Hongyogama Kiln
A large noborigama climbing kiln
This is a large noborigama climbing kiln that was used to fire pottery from the latter half of the Edo period. The kiln is seven meters wide, and the ceiling of the tallest chamber is over two meters high. The original 13-chamber kiln was situated on the hill behind the museum (now the Hora Grove of Old Kiln Sites). That kiln was demolished in 1948, and reconstructed into the current four-chamber kiln. The kiln remained in operation until 1979; at its peak, it was fired four or five times in one year.
The second chamber is stacked with shelves, props, and saggars to show the state of the loaded kiln before firing. The third chamber is filled with fired pots to show how it looked after firing.
Vertical Flues
The openings that conduct the flame from one chamber to the next are known as flues.
A special characteristic of climbing kilns in Seto and Mino (Gifu Prefecture) is that their flues are constructed vertically, passing from the lower back wall of one chamber through the floor of the next. This construction enables the flame to enter the chamber vertically through the floor, following the arch of the ceiling through the firing chamber.
This innovation in kiln design was developed to make it possible to fire large works in large chambers.
