Every time we come to Japan my better half drags me up to Matsue to meet her nursery school friend who patiently drives us all the way to Shussai-gama so we can spend an hour or so browsing around the shop and making ourselves tea whilst the staff pack-up what-ever pottery we've chosen this time. As usual the range of handcrafted ceramic things was extensive and very interesting and as usual we left with a lot fewer ichiman yen notes than we arrived with. However, this time we had a guide around the factory area and got to see the six chamber climbing kiln (Nobori-gama). The guide was really interesting in her explanations and was delighted to hear that a few weeks earlier we had been in St Ives to see Bernard Leach's pottery which has a smaller 3 chamber kiln.

Every time we come to Japan my better half drags me up to Matsue to meet her nursery school friend who patiently drives us all the way to Shussai-gama so we can spend an hour or so browsing around the shop and making ourselves tea whilst the staff pack-up what-ever pottery we've chosen this time. As usual the range of handcrafted ceramic things was extensive and very interesting and as usual we left with a lot fewer ichiman yen notes than we arrived with. However, this time we had a guide around the factory area and got to see the six chamber climbing kiln (Nobori-gama). The guide was really interesting in her explanations and was delighted to hear that a few weeks earlier we had been in St Ives to see Bernard Leach's pottery which has a smaller 3 chamber kiln.