Aoi, the second generation of the family, has joined the kiln as a new maker and is working on creating shapes that are suited to modern life.
The most distinctive feature of Waheegama’s pottery is the fascinating traditional blue that reflects the texture of old Shiraiwa ware. This colour is produced by a glaze called “Namako-Yu”. According to them, it took many years of trial and error to get the right glaze colour, but it was successfully reproduced by using the ashes of the local rice, Akitakomachi. This blue colour is what makes Shiraiwa ware so special, and was essential to its revival.

The vessel shown in the image, which is covered with a crescent shape of Namako-Yu and Doro-Yu glazes, was made by the second-generation potter and reminds us of the early spring scene when the earth peeps out from the edge of the snow.
Aoi studied in Kyoto before working at Waheegama. The refined sense of form that she learned there has brought a curious harmony between the traditional glaze and the folk art-like colouring, creating vessels that remind us of the pure atmosphere of Akita.

Shiraiwa ware, which was originally born from the demand for “local production for local consumption”, has gone through many twists and turns and has come to fill the hearts of people living in many different places across the region.
When we look at the long journey of Shiraiwa ware, it seems to us that the pottery is a living organism that evolves with the times. The story will continue for a long time to come.