- Ever since it was opened by the first-generation owner Wakunami Soryu in 1940, Soryu-gama has carried on the tradition of celadon-glazed Kyo ware pottery. The current Wakunami Soryu, the fourth-generation owner, married Madoka Ota, whose family makes Koishiwara ware in Fukuoka Prefecture. This created a style fusing two techniques: celadon and tobikanna, a distinctive pattern made by carving clay.
- The couple’s pottery is sold in their studio in Higashiyama, close to Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Kodai-ji Temple. Two types of pottery classes are also offered: hand building bowls and other objects, and decorating pottery with blue glaze. You don’t need to bring anything, and the class takes about two hours. Your pottery is sent to your home roughly 1.5 months later.
- Soryu said, “Foreign tourists happily tell me their ceramics make great mementos of Kyoto. Some visitors want to make handmade gifts for their parents or small wedding presents.” Some even discover a new hobby after receiving instruction from these professional potters.
Soryu-gama
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Address：4-170-22 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi
Tel：075-561-8004
Hours：10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
（pottery classes from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.）
Closed：Sunday(no classes on Thursday and Friday)
soryu-gama.com/ 
