Tsuboya Yachimun-dori Street: An Oasis in the Heart of Naha

Despite its location in the heart of Naha City, Tsuboya Yachimun-dori Street is filled with a serene atmosphere. This area is known as the place where Okinawa's post-war reconstruction began.

Located in central Naha, Tsuboya Yachimun-dori Street exudes a quiet calm. The area is famous as the starting point of Okinawa's reconstruction after World War II. Tsuboya, which suffered relatively little damage from air raids, became a gathering place for potters who had been living in internment camps after the Battle of Okinawa; they were the first to enter the area as an advance party. For the residents who had lost everything in the war, these artisans crafted and distributed daily necessities for free. And so, with Tsuboya as its anchor, the city of Naha was gradually rebuilt.

In the past, the sight of smoke billowing from climbing kilns, or noborigama, was a daily feature of the Tsuboya sky. However, as environmental awareness grew in the 1970s, the use of these kilns within Naha City was banned. Many pottery studios were forced to switch to smokeless gas or electric kilns, while others relocated to suburbs like Yomitan Village to continue using their traditional climbing kilns.

In Tsuboya, home to the Ikutouen studio, a noborigama climbing kiln designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan still stands today. While no longer used for full-scale firing, it is fired once a year for preservation. This event provides a rare opportunity for Tsuboya's potters to work together, serving as a symbolic act of passing down skills and memories to the next generation.

In an environment distinct from the fiery landscapes and serendipity unique to wood-fired kilns, the potters evolved, choosing to perfect decorative techniques—known as kashoku—such as line carving (senbori) and painting (etsuke). This evolution shaped the identity of modern Tsuboya-yaki and, by extension, that of Ikutouen itself.