Tachikui Sue no Sato, Ceramics museum in Tamba-Sasayama, Japan
Tachikui Sue no Sato is a ceramics museum located in Tachikui, a pottery village within the city of Tamba-Sasayama in Hyogo Prefecture. The museum displays finished pieces alongside the tools and raw materials used to make them, giving a complete picture of the production process.
Pottery-making in this area traces back to the period after the Heian era, when local workshops began developing the techniques and clay work that would define the regional style. The museum opened in 1985 to document and share this long craft history with the public.
Tamba ware is one of the six classic pottery traditions of Japan, and the surrounding area still has working kilns where potters fire their pieces today. Walking through the site, visitors can watch craftspeople at work and see how the local style has kept its own character over the years.
The museum sits within Tachikui village, where nearby workshops and shops make it easy to spend half a day in the area. If you want to try a pottery workshop, it is worth booking ahead as spots tend to fill up.
Known as Tamba-yaki, the local ware is traditionally fired without glaze, and the ash from the kiln settles on the surface during firing to create a natural coating. This produces irregular surface patterns that make each piece look different from the next.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
