Kurisuno Tile Kiln Ruins

Kurusuno Kiln Site: The Imperial Tile Workshop That Roofed Heian-kyo

Tucked away in a quiet residential corner of northern Kyoto, the Kurusuno Kiln Site (Kurusuno Kawaragama-ato) is one of the most remarkable industrial heritage sites of ancient Japan. Hidden among the gentle slopes of the Iwakura Basin in Sakyo Ward, this unassuming wooded mound was once the beating heart of an imperial tile-making operation that supplied roof tiles for the great palaces and temples of Heian-kyo, the capital that would become modern Kyoto. For travelers seeking a deeper, more nuanced encounter with Japan's classical age — beyond the polished temples and famous shrines — Kurusuno offers a rare and authentic glimpse into the craftsmanship that built a thousand-year capital.

Historical Background

The Iwakura Basin, ringed by gentle hills to the north and east of central Kyoto, has long been blessed with two essentials of the ceramic art: fine clay and abundant firewood. Even before the Heian capital was established in 794, this district had developed into a center of pottery and tile production, with kilns operating from the late Kofun and Asuka periods onward.

The Kurusuno kilns themselves rose to prominence with the founding of Heian-kyo. Operating throughout the Heian period (794–1185), they were among the most important officially run tile workshops of the era. The site is identified with the "Kurusuno Kawara-ya" (Kurusuno Tile Office) listed in the Engishiki, the great early-tenth-century compilation of court regulations and procedures. According to that text, ox-carts laden with tiles traveled from the Kurusuno and nearby Ono workshops directly to the palace works in the city.

The site was rediscovered in 1930 by the archaeologist Kimura Shozaburo, who recognized inscribed roof tiles bearing the characters "Kuri" (栗, the first character of Kurusuno) and "Mokku" (木工, referring to the Mokuryo, the court bureau in charge of carpentry and palace construction). His findings led directly to the kiln's designation as a National Historic Site in January 1934.

Why It Was Designated a National Historic Site

Kurusuno is not merely an old industrial ruin — it is a key piece of evidence for understanding how the Heian capital was actually built and maintained. The site's value rests on several pillars:

• Documentary verification: The discovery of tiles inscribed with characters that match the names of court offices proved that this was a state-operated, not private, kiln. It is one of the few sites that can be matched directly to a workshop named in surviving Heian government records.
• Continuous operation: Unlike many tile kilns that operated only briefly, Kurusuno was active throughout the entire Heian period. This makes it an unusually rich source for tracing how tile design and firing technology evolved over nearly four centuries.
• Technical sophistication: The site contained both flat kilns (hiragama) and tunnel-style anagama kilns. Excavations have shown that the artisans here mastered not only ordinary roof tiles but also lustrous green-glazed ceramics — a high-status decorative material whose secrets were jealously guarded.
• Scale of supply: Tiles fired here have been excavated from the Daidairi (Greater Imperial Palace) site, as well as from the ruins of Toji and Saiji, the great twin temples that flanked the southern gateway of the capital.

The 1934 designation specifically protects the central kiln area on the Hatae hillside; subsequent excavations in 1992 uncovered additional early Heian tunnel kilns containing fragments of green-glazed roof tiles and bichromatic glazed vessels, deepening our understanding of the site.

Highlights and Points of Interest

Visitor Information

Kurusuno is a quiet, unattended site in a residential neighborhood. Travelers should approach it with a quiet respect for the surrounding homes and arrive prepared: there are no facilities, vending machines, or restrooms on-site, so it is wise to come from one of the nearby stations with refreshments in hand. The site can be visited at any reasonable hour during daylight, and a short visit pairs naturally with a stroll to the renowned Entsuji Temple (famous for its borrowed-scenery garden of Mount Hiei) just a few minutes away.

Photography of the marker and surrounding landscape is welcome, but please do not climb the protected mound or remove any objects from the site — fragments occasionally weather to the surface and are protected as cultural property.

Surrounding Attractions

The greatest pleasure of visiting Kurusuno is combining it with the rich heritage of the surrounding Iwakura district. Entsuji Temple, just a few minutes' walk away, is celebrated for one of the most refined dry landscape gardens in Japan, framing distant Mount Hiei in a perfect "borrowed view." Slightly further afield, the Iwakura Jisso-in Temple offers stunning maple foliage in autumn and a quietly contemplative atmosphere year-round. South of the kiln site, Takaragaike Park with its boating pond and the elegant Kyoto International Conference Center (designed by the architect Sachio Otani in 1966) provide a fascinating contrast between Heian-era industrial heritage and twentieth-century modernist architecture. For those wishing to deepen their understanding of what was made here, the Heiankyo Sosei-kan Museum in central Kyoto displays a superb full-scale replica of a Daigokuden roof ornament, helping visitors visualize the structures these tiles once adorned.