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Kyoto Mist
Index
Hokanji Temple
Gojo-zaka Pottery Festival
Momiji Season in Kyoto
Kiyomizu Temple
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Kyoto's Gojo-zaka Pottery
Festival |
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April, 2001 |
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In this issue of Kyoto Mist, we take a look at the Gojo-zaka Touki
Matsuri, Kyoto's largest annual open-air pottery market.
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Festival Information |
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Imagine the sense of exhilaration children feel when they walk into a
candy store filled wall-to-wall with delectable goodies of all kinds.
For anyone who appreciates Japanese ceramics, be it the casual
aficionado or the serious collector, the sensation of walking through
the Gojo-zaka Pottery Festival is strikingly similar. Stands set up by
ceramic shops and local artists (nearly 500 in all) extend five blocks
along both sides of Gojo Street, all offering visitors an endless
variety tea cups, saké vessels, plates, tea ceremony bowls, vases and
more - the kind of delectable pottery and porcelain that has made Kyoto
one of Japan's major ceramic centers.
The red and white curtains on the front of these stands, hung during
most auspicious occasions in Japan, signal to the visitor that is going
to be a good time. And it is.
Cheerful vendors greet everyone with a loud "irrashaimase!"
(welcome!), bargain hunters hurry by with bags full of things for the
cupboard, and treasure hunters carefully scan the lower shelves and
corners for those rare pieces that beg to be added to their collection.
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Kiyomizu-yaki
Porcelain |
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Bizen Pottery
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For centuries, the kilns
of the Gojo District (eastern Kyoto) fired some of the finest pottery
and porcelain in Japan. New environmental regulations, though, forced
all wood burning kilns to relocate outside the city's boundaries; the
last community kiln was closed in 1980. Yet the shops associated with
these kilns continue to thrive along this historic street and play host
to the annual event.
The Gojo-zaka pottery festival serves as a way for shops to get rid of
unsold inventory and make room for stock from the next season's firing.
Much of what is sold there, but not all, is "B-grade" pottery, usually
marked by minor flaws or irregular shapes. These items are marked down
50 to 60 percent of their regular price and vendors are easily talked
down even more with a little prodding.
At other stands, you'll find pottery from other parts of Japan like
Shiga, Tamba, and Hagi, to name a few. Neighbors sometimes make
interesting companions; smiling ceramic cows and other colorful kitsch
share space with the unadorned beauty of Bizen-yaki from Okayama
Prefecture.
A large number of stalls are set up by young, local artists who use the
festival as a venue to introduce their work to a large audience. This is
quite beneficial to up-and-coming potters who lack enough reputation to
display their work at prestigious department store galleries like
Takashimaya or Daimaru. It's also a good way for buyers to find nice,
contemporary pieces at very reasonable prices. Who knows? That piece you
pick up today may be worth thousands later - even Living National
Treasures have to start at the bottom.
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A common sight to almost all pottery festivals in Japan, including this
one, is a large amount of mass-produced tableware from areas like Arita
and Mino. For inexpensive tableware, there is no better place for buying
such things.
To truly take in the whole festival, a good hour is needed to scan up
and down both sides of Gojo Street. When the wheat has separated from
the chaff, another hour is needed to return to those stalls that had
something that caught your eye.
In the end, no one leaves the Gojo-zaka Pottery Festival disappointed.
As one gleeful foreign visitor was heard saying,
"This is
like nothing I've ever seen! I wish I had brought another suitcase to
bring more of this home."
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Tips for First-Timers
Go early
According to the Kiyomizu-yaki
Ceramics Association, nearly 50,000 visitors attend the festival during
the four days that its held. The best finds are picked over quickly, so
the earlier the better.
Don't forget your uchiwa
First-time visitors to the festival should be warned -
it's hot and often rainy. The festival is held at the first week of
August when afternoon temperatures in Kyoto can reach 39°C (100°F) or
more.
Make sure to bring your sunscreen, plenty of bottled water, and an
uchiwa (fan).
Bring a bento
Several stands sell can drinks and
festival food, but it's recommended that you bring your own lunch. There
are few restaurants and one convenience store along Gojo-dori, so
bringing a bento (lunch box) is a good idea.
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Gojo-zaka Pottery
Festival Information |
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Location :
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Gojo-dori (Gojo Street); eastern Kyoto |
| Date &
Time : |
August 7th
-10th (4 days). Dates are the same each year.
Stalls are set up at 9:00am and stay open until 7:00pm or later.
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Best
Access :
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Gojo Station (Keihan
Subway Line)
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| What to
do after : |
20 minutes on
foot east of Gojo-dori is the majestc Kiyomizu
Temple.
Two streets leading up to the temple, Gojo-zaka and Chawan-zaka, offer
some of the best ceramic shopping in Kyoto.
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