Design Development of New Products in Koishiwara Ware and Takatori Ware

Abstract

Koishiwara ware and Takatori ware, the key industries of Toho Village in Fukuoka Prefecture, comprise ceramic products that have flexibly adapted with the times while preserving tradition and accepting new challenges. Thus, Koishiwara and Takatori have served as production sites for more than 350 years. In the unique production area structure in which ceramics industry and daily life merge, what materials should be used for pottery, what methods and techniques should be used, what should be made, and who will make it. Then, I worked on the design carefully to consider how these choices affect the future of pottery in the areas. This work is the result of a project that we participated in 2021 as part of the regional revitalization plan project of Toho Village, Fukuoka Prefecture. “Co-ishiwara”, a joint brand of potters by the Koishiwara pottery cooperative, was launched, and a new product with the theme of family “Koishiwara Hyakuwan” was completed with seven potters of the same association (Figure 1). They also proposed a plate design using the drape-mold technique, suggesting a direction for production areas moving forward.