Far backcountry life in Japan

I did not have a chance to see actual mine of the Koisago so far but you will often see tint yellow cliffs around Nakagawa-machi Oyamada area including Koisago. Just behind my house has same kind of yellow sandy cliff too. This tint yellow sandy soil processed to famous Koisago clay.

When I was taking my friends to show pottery, fortunately Fujita-san took us to his workshops. I am a fan of Koisago pottery and this tour made me bigger fan. Let us check how Koisago clay is processed. (As far as my understanding…)


First process is crashing tint yellow soils. Also some fragment outputs from potter works are recycled. Those are put into huge round dram machine with round stones. Those stones clash soils with water and break into muddy outputs. Sound like ‘Stone washed jeans’ to me. I was told that this machine was made in Taisho period and first electric was installed here for this machine.



Those muddy outputs are pressed into clay lees using press machine. You can see some round lees looks like cakes or some kind of ice creams. When this machine press, some time mud fly up to the roof. Some time spit to people and you will literary hit the roof.



Koisago clay process continues.