Gato Ceramics & Japanese Food

“Yakishime” refers to pottery fired at high temperatures without the use of glaze. Unlike earthenware, such as terracotta, which remains porous due to low firing temperature and the absence of glaze, yakishime pottery undergoes vitrification, a transformation resulting in unglazed ceramics with a non-porous finish. This technique involves firing in traditional wood-fired kilns like anagama or noborigama (climbing kilns) for an extended period, often spanning over a week.

Before the invention of glazed ceramics, ceramic vessels were crafted using the yakishime method. However, the difficulty in achieving uniformity, along with its time-consuming nature and high demand for firewood, rendered the technique impractical for mass production. This led to a shift towards producing glazed ceramics using electric and gas kilns.

In Japan, regions like Bizen, Iga, Shigaraki, and Tokoname are particularly renowned for their yakishime pottery. Among these styles, Bizen ware stands out as it exclusively employs the yakishime technique.