Glossary of Japanese Ceramics Terms

Japanese ceramics are described with a rich vocabulary, much of it shaped by the tea ceremony. Knowing the terms helps you to read descriptions, boxes and catalogues with confidence. This glossary gathers the words you will meet most often.

Bodies and wares

• Tōki. Pottery and stoneware.
• Jiki. Porcelain.
• Yakishime. High fired unglazed stoneware, as in Bizen and Shigaraki.
• Tsuchiaji. The character of the clay, its texture and colour.

Glazes

• Shizen-yū. Natural ash glaze formed by wood ash falling on the pot in the kiln.
• Tenmoku. Dark iron glazes, named after Chinese tea bowls.
• Seiji. Celadon.
• Shino. Thick white feldspar glaze from Mino.
• Oribe. Copper green glaze with bold designs, also from Mino.
• Kairagi. Glaze that has crawled into beads, prized on Korean style tea bowls.

Decoration

• Sometsuke. Underglaze blue painting on porcelain.
• Iro-e and aka-e. Overglaze enamels, and red overglaze painting.
• Hakeme. Brushed white slip.
• Mishima. Inlaid slip decoration.
• Kintsugi. Repair with lacquer and gold.

Firing effects

• Hidasuki. Red fire marks left by straw wrapping, typical of Bizen.
• Goma. Sesame like specks of ash glaze.
• Yōhen. Kiln transformation, unplanned colour change in firing.
• Gohon. Pink spots on a glaze, admired on tea bowls.

Kilns and making

• Anagama. A single chamber tunnel kiln.
• Noborigama. A climbing kiln of linked chambers on a slope.
• Rokuro. The potter's wheel.
• Tebineri. Hand building, as in Raku ware.

Parts of a pot

• Kōdai. The foot ring, closely examined by collectors.
• Mikomi. The interior of a bowl.
• Chadamari. The small well at the bottom of a tea bowl.
• Kuchizukuri. The shaping of the rim.

Signatures

• Kōin. An impressed seal mark in the clay.
• Kakihan. A brushed or incised monogram.
• Tomobako. The box signed by the potter.

Related references

• Directory of Japanese Kilns
• Living National Treasures in Ceramics
• Caring for Ceramics
• Tea bowl shapes
• Kintsugi