Celina’s blog “On ceramics”: Before talking about the kiln called “Ittekoi”

12 Before talking about the kiln called “Ittekoi”

The happening of the Kaneyama kiln (Please see blog 10) forced me to talk about wood fired kilns making a break on my “forming methods” series re-awaking interest among my by now, perhaps, sleepy readers.

As the ittekoi firing is an annual event in my school and happened a few days after, I decided to comment on it due mainly the fact that the ittekoi type of kiln is not widely known abroad; definitely not as much as the anagama and the noborigama kilns, the most popular in Western countries.

First of all, let me explain differences between these two kilns.

And for that purpose nothing better than a section. i.e. to “cut” lengthwise the kiln in half so to show the interior space.

This is a typical anagama kiln. The plan shows the only one wide feeding-opening at the left: the kiln itself is a vaulted space that ends in the chimney, it goes without saying that the air circulates freely from the mouth to the chimney having plenty of oxygen, this is defined as an “Oxidation Firing” kiln, abbreviated OF inside the clay community.

By opposition, the noborigama type of kiln is a made out of “barrel vaulted” sections placed one after the other, parallel among themselves up to a hill: noborigama is literally and properly translated as “climbing” kiln in English. The feeding mouth is in the lower part while the chimney is placed in the uppermost part.

The comparatively small feeding mouth sends the fire to the following room (called chamber) in such a way that after touching the roof goes down to the low small openings placed in between two chambers. Said in other words, to go out to the following chamber, the fire, reaching the roof, slips down the vault as low as the following chamber floor level, where the openings are. In this way, this swirl allows only the minimum of air currents inside the kiln and for that reason, the fire, to maintaining itself alive “eats” the chemical oxygen trapped in the glazes and body of the ceramics inside. This reduction provokes chemical transformations mainly reveled in the final coloration of the objects inside. This kiln is called “Reduction Firing” or RF to abbreviate. It goes without saying that every artist choices very carefully the kind of kiln he or she wants to fire her or his work, always with the objective of obtaining the best color of clay, glazes and paintings. Later, I shall intend to explain with more detail this complex transformation.

This is one of the many noborigama kilns now unused in Shigaraki town.

Lateral openings are used to stack each chamber, then, a brick wall is build to close it leaving an small opening barely enough wide to throw the wood inside when the firing climax is to reach.

As the fire has to go down to find the lower openings leading to the next chamber, this type of kiln is also called “downdraft”.

Now, what is the particular thing about an “itekoi” type of kiln?

It is a flat small kiln of only one chamber having its feeding mouth and its chimney just one over the other. The fire makes its way to the farthest wall, makes a vertical U return and comes back to the chimney placed just over the feeding mouth.

But, unfortunately, I have run out of space, and to talk about the “ittekoi” firing has to be the object of the next month blog. Please, be patient and constant with this blog!

Should you have any interest on the actual plans for these kilns, please write me through the Forum. I shall be glad to share my documentation with you.