Ōarako Old Kiln ruins
The Ōarako Old Kiln Site (大アラコ古窯跡, Ōarako ko-yōseki) is an archaeological site containing the ruins of five noborigama kilns located in what is now part of the city of Tahara, Aichi in the Tōkai region of Japan. The kilns were built in the late Heian period and were in use into the Kamakura period The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1971.[1]
大アラコ古窯跡 | |
 Ōarako Old Kiln ruins | |
 .svg.png){kind=icon} Ōarako Old Kiln ruins  Ōarako Old Kiln ruins (Japan) | |
| Location | Tahara, Aichi, Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Tōkai region |
| Coordinates | 34°38′05″N 137°11′43″E |
| Type | kiln |
| History | |
| Periods | Heian - Kamakura |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | National Historic Site |
| Public access | Yes |
Overview
Pottery produced at the Ōarako site was used for everyday items, such as tea bowls and funerary urns. Until the discovery of this site 1950s, it was not known that pottery had been made on the Atsumi Peninsula. With the excavation of this large kiln site by the Tahara Town Board of Education in 1964, it became clear that a type of black pottery of unknown origin which had been discovered in many locations in the Tōkai region originated from these kilns. Some of the pottery shards discovered bore the name of "Fujiwara Okinaga", who was the kokushi of Mikawa Province from 1136 to 1155. The excavated items are stored in the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum located in Seto.
The site was backfilled after excavations, and is now a grassy field with a small monument.
References
- "大アラコ古窯跡" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs.
External links
- Tahara city museum site (in Japanese)
- Aichi Cultural Properties Navi (in Japanese)