Spot

【Kuramisawa Kiln Site (The Mashiko Koyōshi-gun (The Mashiko Old Kiln Sites Group))】

The area, which includes the Town of Mashiko (in Tochigi Prefecture) and the City of Kasama (in Ibaraki Prefecture), is blessed with good quality clay, and also has the necessary water and wood for use as fuel that are required to make pottery. Sueki ware (a style of earthenware that was first brought to Japan from the Korean Peninsula) was made in this area in olden times, using these raw materials. At present, 13 kiln sites, which were used for the production of sueki ware during the period from the eighth to 10th centuries, are still in existence. The kiln sites are divided into three groups: the Nishiyama and Motonuma kiln site group, the Hara and Sakai kiln site group, and the Kuriu kiln site group. Some of these kiln sites also produced roofing tiles.