Mashikoyaki 益子焼

Mashiko ware. A modern pottery type made in Mashiko 益子 village, Tochigi prefecture. The Mashiko kiln was started around 1853 by Ōtsuka Keisaburō 大塚啓三郎 for making practical vessels. Hamada Shōji 浜田庄司 (1894-1978) lived there from the 1920s and led the revival of Mashiko ware in the folk-art movement. The town is also associated with the British potter Bernard Leach (1887-1979). The distinctive folkish appearance and understated simplicity of Mashiko ware make it an appealing tableware. In addition to wheel thrown articles, a slip trailing method creates the trademark linear designs of Mashikoyaki.