There are three potteries located in Miyajimaguchi, which leads to Miyajima, one of Japan’s three most scenic places. The three potteries are gathered in walking distance from each other. Miyajima ware is mostly purchased as souvenirs by people visiting Miyajima for sightseeing, but they used to make containers for the famous Anagomeshi.
Kawahara Tosaigama’s third-generation head, Kawahara Tosai (store: Kawahara Geneido), second-generation head, Yamane Kosai (Yamane Taigendo), and Kawahara Keisaigama’s Kawahara Keisai (Kawahara Koji), are the current heads of Miyajima ware.
The current potteries that produce Miyajima ware are: Kawahara Geneido, run by Kawahara Tosaigama’s third-generation head, Kawahara Tosai; Yamane Taigendo, run by Yamane Kosai; and Kawahara Koji, run by Kawahara Keisaigama’s Kawahara Keisai.
Kawahara Tosaigama: founded 100 years ago as of 2009. One of the official kilns of Miyajima ware, designated as Traditional Crafts of Hiroshima Prefecture.
Yamane Taigendo: Itsukushima Shrine’s official kiln. They make Osuna ware by mixing in blessed sea sand from the main shrine at Itsukushima Shrine.
Kawahara Keisaigama : makes various durable pieces, mainly ash glazed.
Somewhere between 1781–1801, a traveler from Kamo District received a suna-mamori, a sand amulet, before traveling and was able to return safely. When he came back to the village, he mixed the osuna-mamori sand with the osuna-modoshi sand, the sand that he brought back. Instead of offering it at the Itsukushima Shrine as is tradition, he made several earthenware items with it and offered those. This is said to be the start of the Osuna ware.
After that, they experienced many ups and downs, and it is believed that the foundation of the current Miyajima ware was stabilized when Kobayashi revitalized it in 1892.
Their former names, which were inspired by Itsukushima Shrine, such as Shinsha ware, Osuna ware, and Itsukushima ware, still remain. After that, despite barely getting by, they were able to manage. In 1909, one of the founders, Kawahara Tosai, who had trained in Kyoto, built the kiln in their current location.
Another founder, Yamane Taigendo, also went to Kyoto when he was young, and was selected by the greatest Kyo ware pottery, Hozan ware. However, he had a strong resolution to restore Miyajima ware, so he went back to his home town, Hiroshima, and built a kiln in 1912. He incorporated traditions from Kyo ware and Hagi ware with their conventional techniques, and added his creativity, restoring the new Miyajima ware.
As the above history tells, Miyajima ware is known for taking Kyo ware as its base, but many of their works resemble Hagi ware.
