Ri Sanpei Kiln

How the porcelain clay of Ri Sanpei Kiln is made

Ri Sanpei Kiln is different from regular Arita ware, which is uses Amakusa pottery stone, in that Ri Sanpei Kiln's unique manufacturing process begins with the mining of a unique ore called Izumiyama porcelain ore for clay refinement. Let's take a peek into the clay making process of Ri Sanpei Kiln, the originator of Arita ware.

1. Quarrying

The porcelain ore is quarried from the Izumiyama porcelain quarry and is split using a hammer to identify and sort out the best quality portions. Because it is a natural ore, there are areas of good quality and areas with many impurities, and the human eye is needed to select the best quality ores.

2. Milling

The sorted ore is crushed to the size of a pebble in a crusher and then ground to a powder in a mill.

3. Elutriating

To remove impurities such as iron, powdered Izumiyama porcelain ore is submerged in water to purify the porcelain clay by utilizing the difference in buoyancy of the particles.

4. Dehydration

To remove excess water from the purified porcelain clay and to reduce it to a lump of clay, the muddy porcelain clay is slowly dehydrated by pouring it through the pipes of a long dewatering machine. This process produces the high quality "Sanpei Clay," a special porcelain clay used only by Ri Sanpei Kiln.

Considering the world from making Arita Ware

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" is a set of international goals for the period from 2016 to 2030, and Arita ware is committed to the SDGs in the hope of helping to solve the problems facing society by making pottery with an awareness of the "responsibility to create and use" among these goals.

Ri Sanpei Kiln considers it necessary to protect the global environment for future generations of craftsmanship as a kiln involved in an industry that has developed through the use of resources used to make products, including Izumiyama porcelain stone, which is a limited resource, the large amount of water used, and the huge amount of firewood used twice a year when the climbing kiln is used.

Unlike disposable plastics, these porcelain pieces can be treasured for generations, passed down as heirlooms to grandchildren and beyond. 14th-generation kiln master Kanagae Shohei believes that creating valuable pieces fosters a rich food culture while minimizing environmental impact.