Shussaigama (出西窯)
出西窯
Shussaigama
One of my favorite places to go to find new plates and various pieces of pottery is Shussaigama. This is a kiln located in Izumo along the Hiikawa River, and about a 20min drive from Izumo Taisaha Grand Shrine.
Started in 1947 by 5 potters of the local area, Shussaigama was one of the early players of the New Mingei Movement of Japan. Notable leaders of the Mingei Movement such as Yanagi Soetsu, Bernard Leach, and Kawai Tanjiro were involved with its guidance of their pottery.
Today at Shussaigama, they strive to make pottery that is
“Made by hand using local ingredients, inspired by daily life, wholesome and is filled with the beauty of utility.”
At Shussaigama, the shop is right next to the studio where they make all the pottery that is displayed in the shop. Visitors can tour the inside of the studio where they can see every step of the pottery process as well as their Noborigama, the ascending kiln.*
The shop is a refurbished kominka or an old Japanese folk house and is an interesting building on its own. I like how they maintained the original structure with the roof tiles and wooden beams, while installing large glass windows resulting in a marriage of tradition and the modern touch.
Indoors
Inside there are various sections with different sections and grouping of pottery. When you enter, the first right section is typically for their bowls and flat plates.
The left side is for pieces of work that I find more experimental style. That is also where you will find sake cups, teacups, tea pots and pitchers.
Further in where you walk down a slope is where you can find vases, soap holders, and pots. As you make your way back up by following the staircase on the left side there is a cabinet with mugs, cup/saucer, and chopstick placers. Next to that section by the long and large windows are larger shallow bowl plates, and usually where you find some experimental colors as well.
Taking your shoes off, you can walk upstairs where there are many sobachoko or small handle-less cups used typically for sake or for holding broth for soba. The second floor is also where you will find tableware and a selection crafts that change periodically.
The Shussai Style
A characteristic of Shussaigama is their deep blue plates with metallic gray edges. They call this style Fuchitessa-Gosuyu-Sara or their metallic edged cobalt blue glazed plates. They get this glaze from using cobalt-oxide turning most of the plate blue, while using a slurry of other glazes resulting in the metallic edge. For more on their different styles of pottery here is a link
I find that a lot of their style comes from the combination of simple but strong forms with bold colors and a shiny glaze. Compared to other kilns in Shimane I think that Shussaigama has the most modern design that makes their pieces easy for people to incorporate into their tableware. They have many large flat plates which make them great for breakfast plates, which are hard to come by in Japan. From living in the US, I’m used eating from one plate of food, while in Japan people like to prepare lots of side dishes and you use one small personal plate to eat. I also think that the pottery here are reasonably priced and quite affordable as well. As such, I find Shussaigama to be a kiln that has great utility, bold and modern design, and easy for beginners to incorporate mingei pottery into their daily lives.
Tips to Buying
I know it can be a little overwhelming when you first try to buy pottery so here’s some advice.
For beginners, try looking at some of the flat plates you find on the right side by the entrance. These are going to run you around 2000yen-5000yen depending on the size and there is going to be something easy to pick up depending on your budget. This section is going to have the characteristic plates of Shussaigama that are easy to use and easily recognizable as well.
For those who have already been to Shussaigama or more familiar with mingei plates, I would head to the section by the large windows in the middle room. Here you are going to find more variety in the shapes of plates and bowls as well as the glazes. I would also look for the little green stickers which show which pieces are only being sold at the shop for a limited time. These plates are going to be from the 4000 yen to 7000 yen. Though the price range goes up so does the complexity in the design and nuance of the pieces.
To those who have already conquered the “feel” of Shussaigama and are looking for that special piece, I would recommend going either to the left side near the entrance or the backroom where they have some of the marked down pieces of pottery. These locations are going to have pieces that are going to make people say “That’s Shussaigama?”. Sometimes the marked down section has interesting pieces that seemed purely experimental, or perhaps bits from some private order to somewhere. These pieces can go anywhere from 2000 yen to 12000 yen.
In the end though, if you find something that catches your eye and your gut tells you that you love it, then go for that. These plates are something you’re going to have and use for a very long time so you should get something that you want to use.
Shussaigama is a great experience for people both getting into pottery as well as those who are already very familiar with it. The shop is big enough to just browse around without having that pressure from that one old man look at you and you feel like you must buy something. Not to mention it is in this little area with a café and a clothing store so even if you don’t find something in the pottery store, there more things to do.
Hope you find this place as welcoming as I did when I first started to go here!
Location and Hours
Hours: 9:30am-18:00pm, closed every Tuesday
Parking Available
Website: https://www.shussai.jp
Online Store: https://shussai.net
Facebook: https://ja-jp.facebook.com/shussaigama/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shussai_kurashinovillage/
*Due to COVID-19 the kiln is temporary closed to visitors