Atsumi Kiln

Atsumi Kiln is a historic pottery production site on the Atsumi Peninsula that spans several kilometers with hundreds of individual firing structures scattered across the landscape. The site displays remnants of work areas where craftspeople shaped and fired vessels, bowls, and storage containers from locally sourced clay.

This pottery site emerged in the late Heian period and flourished during the Kamakura period from the 12th through 13th centuries. The kilns supplied everyday ceramics to priests of Ise Shrine and nobility, demonstrating continuous production across multiple generations.

The Gray Glaze Autumn Grass Design Jar, discovered in the Hakusan Burial Mound, exemplifies the artistic techniques of medieval Japanese pottery making.

This site is best explored during daylight hours, as the scattered kilns are spread across a large area with varied terrain. Comfortable shoes are important since you will navigate uneven ground and potentially muddy paths.

Ceramics from this site possess a distinctive sandy texture due to the local clay, which fires to gray and dark brown tones with a grainy surface quality. This characteristic finish clearly sets the wares apart from the smoother surfaces of other well-known Japanese kiln centers.