One Kiln Site, Designated by the State in 1971
Yoshibe Tile Kiln Site (吉志部瓦窯跡, Kishibe Kawaragama Ato) lies at Kishibe-kita, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, and was designated by the state on 23 June 1971. The category is that of historic sites, places of scenic beauty and natural monuments.
The managing body is Suita City, appointed on 8 July 1975.
The Agency records that it lies partway up the southern slope of a hill spur on the right bank of the Yodo River, that it goes by other names as well, and that its whereabouts have long been known.
Two Kinds of Kiln, One for Each Firing
Making a single tile called for two kilns, used in turn.
The Agency records that for green-glazed tiles the first firing was done in a flat kiln and the second, after glazing, in a climbing kiln.
The tile was fired first in one kiln, glazed, then fired again in the other. No single kiln saw it through.
The record adds that this is a site from which the firing of glazed tile can be well understood: that the process can be read from the ground is what carries the assessment.
At Rumoi, the herring gear is divided into 5 classes. Those are kinds of implement.
Here the kinds of kiln answer to stages of the work. The order of making survives as the arrangement of the remains.
Thirteen Kilns on Two Levels
On the slope, the kilns are built in tiers by kind.
The Agency records 9 flat kilns and 4 climbing kilns ranged on 2 levels, the climbing kilns above and the flat kilns below.
That makes 13 in all: 4 above, 9 below.
A drainage channel runs behind the flat kilns.
At Shimizuyama, enclosures are ranged like a chequerboard. Those are units in which people lived.
Here the kilns divide by kind into tiers. The flat kilns, used first, lie below; the climbing kilns, used after, above.
The Only Known Kiln Supplying the New Palace
No other kiln is known to have supplied that work.
The Agency records among the finds tiles thought to come from the same moulds as eaves tiles used in the first building of the Heian palace, and calls the kiln official in character.
Tiles from the same mould can be told apart from others, so a match points to one kiln.
The record closes that as a kiln supplying tiles for the first building of that palace, this is the only example known.
Of the okichimozuku habitat, the record says the places where it grows are very few. Three such places are designated.
Here there is one only. As a way of stating value this is the eighteenth met.
Visiting
The site lies at Kishibe-kita, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, managed by the city.
The flat kilns run about 5 metres, half sunk into the ground, and both firing chamber and stoking chamber survive in good order.
The climbing kilns run about 6 metres by about 1.3 metres, their floors laid throughout with flat tiles, and three-legged kiln furniture is found among them.
The finds are green-glazed eaves tiles of the early to late Heian period, with green-glazed pottery from the climbing kilns as well, showing that the kilns made both tile and pottery.
This is an open-air site, and whether and how it may be visited follows the managing body's arrangements. Check before travelling.
Q&A
- When was the site designated?
- On 23 June 1971, by the state. The category is that of historic sites, places of scenic beauty and natural monuments.
- How many kilns are there?
- Nine flat kilns and four climbing kilns, thirteen in all, ranged on two levels with the climbing kilns above.
- Why two kinds of kiln?
- The first firing was done in a flat kiln and the second, after glazing, in a climbing kiln. They answer to stages of the work.
- What is valued in it?
- That as a kiln supplying tiles for the first building of the Heian palace, it is the only example known.
- Did it make only tiles?
- No. Green-glazed pottery was found in the climbing kilns as well, showing that the kilns made both tile and pottery.
Basic Information
| Name | Yoshibe Tile Kiln Site (吉志部瓦窯跡, Kishibe Kawaragama Ato); it goes by other local names as well |
|---|---|
| Location | Kishibe-kita, Suita City, Osaka Prefecture |
| Designation | Historic site, place of scenic beauty and natural monument; designated as an archaeological site rather than as a building or a work of art |
| Year Designated | 1971 (23 June), designated |
| Quantity | 1 kiln site, with 9 flat kilns and 4 climbing kilns, 13 in all |
| Dimensions | The flat kilns run about 5 metres, half sunk into the ground, with firing and stoking chambers surviving in good order. The climbing kilns run about 6 metres by about 1.3 metres, their floors laid throughout with flat tiles. The kilns are ranged on 2 levels, the climbing kilns above and the flat kilns below, with a drainage channel behind the flat kilns |
| Owner | Managed by Suita City (from 8 July 1975) |
| Public Access | An open-air site; visiting follows the managing body's arrangements |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yoshibe Tile Kiln Site
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/138824
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/
- Osaka Prefecture: the kiln site park
- https://www.pref.osaka.lg.jp/o180150/bunkazaihogo/bunkazai/kishibegayouatokouen.html
- Suita City Museum
- https://www.city.suita.osaka.jp/museum/jyosetsu/1031002/1031004.html
Last verified: 2026.09.17