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Pots | Chris Prindl | Directions | Outlets | Ordering |
'Anagama' in Japanese means a 'hole kiln'. It is an ancient and archaic way of firing pots to high temperatures which started out by potters digging a tunnel into a clay hill which hardened into a rudimentary kiln when they fired it. The pots are put in raw and the only glaze they get is from the ash flying through the kiln from the wood as it burns. In Japanese this is called 'yakishime', or 'finished by the firing'. There is a great deal of chance in how each pot comes out and each one is unique. Some of the best pieces have a rugged timeless quality to them that cannot be created in any other way. An average firing takes up to five days of constant stoking, uses a huge amount of firewood (traditionally red pine), and gives up only a handful of good pieces! It is a process that can only really be done with a passion for it and yes, I have a mad love for anagama wood firing. But sadly, my Cornish anagama remains to be rebuilt since the move to Trebyan Forge in 2000. It is still a large languishing pile of firebricks. Hopefully I will have the time to rebuild it in the near future. In the meantime, these are a few old anagama pots of mine:
Click on image for details
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