What Is the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln?
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (Former Kawai Kanjiro Residence) Climbing Kiln (河井寬次郎記念館（旧河井寬次郎邸）登り窯, noborigama) is a brick multi-chambered kiln of the Meiji period at the eastern end of Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum in Kaneicho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2000.
It is 15 m deep and 4.8 m wide, sheltered by a single-storey timber roof structure. A noborigama strings its firing chambers one above another up a slope so that the heat climbs from the firebox through each in turn. Kawai named this one Shōkei-yō (鐘溪窯).
Why the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln Was Registered
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln was registered as a structure that would not be easy to reproduce. The Agency for Cultural Affairs values it as one of the few surviving climbing kilns of Kyoto and Kiyomizu ware in the Gojozaka district.
When it was first built is not known. What is recorded is that Kawai acquired it from Kiyomizu Rokubei in 1920 and afterwards reduced its nine chambers to eight. According to the Agency's biography of Kawai, it was also a shared kiln fired by other potters, so it was part of the working fabric of Gojozaka as well as his own.
What to Look For
Step under the shelter and the brick chambers rise away from you in a stepped line. Eight of them in a row feel longer than the bare figure of 15 m suggests. In a climbing kiln the heat from the firebox at the lower end passes upward from chamber to chamber, so following the slope with your eye shows how a firing moved through the kiln.
From the time Kawai set up on his own here, his Shōkei-yō ware was fired in the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln. Trace the route back through the bisque kiln to the studio and the whole life of a pot fits within the width of one property.
Visiting the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln is at the far end of the museum route, on the east edge of the property. Its roof means it can be seen even in rain. The kiln itself is the registered structure, so please do not touch the brick or lean into the chambers.
Opening hours, admission and directions are on the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum page.
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Q&A
- When was the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln built?
- In the Meiji period, though its construction history is unknown. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 28, 2000.
- Where did the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln come from?
- Kawai acquired it from Kiyomizu Rokubei in 1920 and named it Shōkei-yō.
- How many chambers does the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln have?
- It had nine when Kawai acquired it; he later reduced them to eight.
- How large is the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln?
- It is brick, 15 m deep and 4.8 m wide, under a single-storey timber shelter.
- Can I see the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Climbing Kiln?
- Yes. It stands at the far end of the museum route, at the east edge of the property, and can be viewed under its shelter.
Basic Information
| Name | Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (Former Kawai Kanjiro Residence) Climbing 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 15 m, width 4.8 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): Climbing Kiln
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001718
- Cultural Heritage Online: Climbing Kiln
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/137488
- Art Platform Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs): KAWAI Kanjirō
- https://artplatform.go.jp/artists/A1263
- Kyoto City: Historic Buildings of Kyoto, Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (PDF, Japanese)
- https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/tokei/cmsfiles/contents/0000305/305675/b03kanjiro.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.15
