3 recommended plans for "Mashiko Pottery Experience" in Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture! A wide variety of courses, including electric potter's wheel and hand-building, are available!
Mashiko ware was first produced in the late Edo period by Otsuka Keizaburo, who trained in Kasama, and developed into a production area for everyday items such as bowls, water jars, and earthenware teapots. Currently, there are around 260 kilns in Mashiko. A wide range of potters, from young artists to veteran craftsmen, gather in Mashiko, and their styles are very diverse. Mashiko ware clay is characterized by its sandy, rugged texture. The clay mined in the prefecture contains many air bubbles, so it is not suitable for fine work and the pieces are inevitably thick, but the simple taste is one of its charms. Pottery markets are also held in the spring and autumn, attracting pottery fans from all over the country.