Otagama Pottery

"Koishiwarayaki" has been around for more than 350 years in Toho Village, surrounded by mountains in the south-central part of Fukuoka. Tetsuzo Ota Pottery, while staying faithful to the tradition, has been creating everyday wares for many years.

Tetsuzo Ota is the representative of Tetsuzo Ota Pottery. After studying ceramic engineering at a high school in Arita, he worked under his dad, who is renowned for his "Koishiwarayaki" and started his business in 1975. He currently works with his son to make pottery. He has acquired the "Koishiwarayaki" tradition with its fundamentals of repetitive artisan work from his grandfather's generation and said, "The basic idea is based on the convenience of use and there's no mistake in objects that are beautiful to look at." You will be surprised at how fast his hand work is when you watch him. He created a tremendous amount of small pottery during his apprenticeship. By honing his skills, he has become a renowned pottery wheel user with techniques that are precise enough to pick the exact size of the pottery.