Changes

Pottery was first introduced to [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryûkyû]] from China during the [[Gusuku]] Period (c. 1100s-1400s). [[Tsuboya wares]], produced in the Tsuboya district of [[Naha]], are the most well-known style of Ryukyuan pottery, and the most strongly associated with Ryûkyû. In addition to dishes, vessels, and roof tiles, Ryukyuan pottery is especially known for the production of funerary urns, and ''[[shisa]]'', lion-like guardians placed on rooftops and at gates to protect homes and other spaces from evil spirits.

Pottery was first introduced to [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryûkyû]] from China during the [[Gusuku]] Period (c. 1100s-1400s). [[Tsuboya wares]], produced in the Tsuboya district of [[Naha]], are the most well-known style of Ryukyuan pottery, and the most strongly associated with Ryûkyû. In addition to dishes, vessels, and roof tiles, Ryukyuan pottery is especially known for the production of funerary urns, and ''[[shisa]]'', lion-like guardians placed on rooftops and at gates to protect homes and other spaces from evil spirits.

The court ordered many of the potters in the kingdom to relocate to the Tsuboya district in [[1682]], creating Tsuboya as a major center of pottery production, and sparking the emergence of a distinctive Tsuboya style. [[Kumejima]], [[Miyakojima]], and [[Ishigakijima]] remain major centers of pottery production as well.

In the early 17th century, [[Wakuta]] was the chief center of ceramics production on Okinawa, with Kogachi and Chibana developing shortly afterwards. In [[1682]], however, the court ordered many of the potters in the kingdom to relocate to the Tsuboya district, which was not until then a kiln site. This, then, constituted the creation of Tsuboya as a major center of pottery production, and sparked the emergence of a distinctive Tsuboya style, as potters from across the kingdom combined their techniques and styles. [[Kumejima]], [[Miyakojima]], and [[Ishigakijima]] remained major centers of pottery production as well, however, at this time.

Up until the [[Meiji period]], Tsuboya remained a center of production of relatively simple ''arayachi'' (荒焼, "rough wares"), or unglazed ceramics. It was only in the [[Taisho period|Taishô period]] that, seeing the great popularity of [[Arita wares]] in the mainland Japanese market and seeking to expand their market share, the Tsuboya potters began producing ''jôyachi'' (上焼, "completed wares"), that is, glazed ceramics, with elaborate designs of fish, dragons, and the like.

Up until the [[Meiji period]], Tsuboya remained a center of production of relatively simple ''arayachi'' (荒焼, "rough wares"), or unglazed ceramics. It was only in the [[Taisho period|Taishô period]] that, seeing the great popularity of [[Arita wares]] in the mainland Japanese market and seeking to expand their market share, the Tsuboya potters began producing ''jôyachi'' (上焼, "completed wares"), that is, glazed ceramics, with elaborate designs of fish, dragons, and the like.

A handful of influential ceramics artists, including Aragaki Eizaburô, Kinjô Jirô, and Kobashigawa Eishô, led the Tsuboya area in developing further in the post-war, into what it is today.

Tsuboya led Ryukyuan pottery through the 1960s, but in the 1970s, environmental and other concerns inspired many potters to relocate from Tsuboya - in the center of the city of Naha - to other areas, including [[Yomitan]] and [[Ogimi-son|Ôgimi-son]], where they built new kilns in the traditional manner.

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==References==

==References==

*Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.

*Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.

*Gallery labels, "The Tsuboya-yaki region," Gallery 4: Minzoku, National Museum of Japanese History.

*Gallery labels, "The Tsuboya-yaki region" and "Okinawan pottery," Gallery 4: Minzoku, National Museum of Japanese History.

[[Category:Ryukyu]]

[[Category:Ryukyu]]

[[Category:Art and Architecture]]

[[Category:Art and Architecture]]