津軽焼 (Tsugaru-yaki); related kiln lineages Hirashimizu-yaki, Osawa-yaki, Shitakawara-yaki and Akudo-yaki; sea-cucumber glaze = namako-yu
Glazed ceramics made in and around Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, from local iron-rich clay, glazed with black tenmoku or with an apple-ash glaze made from burnt apple tree wood, sometimes blended with rice-straw ash in a namako ('sea cucumber') glaze, and fired with local pine. Aomori Prefecture traces it to four domain-era kilns assembled under the Tsugaru lord Nobumasa; its present form is a Showa-era revival after the older kilns died out in the Taisho period. Made for everyday use (tea ware, sake ware, plates, vases) rather than as luxury ceramics. Aomori Prefecture designated it a traditional craft in March 1996.
Risk level: Vulnerable (few kilns; revival craft with an interrupted lineage) · Not inscribed
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