VILLAGE Report vol.7 Fukushima Prefecture | Obori Soma Ware, Running Horses Across a Blue-Crackled Surface

VILLAGE Report visits the handwork of all 47 prefectures, one prefecture at a time. The final stop in the Tohoku edition is Fukushima Prefecture. Fukushima has 5 national traditional crafts; this time, we feature Obori Soma Ware, which has been continuously fired for more than 300 years in Obori, Namie Town.

From Genroku-Era Obori Village to More Than 100 Kiln Households

According to the Obori Soma Ware Cooperative Association, its origins lie in the Genroku era of the Edo period. It is said to have begun in Obori Village, within the Soma Domain, when Hanya Kyukan used the pottery skills of his servant Sama to fire bowls. Under the protection of the domain, the kilns spread, and by the end of the Edo period, more than 100 households in 8 surrounding villages had kilns. It became known beyond the domain as a production area for vessels used in everyday life.

The “horse” painted on the vessels reflects the deep connection between the Soma region and horses. According to association materials, the gold-painted horse motif began around the middle of the Meiji period at the recommendation of a ceramics broker in Tokyo.

Three Traditions: Blue Crackle, Running Horse, and Double-Wall Firing

The first is blue crackle. Because the clay body and glaze shrink at different rates, fine cracks called crazing appear on the surface after firing, forming a pattern that covers the whole vessel. It is said that as vessels cool after being taken from the kiln, they make tiny cracking sounds. The second is the painting of a galloping horse, known as Running horse decoration. The third is Double-wall firing, said to have been devised by potter Sakamoto Kumajiro at the end of the Meiji period. Because the inside and outside are formed separately and layered together, it is said to be easy to hold even when hot water is poured in, and the contents are said to cool less quickly.

In recognition of these techniques and this history, Obori Soma Ware was designated a national traditional craft in 1978. In January 2010, it was also registered as a regional collective trademark.

The Kiln Fire Continues, Even Away from Its Home

After the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident in March 2011, all residents of Namie Town were evacuated. Kilns relocated to various parts of the prefecture and resumed production, and in July 2012, temporary workshops were set up in Nihonmatsu City. In March 2021, Namie no Waza Nariwai-kan was completed in Namie Town, bringing a base for pottery back to the town. In the Obori district, which had been designated a difficult-to-return zone, evacuation orders were also lifted in March 2023 around the Mori of Ceramics Obori facility and kiln bases.

Key Points
・Said to have begun in Obori Village, Soma Domain (now Namie Town), during the Genroku era of the Edo period
・Its three features are blue crackle, running-horse decoration, and double-wall firing
・Designated a national traditional craft in 1978
・After the disaster, production resumed in various locations within the prefecture, and in March 2021 a base facility was completed in Namie Town

Last time, we visited Tendo Shogi Pieces in Yamagata Prefecture. VILLAGE Report vol.6 Yamagata Prefecture is here. Next time, we finally begin the Kanto edition.

References: The Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries; Obori Soma Ware Cooperative Association; Namie Town

—The Value Village Editorial Team

Photo: Takuya Matunaga / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)