Indonesia · Ceramics / Pottery
Gerabah Kasongan
Gerabah is the traditional unglazed earthenware pottery tradition of Java, with Kasongan village in Bantul district, Yogyakarta, as the primary and most celebrated center. Kasongan pottery uses local red clay, hand-built or wheel-thrown, fired in open wood-fired kilns at relatively low temperatures (900–1000°C) producing the characteristic warm terracotta surface. The tradition ranges from functional household ware (water jars, cooking pots, kendil ritual vessels) to decorative sculptural pieces and figures that have become internationally recognized as Yogyakarta cultural exports. The tradition was revived and transformed from subsistence craft to commercial art pottery in the 1970s–80s through the intervention of artist Sapto Hudoyo, who introduced new forms while preserving hand-building technique. Kasongan now exports globally.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed
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