What Is the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio?
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (Former Kawai Kanjiro Residence) Pottery Studio (河井寬次郎記念館（旧河井寬次郎邸）陶房, tōbō) is a single-storey timber workshop of about 1929 behind the courtyard of Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum in Kaneicho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2000.
This is the room where the potter Kawai Kanjiro sat at the wheel and shaped his pots. It has a tiled roof and covers 54 m². The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the tradition that it went up before the new main house, so it is older than the 1937 dwelling and belongs to Kawai's early years on the site.
Why the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio Was Registered
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio was registered as a model of design, and the reason lies in its floor.
The studio has two rooms, one with an earth floor (Doma) and one with a raised board floor. The board floor is itself split into a lower level for working on chairs and a higher level for working seated on the floor, and the wheel stood on the higher part. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the same two-level floor reappears in the hall of the later main house: an idea tried out in the workshop ended up at the heart of the family home.
What to Look For
Stand on the boards and follow the step between the two levels. That line is also the line between chair work and floor work. From the raised side, where the wheel once sat, you can see how the light from the windows falls on the working area.
East of the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio a timber shed with an earth floor houses the bisque kiln, and the climbing kiln stands at the eastern end of the grounds. Shaping, first firing and final firing follow one another eastward, which makes the studio the starting point of the whole workshop.
Visiting the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio
The Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio is part of the museum route. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, its former earth-floored room now serves as a rest area, a good place to sit and look across at the stepped floor.
The studio lies beyond the courtyard, behind the main house, and needs no separate ticket. Opening hours, admission and directions are on the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum page.
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- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (Former Kawai Kanjiro Residence) Pottery Studio
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Q&A
- When was the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio built?
- About 1929, and by tradition before the new main house. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on April 28, 2000.
- What was the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio used for?
- It was Kawai's workshop for throwing and shaping pots. The wheel stood on the higher part of the board floor.
- Why does the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio have a two-level floor?
- The lower level was for working on chairs and the higher one for working seated on the floor. The main house hall uses the same idea.
- How large is the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio?
- It is a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 54 m².
- Can I visit the Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum Pottery Studio?
- Yes. It is on the museum route, and its former earth-floored room is used as a rest area.
Basic Information
| Name | Kawai Kanjiro Memorial Museum (Former Kawai Kanjiro Residence) Pottery Studio |
|---|---|
| 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 | Single-storey timber building, building area 54 m² |
| 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): Pottery Studio
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001716
- Cultural Heritage Online: Pottery Studio
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/177936
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Bisque Kiln
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001719
Last verified: 2026.10.15
