What Is the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln?
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (Former Kawai Kanjiro Residence) Bisque Kiln (河井寬次郎記念館（旧河井寬次郎邸）素焼窯, suyaki-gama) is a brick kiln of the early Showa period set inside an earth-floored shed beside the pottery studio of Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum in Kaneicho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2000.
It measures 1.8 m deep and 1.6 m wide and sits within a single-storey timber building with an earth floor (Doma) attached to the east side of the studio. Its job was the bisque firing: a first, lower-temperature firing of shaped pieces before the main firing in the climbing kiln.
Why the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln Was Registered
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln was registered as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it is said to have been built by a specialist kiln builder to Kawai's own design.
Bisque-fired ware holds together when wet and can take glaze, so this kiln links the studio where pieces were thrown with the climbing kiln where they were finished. The Agency describes it as an essential part of a single workshop together with the studio and the climbing kiln. That the whole sequence survives on one property is what gives the kiln its value.
What to Look For
The kiln itself is small. Against the 15 m depth of the climbing kiln, this one is 1.8 m deep, about the span of a person's outstretched arms. Its stacked brick fits entirely inside the earth-floored shed.
Walk from the boards of the studio into this shed and the working sequence turns into a few steps. Shaped pots came here first, then went on east to the climbing kiln. Stand between the two and measure the distance the pots travelled.
Visiting the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln is in the earth-floored shed next to the studio and can be seen from the museum route. It is workshop equipment, not living space, so please look without touching the brickwork.
Opening hours, admission and directions are on the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kyoto
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (Former Kawai Kanjiro Residence) Bisque Kiln
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Q&A
- When was the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln built?
- In the early Showa period. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 28, 2000.
- What was the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln used for?
- For bisque firing shaped pieces before their main firing in the climbing kiln.
- Who built the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs says a kiln builder is said to have built it to Kawai's design.
- How big is the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln?
- It is brick, 1.8 m deep and 1.6 m wide, inside a single-storey timber shed east of the pottery studio.
- Can I see the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Bisque Kiln?
- Yes. It stands in the shed beside the pottery studio and can be seen from the museum route.
Basic Information
| Name | Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (Former Kawai Kanjiro Residence) Bisque Kiln |
|---|---|
| Location | 569 Kaneicho, Higashiiru Yamato-oji, Umamachi-dori, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered April 28, 2000 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Brick, depth 1.8 m, width 1.6 m |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Open to the public (as Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Bisque Kiln
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001719
- Cultural Heritage Online: Bisque Kiln
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/192719
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Pottery Studio
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001716
Last verified: 2026.10.15
