Facility Overview
Kobeigama is located in Ichinokura, an area on the outskirts of Tajimi where there are over 50 historic kilns. Several of the buildings in Kobeigama’s small complex are open to the public, and the kiln also offers pottery workshops and hosts a range of seasonal events.
Main House
The first floor of this modern building contains the information desk and showroom. The second floor is a gallery of masterpieces created by sixth-generation family head Takuo Katō (1917–2005). The works displayed here include Persian arabesque tile murals, lusterware, Persian blue ceramics, and examples of the sansai (three-color) glazing technique that earned Takuo the designation of Living National Treasure in 1995.
Museum of Old Ceramics
The museum has three floors of ancient pottery collected by Takuo Katō, including ninth- to thirteenth-century Persian blue ceramics, celadon from Korea, and shards of sixteenth-century Mino ware that were studied to re-create historic styles and glazes. The building, a traditional minka-style house that was relocated from its original location in Fukui, is over 200 years old. The tatami-floored sitting room looks out at a wood-burning anagama kiln, and on certain days of the year, visitors to the museum can sit and observe the processes of firing or unloading. By stepping onto the house’s outer veranda, visitors can also see the kiln’s old brick chimney.
Arts and Crafts Museum
This building has a collection of works by the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth heads of the family that shows the range and evolution of Kobeigama styles. There is also a display of waka poems by Kōbei Katō VII (1945–).