, formerly known as Nakano ware, is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Koishiwara, Fukuoka Prefecture in western Japan.[1] Koishiwara ware consists of utility vessels such as bowls, plates, and tea cups. The style is often slipware.
Pottery was first made in Koishiwara in 1682 as a result of the relocation of the Korean-founded Takatori workshop to nearby Tsuzumi.[2] A kiln for firing porcelain was built in Koishiwara, and porcelain wares were made for export there with local materials until the eighteenth century.[3] The Koishiwara style as it is known today had developed by the mid-eighteenth century. Abandoning porcelain production, potters began to use dark-firing stoneware for their pottery.
Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, technological advancements such as clay crushers, kiln shelves, and electric kilns allowed Koishiwara potters to work more efficiently and profitably than other potters in the surrounding area. As a result, Koishiwara potters were able to purchase land near their ceramic sites and develop it as tourist resorts and retail centers.[4] Modern Koishiwara ware pottery represents the success of the mingei or folk craft movement in Japan.[5] [6]
Stylistic trademarks of Koishiwara ware include different types of slip decoration in which light-colored slip is applied to a leather-hard pot before a tool is used to create a pattern which reveals the dark clay underneath.[7] The characteristic double glazing style of Koishiwara ware uses an overall clear glaze and trailing or pouring copper green and iron glazes in spots over the clear base glaze.[8] The area still serves as a large ceramic production site for everyday wares, attracting tourists and selling large amounts of pottery every year.[9]