Noborigama 登り窯
登 climb · 窯 kiln
Also known as climbing kiln
Noborigama (climbing kiln) is a traditional wood-fired kiln built up a slope as a series of connected firing chambers, each reusing the rising heat of the chamber below it. This stepped, multi-chamber structure — known as renboshiki — retains heat efficiently and allows steadier temperature control than a single-chamber kiln such as an anagama, letting a potter fire many pieces, usually over one to two days, with each chamber yielding its own subtly different character.
Because flame and ash move from one chamber to the next, pieces from the same firing can vary in color and surface depending on where they sat in the kiln — a range of natural expression that is part of the appeal of wood-fired noborigama work.
