Mashiko Pottery Town
益子
The folk-craft pottery town where Hamada Shōji worked.
Opening hours and admission for this place have not been checked yet, so none are shown. Check the official site
Our guide
Mashiko, a town in south-eastern Tochigi, is known for its pottery. Mashiko ware began at the end of the Edo period, when Ōtsuka Keizaburō, who had trained in the Kasama domain, built a kiln here, and the town prospered making pots for everyday use.
From the Taishō era the potter Hamada Shōji, later a Living National Treasure, brought the mingei (folk craft) movement to Mashiko. His friend Bernard Leach often worked here and made the names Hamada and Mashiko known abroad, and many would-be potters then moved to the town. Mashiko ware was designated a traditional craft in 1979. Its most basic glazes are iron glazes — jet black, the red-brown called kaki, and amber — which give it deep colours and a thick, soft feel.
Mashiko Station is about 650 m away in a straight line. We have not checked individual kilns or shops.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- MashikoTohkoGaikan01 — FukuroWaraw · CC BY 4.0 · source · resized
- Mashiko 2008-11-28 (3267842157) — KimonBerlin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source · resized
- MashikoDaiseiGama202410 — FukuroWaraw · CC BY 4.0 · source · resized
- NaruiTsuneo NoboriGama — FukuroWaraw · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- NaruiTsuneo SaikuBa — FukuroWaraw · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- 岩下製陶（古窯いわした） — FukuroWaraw · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- 益子陶芸倶楽部・古民家古木 (26521448604) — salchuiwt from Japan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Mashiko, a town in south-eastern Tochigi Prefecture, is known as a pottery town. Mashiko ware began at the end of the Edo period, when Ōtsuka Keizaburō, who had trained in the Kasama domain, built a kiln here, and the town prospered making pottery for everyday use. From the Taishō era the potter Hamada Shōji, later a Living National Treasure, brought the mingei (folk craft) movement to Mashiko; his friend Bernard Leach often worked here and spread the names Hamada and Mashiko abroad. Many would-be potters then moved to the town. Mashiko ware was designated a traditional craft in 1979. Its most basic glazes are iron glazes in jet black, a red-brown called kaki and amber, which give it deep colours and a thick, soft feel.
Background text translated from Japanese Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Landmark
Nearby station
Nearby station: Mashiko, about 650 m from the spot in a straight line.
Worked out on 2026-09-14 from this place’s map position, using HeartRails Express station data and station names from Wikidata. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route, and says nothing about buses, transfers or timetables — plan the trip on Google Maps.
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