Kyushu Wood-fired Porcelain / Arita Casting Project
Photo by IKI Seitaro
Small porcelain cups cast in experimental molds and vitrified in communal wood firings in Arita, Japan. Ash deposits and flame paths are contingencies and traces amplifying some of the many surprises of ceramic production.
Wood-firing is among the most traditional and labor-intensive ceramic processes. Japanese climbing kilns (noborigama) are traditional, multi-chambered wood-fired kilns built on slopes. Over multiple days and nights, noborigama are continuously fed with split wood [ending with pine for the higher temperature] until temperatures above 1,300C are achieved. As the wood burns, ash – carried by convection and draft through the kiln – settles on vessel surfaces where it melts as a natural glaze.
Fulbright U.S. Scholar research period (2024-2025)
