Ceramic in Bizen

Bizen, famous for ceramics is a relatively short local train journey from Okayama. There certainly is not enough room in my luggage for the wonderful ikebana containers on selection at the many kiln shops. For those lucky enough to be joining my tour April 2018 we will spend time in Inbe, one of the most renowned ceramic villages in Bizen.

I seem to see potential design ideas in everything and one that really caught my eye today was the wood ‘heap’ ready for the anagama kiln. How do you stack 1500 bundles of wood – in a very neat pile? The kiln is fired over two weeks consuming all that wood creating the famous ash glazes seen on the ceramics.

Many of the shops displayed the works of art with simple elegant ikebana often with my favourite style of camellias – small, red and with single petals.
The rich ‘earthy’ colours and the slightly rustic texture of Bizen ceramics lend its self so well with Sogetsu ikebana. It seems to go hand in hand