Naraoka ware is pottery made in Nangai District (formerly Nangai Village), Daisen City, Akita Prefecture. In 1863, Komatsu Seiji (founder of the Kakuemon kiln) from Minami Naraoka Osugi (formerly Nangai Village), summoned craftsmen from the Terauchi Seto guild (Akita City) and established a kiln. It is said that it was previously called Osugi Seto.
After the second-generation head succeeded the kiln, it was moved to its current location in Takano in 1907, and has been named Naraoka ware ever since.
Naraoka ware is best known for their namako glaze yakishime technique, which is firing sea cucumber glaze at high temperature, then charcoal firing it again with reducing flame that does not use oxygen. This technique is what gives it its beautiful blue color. It is also interesting that sometimes the fire and ash inside the kiln cause the glaze to slightly change.
