[Akita] Pottery created by a famous scholar? "Ani ware"

Akita Prefecture is home to a variety of pottery, including Naraoka ware, a type of pottery with a mysterious blue color. Each type of pottery has its own unique history, and today they are loved by people from both inside and outside the prefecture as souvenirs and traditional crafts. Akita pottery is characterized by the abundance of blue and white hues. This is said to be due to the use of glazes that produce the white and blue colors. The mountains, seas, rivers, and lakes of Akita Prefecture are truly "mysterious blue" and "bluish green" colors, so you can feel the nature of Akita just by looking at the pottery

However, Akita pottery also has other distinctive colors. We will introduce "Ani ware," a traditional craft from Akita Prefecture that was born from the inspiration of a famous scholar. This color is black and white! We will take a closer look at its color and history

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Was Hiraga Gennai the one who started it? Black and white Ani ware

Ani ware, one of Akita's traditional crafts, is pottery characterized by white on a black background. The image shows this Ani ware, and you can see the unique white pattern on the jet black background

It is said that Ani ware was first created by Hiraga Gennai about 230 years ago. When Hiraga Gennai, a famous historical figure in Japan, was invited to the Ani Copper Mine to increase production, he discovered a good quality area for pottery and had it fired

Hiraga Gennai is also known as the scholar who initiated the tradition of eating eel on Saturday, the Day of the Ox, a traditional summer event in Japan. The eel, smothered in sauce, is served with white rice in a black and white Ani ware dish - the colours of which are truly representative of Japanese cuisine

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All handmade! Unique colors and patterns

Ani ware was once closed during the Meiji period, but was revived in the 1970s. Even if you live in Akita Prefecture, there are some people who say, "I've never seen it on display in a store until recently." This is because it was once discontinued during the Meiji period, and was revived in the Showa period

Currently, only one person makes Ani ware: Mitsuru Yahata of Genzan Kiln, an Ani ware kiln in Akita Prefecture. Each piece is handmade using local clay from Arase Ani. Because it is all handmade, no two pieces have the same pattern

Ani ware can be purchased at souvenir shops in Akita Prefecture, as well as online. Because it is handmade by a single person, each piece is unique. It also pairs beautifully with Japanese food, making it a highly popular souvenir

When choosing at a souvenir shop, keep in mind that each one has a different pattern, and look for the one and only item that you think is just right

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lastly

Ani ware is a traditional product that can be said to have been created by Hiraga Gennai, but it was revived in the Showa era as a new traditional folk craft of Akita Prefecture. Each piece is handmade, so the patterns vary, but they are characterized by black, which stands out against Japanese cuisine, and eye-catching white

When you visit Akita Prefecture, try picking out your very own one-of-a-kind item. Many souvenir shops in the prefecture carry them, and you'll be able to feel the tradition just by looking at them

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