Kerokuro (a kicking potter’s wheel)

Many of you may think about potter’s wheel when you hear the word, “pottery”.

If the potters are professionals or amateurs does not matter, most potters these days use electronic potter’s wheel but a young Echizen-yaki potter I interviewed the other day was actually using the older one called “Kerokuro (kicking potter’s wheel).

The kicking potter’s wheel is made with two heavy wooden discs connected up and down.

The potter puts clay on the top part of the wheel, and he kicks the bottom part to turn the wheel. According to the potter, he can freely change the speed and/or direction of the wheel with adjusting a force when he kicks the bottom part.
The best part of the kicking potter's wheel is quietness.

The scene of making potteries without any sound of motors and/or any electronical equipmets was perfect for the studio with the tweet of birds.

T.S