Visiting Kyōgetsu Soma-Yaki Kiln
To bring you as close as possible to where and how our Asemi Artisan Soma-Yaki cups are made, we went on a trip to the artisan.
We got there by riding a tiny train, to the small Hirano railway station in the outskirts of Fukushima prefecture.
We walked a scenic route through peach plantations as far as the eye could see. In the distance mountains throning all around.
At a later visit, the air would carry the scent of peaches, as they ripened in the warm Japanese summer sun.
When we arrived at Kyōgetsu kiln we were warmly welcome by Kyoko Kondo, the owner and artisan of this traditional Soma-Yaki kiln. She lead us to where our cups are brought to life.
She showed us her new kiln and the spinning ceramic barrels in which the powdered glaze is made smooth by being tumbled around with ceramic spheres.
Deeply concentrated with his work we met a senior Soma-Yaki artisan. He helps Kyoko Kondo in her newly set up kiln. Many kilns had to be relocated due to the 2011 tsunami destroying their heritage locations and many artisans lost their jobs. Kyōgetsu kiln was completely rebuilt here at the edge of Fukushima prefecture and now consists of Kyoko Kondo and her highly skilled fellow artisan.
While Kyoko explained the process, the artisan shaped our cups on the potters wheel out of a chunk of Soma clay.
For the round inner part of our cups the artisan used a wooden tool.
With his experienced hands he shaped a few cups in a matter of minutes!
After they are dried and “shaved” into the precise shape, the cups are glazed. Before being fired in the kiln, the glaze of the cups is of light brown color. Unbelievable how it changes!
After our round through the workshop we could witness how Kyoko Kondo opened a freshly fired batch of her cups and hear the signature “singing” of the Soma-Yaki glaze, as it cracked while the clay shrunk in the cooler air.
After a great day around the Kyōgetsu kiln we made our way back through Tokyo, soaking in the impressions of the amazing area around the kiln.
