Ryukyuan pottery (琉球焼, or Okinawan language: 焼物 ; ''Yachimun'') include

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

and

stoneware Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a Vitrification#Ceramics, vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refracto ...

items that are traditionally made on the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

in east Asia.

History

Ryukyuan pottery first appeared during the

Gusuku often refers to castles or fortresses in the Ryukyu Islands that feature stone walls. However, the origin and essence of ''gusuku'' remain controversial. In the archaeology of Okinawa Prefecture, the ''Gusuku period'' refers to an archaeologica ...

period (c. 1100s-1400s), when it was introduced from China.

Tsuboya is the Cities of Japan, capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). ...

became the centre of production in 1682 after the kilns of Chibana, Wakuta, and Takaraguchi were consolidated under the

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in the ...

government. The two sub-types of Tsuboya ware were the generally unglazed ''Ara-yachi'' and the glazed ''Jō-yachi''. Most of the kilns had to move out of Tsuboya after the end of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

due to the smoke they produced. Production moved to the villages of

Yuntan is a village located in Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Geography Yomitan is located on the western coast of the central part of Okinawa Island. The village is bound to the north by Onna, to the east by Okinawa City, to th ...

() and Ujimi () and they continued the tradition of ''Yachimun''. In addition to dishes, vessels, and roof tiles, Ryukyuan pottery is especially known for the production of funerary urns, and ''

shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact and decoration derived from Chinese guardian lions, often seen in similar pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some e ...

'', lion-like guardians placed on rooftops and at gates to protect homes and other spaces from evil spirits.

References

Craft treasures of Okinawa, translated and adapted by Erika Kaneko, Kodansha International, Tōkyō, 1978 * Publication Committee of the art of Okinawa, The art of Okinawa: Pottery, Okinawa Times Co, 1989 * Stockton, Elizabeth, Traditions of Tsuboya, Ryukyu Bunka-sha, Naha, 197- * Suzuki, Hisao, Sugimura, Tsune, Living crafts of Okinawa, Weatherhill, New York; Tōkyō, 1973 * Tsuboya Pottery Museum, Guidebook of the Permanent Exhibitions, Naha Municipal Tsuboya Pottery Museum, 2000 * Uemura, Masami, A Potter Jiro Kinjo, Okinawa, Japan, 1988

External links

* * Okinawan culture Japanese pottery Ryukyu Kingdom {{Japan-art-stub

History

References

Further reading

External links