Makers
Shino Pottery
28 July, 2023
In 2018 we met a master potter named Sadaaki Kido. He waited for us at Kyoto Station wearing Crocs and a cap with "SYDNEY" blazed across it. Him and his sister, Keiko, drove us an hour or so into a little green town called Shigaraki, in the Shiga Prefecture. It was here we learnt all about Shino, a style of pottery dating back to the 16th century.
Sadaaki-san has been specialising in Shino for over 30 years, winning awards for his work along the way. He had built three wood-fire kilns in his backyard, which is the way this type of pottery is created.
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Wood fired kilnTravelling to the Gifu prefecture to get the clay he uses in his work, Sadaaki-san makes each piece by hand. Once they are made, it's left to dry and then loaded into one of his wood fire kilns, which are ignited.
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Sadaaki Kido and his electric Kiln.03
Sadaaki Kido's Workshop.The kiln needs to remain at temperatures over 1000°C for at least 10 days. To ensure the temperature doesn’t drop, 8 hour shifts are taken (including overnight). It’s a slow process,one that takes patience and dedication. After the 10 days it’s often repeated all over again, depending on the finish and glaze of the ceramic pieces. The result is a unique crackling texture, full of intricate pockets and colours. This style of pottery is like nothing we have seen and the technique is incredibly rare and beautiful.