Yamashiro

Yamashiro Kutani Kiln Site Museum

The museum is located at the old kiln site in Enuma region (currently called Kaga City) originally built by Yoshidaya Toyota Denemon (1752-1827). Denemon, a wealthy merchant from Daishoji built a kiln to produce a new Kutani ware at the village of Kutani in 1824. Later, because of harsh weather and isolated location far in the mountains, he decided to move the kiln factory to Ettuyudani at Yamashiro in 1827. The porcelains produced by Yoshidaya was called later, “Saiko Kutani” (Kutani revival). Yoshidaya kiln declined after Denemon’s death and closed in 1831. After Yoshidaya family gave up the kiln production, the kiln was reoperated by Miyamotoya Uemon who worked for Yoshidaya previously. Miyamotoya kiln operated until 1860 when Daishoji-han (Daishoji fief) took over its operation, Kutani-hon-gama. It continued the production until 1870, when the kiln factory site was handed down to two parties, Tsukatani Chikken and Matsuyama Seihichi. In 1879, with a new funding from the government, the kiln factory was reborn as Kutani-toki-gaisha (Kutani Ceramic Company) operated by Kasugai Kiyoshi. The factory after many struggles and closed in 1889. Through many changes in management since Yoshidaya in the Edo period, the kiln had been operated for many years, but during the Meiji period, up-against the modernization of the whole industry system, old kiln operation kept suffering its existence. After the Kutani-toki-gaisha closure, the kiln site was shortly operated as Kutani-toki-honsha from 1892 to 1900. The factory, then, handed down to Okura Torakichi and operated as a branch factory of Okura-Juraku-gama (Okura Juraku Kiln). The kiln factory was finally closed in 1924.

I visited the museum in November, 2018.

KDC1, KDC2: Kutani-hon-gama. Made by Tsukatani Chikken. Early Meiji Period. KDC3-KDC6: Daishoji Imari made by Kutani-toki-gaisha (1879-1889). KDC7: Made by Okura Juraku.KDC2-KDC4: Made by Omi Chikuzan. KDC8-KDC14: Kutani-Juraku-gama. KDC15-KDC17: Made by Omi Chikuzan.