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Tag: Bunten Kiln

Celebrate Tanabata with Mino Ware: Stars, Wishes, and Summer Flavors

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Hello, this is Eri.

July 7th marks Tanabata, a traditional Japanese festival.

It is inspired by a romantic legend where Orihime and Hikoboshi, two lovers separated by the Milky Way, are allowed to meet only once a year—on this special night.

On Tanabata, people write wishes on colorful paper strips and hang them on bamboo branches. Star-themed decorations also add a festive touch to the celebration.

This occasion also brings seasonal charm to the dining table.

A popular Tanabata dish is somen noodles, arranged to resemble the Milky Way.

These smooth, chilled noodles are perfect for Japan’s humid summer and provide a refreshingly cool treat.

You can garnish the plate with star-shaped carrots or cucumber slices cut like bamboo leaves for a touch of summer flair.

At Miyake Ceramics, we offer tableware that complements the Tanabata season beautifully.

Our star-shaped small bowls are ideal for holding condiments like chopped myoga, ginger, or shiso leaves.

Leaf-shaped plates inspired by bamboo are perfect for serving small appetizers or traditional sweets.

The soba cups with bamboo designs are great for dipping sauce, and the bamboo-leaf chopstick rests subtly add a seasonal accent to the setting.

By reflecting the season in your choice of tableware, your everyday meals can feel a little more special.

Why not celebrate Tanabata night with elegant, refreshing dishes that embrace the spirit of the season?

Prefer to read in Japanese?

→ 日本語の記事はこちらからどうぞ。

Savor the Season: Chilled Potato Soup in Artisan-Made Mino Ware

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Though June is typically known as the rainy season in Japan, here in Toki City, Gifu, the summer heat has already arrived. With the sun blazing outside, we often find ourselves craving something cool and refreshing — especially during lunch.

One of my favorite seasonal dishes is a chilled Potato soup. Naturally sweet and smooth, it gently comforts the body and refreshes the spirit — a perfect remedy for hot and humid days.

To enhance the experience, I served it in carefully crafted Mino ware bowls.

The white bowl features a soft, matte texture that feels natural and calming in the hand.

The black bowl, with its quiet elegance, beautifully offsets the pale color of the soup, adding visual harmony to the table.

In Japanese culture, we often say that presentation is part of the flavor.

Thoughtfully chosen tableware doesn’t just hold the food — it tells a story, reflects the season, and shows care for the person who enjoys it.

Why not embrace the summer heat the Japanese way — with a simple, comforting soup, presented in cool, artisan-crafted Mino ware that brings together tradition, design, and functionality?

Let your customers experience the quiet luxury of Japanese hospitality — one bowl at a time.

Prefer to read in Japanese?

→ 日本語の記事はこちらからどうぞ。

The Making of Mino Ware: From Clay to Everyday Use

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Hi, this is Eri.

In my last blog post, I shared a bit about the origin of Mino ware and how it all begins with the clay.

This time, I’d like to continue that story by introducing how that soft clay is shaped into something we can actually use—a finished bowl, plate, or cup.

Pottery starts with kneading the clay.

Water is added, the air is removed, and the clay is smoothed out by hand until it has a soft, pliable texture. At this stage, the clay is still very tender and unpredictable—almost like a living thing.

Then, using a potter’s wheel or a mold, the clay is shaped into form.

This part of the process is called “forming.” If you watch closely, you’ll see how the clay seems to gently follow the potter’s hands, gradually transforming into a vessel.

But even after the shape is made, you can’t just pop it into the kiln.

It needs to dry slowly in a well-ventilated space. Once the moisture has evaporated, it goes through a first firing called “bisque firing.”

Only after that does it start to resemble something closer to tableware.

Next, the piece is coated in a liquid glaze.

This glaze—sometimes milky, sometimes glossy—is applied carefully over the surface. At this point, the piece still looks dull and its final look is hard to imagine.

Then comes the “main firing,” or hon-yaki.

At over 1,200°C, the clay hardens, and the glaze reveals its color and texture.

For pottery like Mino ware, this is when it becomes truly strong and beautiful—ready to be used, held, and cherished.

From a simple piece of clay, shaped and refined again and again by the hands of a craftsman, the vessel finally reaches the table.

And from there, it finds its way into someone’s life.

When I think of that journey, I realize a bowl is more than just an object.

Oh! One more thing—if you ever visit Toki City in Gifu, there’s a place called Donburi Kaikan where you can try making your own pottery on a wheel. When friends come from Tokyo or overseas, they always ask to go, and I’ve taken part a few times too.

It’s such a fun experience—watching that spinning clay take shape under your fingers is oddly addictive. I totally recommend it!

Prefer to read in Japanese?

→ 日本語の記事はこちらからどうぞ。

New Blog Author at Miyake Ceramics!

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Hello, and thank you for visiting.

My name is Eri, and I’m happy to share that I’ll be managing the official blog for Miyake Ceramics Co., Ltd.

Through this blog, I’ll be writing about our products, the beauty of Mino ware, and the charm of Japanese tableware and seasonal traditions — from here in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture, where our company is based.

We’ll be writing in English so that people around the world can enjoy and connect with Japanese ceramics and culture.

I’m looking forward to sharing more with you — thank you again for reading, and I hope you’ll stop by often.

Prefer to read in Japanese?
→ 日本語の記事はこちらからどうぞ。

Our Bunten-Kiln

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Customized Ramen Bowl (Logo and Message) Designed by Miyake

Miyake Ceramics owns a roller-hearth kiln, called BUNTEN-KILN. Bunten Kiln can do a special firing; In-Glaze.

By using In-Glaze technique, fired designs sink into the glass material on the surface of porcelain so that the design will never be peeled off from the tableware. This firing also ensures “no harmful”.

(Please note that our paints do not contain any heavy metal, such as cadmium and lead, testified by public organization. A certificate can be issued at your request.)