Japanese Ceramics

This week, we will learn about how different cultures have different styles of ceramic art. Today, you will learn about several cultures, then choose one to research in more depth tomorrow.

Japanese Ceramics
Japanese artists have been making pottery for thousands of years - archaeologists have found pottery dating back to 10,000 BC! Here is an example of a vase made around 7,000 years ago in Japan.

Pottery this old was hardened by placing the finished wet clay vase into an open fire. Around 300 AD, the Japanese invented their first kilns, called the Anagama kiln. This was a brick room built onto a hillside, as you can see in these pictures.

Using this kiln was better, because it made a hotter temperature, which made the clay stronger when it was fired. 

Around this time, the Japanese also started using pottery wheels, which were invented earlier in China. Here is a video of an artist using a pottery wheel:

Video of Pottery Wheel

Around 700 AD, Japanese artists developed glaze. Instead of just brown, they could now also make pottery with yellow and green colors.

Japanese artists often collaborated with Chinese and Vietnamese artists. They all worked together to create new kilns and ways of glazing. Around the 1600's, they started making white, green, and blue glazes.

Japanese ceramics are mostly known for making pottery with detailed glaze, and sculptures of animals. Popular animal themes were lions, dragons, horses, and dogs.

They are also known for very detailed glazing that showed landscapes, daily life scenes, and mythical creatures.