The Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo is located in Tambayaki-no-Sato (the hometown of Tamba ware). Here we've compiled a selection of events that will allow you to understand the charms of this area, which features more than 800 years of history. The area itself was registered as a Japan Heritage in 2017 as one of 6 places where ceramic ware began to be produced in ancient Japan.
The Oldest Tambayaki Climbing Kiln was first created in 1895 and is still in use to this day. It has been registered as an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property of Hyogo Prefecture, with the technique used to create selected to be an "Intangible cultural asset of which records should be created" by the Japanese government.
The kiln had begun to deteriorate with age, so two years of restoration work was performed on it starting from 2014. The restoration was performed primarily by the Tamba Tachikui Ceramic Ware Co-Operative, with additional support from regular citizens and other groups. It was fired again for the first time in Autumn 2015.
From 2016, the kiln began to be used once a year to fire pieces created by children, university students, volunteers, and other works created at the kiln. From 2018, the kiln began to be fired as one of the events performed during golden week in Spring, as part of The Spring Festival "Tambayaki-no-Sato - Haru-Monogatari". The event allows regular people to participate by having their works fired. It's also available for viewing between noon and evening. Watching the kiln firing at 1300℃ makes for an amazing spectacle.
During the Spring golden week period, a variety of participation-style events are held at both the museum, Tachikui Sue no Sato, Konda Yakushionsen Hot Springs, and other kilns in the area, with the aim of spreading the appeals of Tambayaki-no-Sato. Tours of kiln studios and hands-on workshop events are also available.
The Tamba Ceramics Festival is held yearly at the end of October. It's the largest event in the area that allows for Tamba ware to be purchased at cheap prices. The museum also holds a variety of events to help celebrate the festival.
